By Debbie Hoods | Assistant to CEO
Thank you for your interest in our Kindergarten project. I am delighted to confirm that our first school has now opened in Abu Nahla, a village that we adopted in 2010. Our kindergarten has been built with great care, all of the bricks were carefully made by the local people who are keen to ensure that their children grow up educated. 98% of women in Darfur are illiterate but they know that education is a way out of poverty which is why our project is so important to them.
In the past, the few schools available to villagers were built out of the stalks of the staple crop - millet. They had sand on the floor and only some had plastic chairs. There was no running water.
Our Kindergarten is brick built and is the only building in the village with latrines, to ensure that basic hygeine needs are met. The village is 40KM north of El Fasher and has 8 sub villages making up a population of 4,200 including children. We have been able to provide facilities for 100 children. Each child at the school has an excercise book, crayons, and educational toys such as puzzles and bricks. The Kindergarten also has an outdoor play area with many toys (which the children will not have seen before!) such as footballs, hula hoops, a swing, slide and roundabout. Each of the children has their own uniform to make them feel part of their school and to make them feel proud to learn. As you can imagine, this work is revolutionary in rural Darfur. The children now have a place to go and learn and a real chance to build a positive life. Because their mothers have our goats and are making a small income, they no longer have to be tied to the family chores. They are learning new things and enhancing their lives.
There are 65 Kids for Kids villages and with warnings of famine already being talked about, we intend to adopt 5 more in 2014. This means that ideally we want to build 69 kindergartens over the coming years. The cost of one is £19,480 so we have a long way to go. Thank you for your help so far.
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