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Kalumu Primary School This very poor and remote primary school, founded in 1997, borders Kora National Park about 3 hours drive from Mwingi town. In 2009 this was the situation: The area is extremely dry and the school has no source of running water. A large playing field has been cleared but there is little sports equipment. There is a kitchen and food is now cooked on efficient jikos rather than on open fires. There is a basic library, but books have been poorly kept on open shelves and in boxes. The outside environment is hostile for such storage and of concern. The compound itself was donated by one of the parent/teachers who has been teaching there since 1997. There are 296 pupils, 138 girls and 158 boys. At the end of 2009 almost half the children had drifted away in search of water and food. Now, they have returned and the enrollment is back up to previous levels although the recent drought has seen a drop in numbers again. There are 5 TSE (government) teachers. This means that 4 others have to be employed at parents' expense. TAS has stepped in and funded these so that the pressure is off the extremely poor parents. There are concerns about the high drop out rate, specially for girls. Reasons for this include lack of food and facilities, very large classes, insecurity and to the fact that parents are being asked to contribute to the running of the school. In 2015 the situation is much changed: TAS has funded piped water from a nearby disused borehole, additional teachers, fencing, refurbishment of classrooms, staff houses, new cookers, solar power, TVs and DVD players, and most recently dormitories and shade bandas. The school roll has increased to 345 with 14 students gaining sufficiently high marks to go on to secondary school. The local trust continues to operate but TAS has withdrawn major funding although we still fund small projects such as educational trips. Headteacher Trust Secretary Trust Address Kalumu Primary School Trust, c/o Chase Bank (K) Ltd Wabera Street, Nairobi Bank Account Bank Swiftcode Bank Address Chase Bank (K) Ltd Wabera Street Nairobi |
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