The beginning of the school year brings about a few, large, once-off expenses that must be met before we open the doors to another year of learning. Purchase of new exercise books and replacement of old, lost or destroyed text books, is an essential but expensive cost that must be met before term one begins in January 2018. We also take this opportunity to add to the library collection of "readers" that are used to improve the children's English skills and instill the love of reading.
Students in Kenya face many challenges during their attempts to gain an education. Infrastructure and resources are just two of them. Our children come from families that often cannot even manage to find rent and food each month, leaving our children with a complete lack of educational resources in the home. Our school is the only place where they are exposed to the teaching materials that will give them a chance to succeed in their studies.
We cannot teach without text books to guide us and the children cannot take notes without exercise books to write in. This annual once-off expense will set the children up for another year of learning and give them a sense of pride in their school, one which offers them the necessary resources to complete their education and take with them into the future the skills and knowledge they have learned at Kookaburra.
Our children will use the education we provide to serve the communities in which they live. We have over 80 families whose children attend our school. Our children, once educated and filled with a sense of responsibility and service, will return to the community, run our school and improve the lives of their families, their communities and themselves. We will create long term employment for children who would otherwise have no hope.
