ACTION THIS DAY

Bamburi, Mombasa, Kenya

Dear Supporters of ACTION THIS DAY,

I am writing to inform you of the opening of our first school in Kenya. On May 10th we officially opened the doors to The Kookaburra Community Primary School, with our first student intake of 136 children, from kindergarten to the seventh of eight years of primary school. We cannot offer year eight until we have official registration from the Education Department.

It is hard to describe the difference between the total chaos that reigned on the Monday morning opening, to the feel of a fully functional and educational experience we were offering by Friday afternoon. On Monday, as parents and students milled about the small play area outside the house we have rented, carpenters continued to hammer, nail and saw their way through desks and chairs. The heavy rains and the Kenyan concept of time both conspired to delay us, but in the end we got there.

We have a thousand challenges ahead of us, not least in negotiating the multitude of government departments we must appease before we progress to full registration. We face water shortages (we need to buy our own regularly due to rationing); material shortages (ran out of chalk and red ink in the first week and no students yet have any text books). I am paying the teachers on a wing and a prayer (given that I don’t even know what that means, it’s all the more freaky). But we have started. The look of pride in the eyes of the students who know
they now have their very own place they can call school, well, that is priceless, and I am deeply happy for them.

Those of you who know the history of Restoration will know what I mean, as we have most of that remaining school population with us now. None of this could have happened if it were not for your encouragement and support and so I am taking this opportunity to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your interest in ACTION THIS DAY and in the lives of some very special but extremely poor children, in Mombasa, Kenya.

What’s in a name?

The Kookaburra Community School is run by a Community Based Organisation (CBO) in Bamburi, a district of Mombasa, Kenya. The CBO is sponsored by ACTION THIS DAY. There are nine Kenyans (teachers and parents) plus myself in this organisation, and when choosing the name of the school the Kenyans were unanimous in using the reference to an Australian children’s song I taught my class to sing at the end of year assembly when I was here in Mombasa 2008.

What next?

We are hopelessly lacking in everything. We could have enrolled 300 students if we had the space. We have turned away so many; many in circumstances that I cannot bring myself to recall here. We need materials for the school. We need ongoing sponsorships to pay teachers wages, rent, power, water and other consumables (think of a school and all that it requires to survive day to day). The web site will shortly be update to reflect these needs.

The house we have rented is only temporary until we find the right land and can afford to build our own school. I am acutely aware that we need to adopt sustainable practices as soon as we can (renting not sustainable), yet I am trying to balance this against the need of children whose lives are passing them by with little hope or help.

How You Can Help?

The following is a list needs that you can contribute to or sponsor on a regular basis. Donations can be made through our website, PayPal or directly into our sponsorship account (see below for details).

BSB: 804 050 Account Number: 3102 4735
Account Name: ACTION THIS DAY
Credit Union Australia