A Model School in Southwestern Kenya
On January 3, 2005, a school was opened on the grounds of the orphanage. This was a major step made by the trustees to establish an education center for the orphans. While it was originally created to cater to those that live at the orphanage, the school has since expanded to serve 207 pupils ages 3 to 15. Serving these children are 13 teachers and 5 kitchen staff.
The school is a model for the region both in terms of efficiency (it recoups some of its expenses by accepting fees from those who can afford to pay it) and educational quality. Utilizing a sponsorship approach to ensure greater support for each student, the school ranked First out of 25 area schools in 2006 and 2007 in local area exams.
The school’s success as well as the fundamental role of education in improving the lives of the impoverished makes the expansion of the school a natural cornerstone of VISPA's plan to expand into helping more of the community. As such, the plan to expand includes appropriations for the purchase of land and construction of a school that will accommodate 500 pupils and staff.