Safaricom Foundation’s John Kinoti after installation of 10,000 litres water tank at Chasimba Primary, Malindi. [Photo/Maxwell Ngala]
Over 1000 pupils from Malindi and Kilifi in Kilifi County are the latest beneficiaries from a partnership between Safaricom Foundation, Tinga Tinga Tales Foundation and the Coca Cola Company through the ‘Know and Grow initiative’.
The 1, 227 pupils from Tsangatsini Primary School in Kaloleni, and 250 from Chasimba Primary School in Malindi each received an ECD classroom, a block of latrines and a 10,000 litre water tank for rain water harvesting all valued at over Kshs1.7 million.
“Safaricom Foundation has since inception dedicated millions of resources to empowering schools in marginalised areas. Our work is driven by the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of goals that aim at reducing poverty in the world,” said safaricom Foundation senior Finance manager John Kinoti.
“These are objectives that we aim to achieve as we strive to place Kenya in the world map as a nation that has attained the said goals for its people. In line with our Twaweza spirit, we believe in coming together to make great things happen and making a child’s life easier is a great start,” he added.
Mr. Kinoti said that through the Know and Grow Initiative, the three organisations’ were working towards meeting Goal 17 of the SDGs that calls for partnerships geared at achieving the set targets.
“We are grateful to Safaricom Foundation, Tinga Tinga Tales Foundation and the Coca Cola Company for coming together and making a huge impact to this school and the community too” said Nelson Thoya, headmaster, Tsangatsini Primary School.
“We are glad that our children now have room for learning and will not have to go to the bushes to relieve themselves as we now have good facilities,” said Christopher Karisa, headmaster, Chasimba Primary School.
The Know and Grow initiative is a partnership where Safaricom Foundation, Tinga Tinga Tales Foundation and Coca-Cola bring together funding, technical and project management expertise to transform disadvantaged schools.
The project comes in two phases whereby in the first phase, 37 schools had a number of their amenities renovated or constructed from scratch. With the second phase, selected schools will benefit from the construction of pit latrines and the installation of a 10, 000 litre water tank.
Schools are selected with the help of the National Poverty Index report (2009), where beneficiary Primary Schools in areas with limited education opportunities are identified.