Education against all odds

This project with Future Hope Primary school in the informal settlements of Obunga, in Kisumu County, Kenya is a story of what is possible when environments of despair are met with a platform of opportunities and the story of how these opportunities can be provided. The objectives of the project are two-pronged and simple.

1.To nurture and reinforce existing networks and agencies that enable the sustenance of childhood education via capacity building of those who impart education.

2.To rationalize, institutionalize and consolidate upgraded learning environments, through appropriate infrastructural improvements, including design, delivery strategies and approaches towards learning. 

Coolcentration – Children spend a significant portion of their time attending schools and being indoors inside school classrooms. These structures are often built from corrugated iron sheets that lack thermal insulation, adequate lighting, and ventilation. They get overheated in the summer and cold during the winter creating an uncomfortable indoor climate. This has negative health impacts, especially on children whose physiology is still developing. The aim was, therefore, to develop design solutions that can improve the indoor climate inside these structures to provide a healthier learning environment for the children of Obunga.

The result was a new school-structure containing two nursery classes with improved indoor climate, a flexible layout from recycled furniture and a food garden. The design solutions were later gathered in an instruction booklet which was distributed in Kisumu to enable the local community to replicate them.