Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world. - Nelson Mandela Photo: Linda Robbins/CWS

SAFE SCHOOL ZONES:
PUTTING KIDS FIRST IN AFRICA

Story: Linda Robbins/CWS

Kajiado District, Kenya - It was a vacation day, but a large group of students - clad in the bright uniforms of their school - was on hand to greet a Church World Service team visiting a struggling school - a school that may become a model for community commitment to the well-being of school children across Africa.

The CWS team learned that this small school, comprised of just a few rooms, no desks, no blackboards, and few teaching supplies of any kind was the alma mater of 700 diligent scholars - boys and girls - come here to obtain a basic elementary education. It's a public school and their birthright under Kenyan law. Only a fortunate few will go on to private secondary school, if they can get scholarships or find the resources.

Ten years ago, another voluntary agency provided funds for a water tank for drinking water for this school. The tank provides only half the water needed for so many children. Two small latrines with single stalls - one for all the boys and one for all the girls - stand off to the side in the schoolyard. There is one simple three-stone fire beneath a corrugated steel roof on poles that serves as a kitchen. Through the open unglazed windows, the dry desert wind blows freely, the wind carrying a fine sifting of sand with it into the classrooms. During the rainy season, it is sure to be more than a bit damp if one sits near a window.

Kajiado School - a pilot school in the CWS School Safe Zones Program. Photo: Linda Robbins/CWS

Yet this school is destined for a brighter tomorrow and what may be an "extreme makeover" - Kenyan style. As one of ten schools chosen to be Pilot Schools in the Church World Service School Safe Zones Program, the Kajiado School will have the opportunity to renovate its physical plant, procure school supplies and furnishings, upgrade teacher qualifications, improve nutrition and health standards, and engage the surrounding community in a commitment to child safety and nurture.

The School Safe Zones Program is a signature program of the CWS Africa Initiative. Inspired by former UN Ambassador George McGovern's call for a free school lunch program for every child in the world, the CWS program is seeking to spark momentum to ensure not only nutritious meals, but also a safe environment, and adequate educational resources for children in Africa's most challenged regions.

Beginning with priorities established by the communities where the pilot schools are located, Church World Service will be partnering with local organizations, businesses, ministries of education, and other international groups to develop School Safe Zones.

You, your church, and your community can help!

Your gift or your group's pledge for the CWS School Safe Zones Program can make a difference. For more information contact your Church World Service Regional Office, 1-888-297-2767, or write to: Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515.