New school building

14/02/2017

The kids in Mararianta have just entered a new class room building. It is sponsored by business women from Soroptimist International

In February 2017 the first stones were put in the ground for a new class room building at the Mararianta Village School. The building will make it possible for the school to start a grade 6 class.

The most needed class room building is sponsored by the Soroptimist International in Helsinge in Denmark and is the result of a long term commitment by the group of 22 business women from north of Copenhagen.

“I visited the Mararianta Village School for the first time three years ago and the poor conditions of the school made a huge impression on me” tells Lone Roslev, head of the Soroptimists in Helsinge. She promised to return with help for the school and she has kept her promise.

Back home in Denmark, the Soroptimist group started a fundraising project selling postcards with photos from Mararianta (taken by Mrs. Roslev, who is a professional photographer), making presentations about Kenya and Mararianta, fundraising dinners etc.

So far the group has raised funds for school furniture, school books, black boards, pencils and other basic educational materials.

The latest and largest donation to the new class room has been trusted to the Karen Blixen Camp Trust, who has taken on the responsibility of managing the building process.

“ With such a large project, it is very important to have a partner on the ground that you can trust and who knows the local conditions and ways of doing things” says Lone Roslev.

Together with fellow-soroptimists she attended the upstart of the building process in February and it was a moving experience.

“ We got the most warm welcome from both the children and their parents. No doubt that they remembered us and appreciate the work were are doing for them”.

The meeting has re-fuelled the commitment of Lone Roslev, so back in Helsinge the Soroptimist group is already fundraising for the next school donation.

“We are ready with new fundraising ideas and are looking very much forward to see the new class room full of children”, ends Lone Roslev.

Read more
Soroptimist International, Helsinge http://www.soroptimist-danmark.dk/
Soroptimists International http://www.soroptimistinternational.org/