In June 2018 I will be travelling to Kenya to help with the participatory design of the project of construction of an anthroposophic school run by a local Kenyan organisation.
For about four weeks I will be volunteering on The Humane School project near Kitale in Kenya. As part of ASF Sweden and Asante architecture and design, and together with a member of Föreningen Sofia, I will be meeting the local school organisation and explore the availability and access to local materials, resources, techniques, traditions and knowledge.
More about the Humane School project:
The project concerns the development of The Humane School Board of Education facilities and activities. The existing anthroposophic school started in 2008 in Maili Saba Sirende, 12km from Kitale town in north west of Kenya. It has today 100 pupils in kindergarten and class 1-8 and uses the Steiner Waldorf curriculum. The children are coming from the nearby community and are of poor backgrounds. The school has an organic farm which partly provides food for lunch as well as education in organic farming. The school is presently running on rented premises and the buildings are not up to standards, with very small classrooms of about 10 m2 and in a bad state. Investing in building or rebuilding on rented land is not an option.
In May 2018 the school is for the second time since its creation facing eviction due to inheritance shifting and it becomes even more urgent for them to acquire a piece of land where they can develop the school and educational farming in a more secure and sustainable way.
The first step of the project is to buy land for The Humane School Board of Education and build 2 kindergarten classrooms as well as a kitchen and outdoor covered space. Buying the land will enable the school to have organic farm for educational use and for school lunch. The buildings must be autonomous (off the grid) and sustainable (low impact on the environment and mainly maintenance free).
The next steps include the construction of the 8 primary school classrooms and other facilities connected to the school and organic farm.
Preliminary study/ Assessment trip to Kenya:
This summer I will be holding participatory design workshops in order to actively involve all the stakeholders -teachers, students and parents but also local builders, craftsmen, communities, etc- in the design and construction. Together we will define the precise program and needs for the school's built environment and develop conceptual project ideas and design.
This assessment trip is partly financed by Arkitekter Utan Gränser medlemsfond.
The cost of the plot, construction material and worker's salaries will hopefully be mainly financed by an institutional donor, but Föreningen Sofia and The Humane School still need to raise a part of the money themselves, from private donors.
Please donate here a little bit if you can, a little bit more if you wish- every donation helps! Do not hesitate to contact me if your company or organisation wishes to sponsor a part of the construction of the school, I would gladly redirect you to the people in charge of fundraising.