Educational Support

From 2009,we have been monitoring and helping to build Kisimani (Wellspring) Resource centre on the Peacemakers site to provide space for a community library, cybercafé, accommodation and respite care. The Peacemakers Community Resource Centre site is situated half way between one village market , Kigumo and the main road shops at Kathageri on the main road from Nairobi to Meru. There are ten schools on our “road”, the closest being Kivuria Primary and Secondary with the integrated home for, currently, 19 disabled children who attend the mainstream school. We have been closely affiliated with them for a long time now through Peacemaker projects for toilets, chickens, library books, mosquito nets, organising physiotherapy and clinic visits. Chrissie Gibbard is also a member on the disabled school board of Governors.  Former colleagues, ex- pupils and other young people have been welcomed as volunteers of their time and skills to help in many ways; at Kivuria itself and also at other local schools, orphanages and hospitals.  We hope many more visitors will come in the future, too!  Many individuals, friends, family members, small organisations and churches have been loyally supporting projects for years.

More recently, Ardeley School has supported Peacemaker projects to deepen their partnership with Kivuria Primary School by building a disabled toilet near the classrooms, painting the dining room, repairing the outside kitchen, adding water pipes and starting a rabbit keeping project. Kivuria School suffers by being named the school with the lowest academic record in the district. We are trying to improve it through our partnership with them. Ardeley children and parents have carried out many fundraising activities like cake sales, knitted rabbits and chicks, sponsored walks, craft items etc It has been fantastic! They are helping to finance the painting of unused room intended to provide craft and life-skill activities for the children. In the past, we have also included all the schools in our area in training opportunities and regularly communicate with them to tell them of motivational youth events and activities. The issues around school drop-outs are very challenging; some Peacemaker friends are supporting some of the most vulnerable; orphans and disabled children to complete their education up to the end of secondary school their stories may be found on the website. Peacemakers also respond to emergency cases when there are exceptional circumstances.