Help Our Kids Thrive at Tender Herbs School!

Thanks to our friend Lisa Li, the nonprofit Sowilo Africa is receiving on our behalf all funds donated through this campaign.  This means your contributions can be tax-deductible! Please contact us directly if you would like a receipt for your contribution.

 

INTRODUCTION

Jambo!

We are Sacha Chabaga, originally from America, and Elliot Ajega, from Kenya. We got married in Kenya two years ago and we live together on Elliot's family property in the village of Mambai, where he grew up. Here in Mambai, many of our neighbors work on farms growing tea for the local factory, maize as the staple food, and grasses used for livestock.

Along with our neighbors, the three primary-aged girls in our home attend the local public school just up the road. The public school is run by the government and is the only local choice for primary education. They have an average class size of around 50 and use a cookie-cutter approach to teaching their students. Many fall through the cracks. For example, I know more second graders who struggle to identify letters and sounds than I do those who can read.

We want to change this.

In response to requests from a number of community members, and because we are committed to helping the children in our community to reach their full potential, our family has taken the lead in creating another option for children in our area.

Because Sacha has the privilege of direct connections in the U.S., we have decided to turn to those with access to more resources to help move this project forward in a way that wouldn't otherwise be possible. In Kenya, property and building expenses are frankly exorbitant in relation to the average income of the parents at our school. That said, once the major expenses of purchasing and building are complete, the day to day running of the school will be financially self-sustaining, with the exception of a scholarship program for orphans and those with parents who are incapacitated due to physical or mental challenges.

BACKGROUND

In January, 2021, our community decided to reopen a nursery school which had been running for many years. In Kenya, a nursery school often includes three years: Baby Class, Pre-Primary One (PP1), and Pre-Primary Two (PP2). Ours began this year with PP1 and PP2. By February, we had forty students between the two classes. Parents of our PP2 students began asking about adding a Grade One class so that their students could continue in our school.

After a lot of consultation with local institutions, meetings with community members and parents, and research into school registration with the government, we decided to open a full primary school. With this decision, we have committed ourselves to providing the best quality education we can so that the potential of the children in our village can be fulfilled and the latent talents they have to contribute to the world won't be wasted.

GENERAL EXPENSES

Here's an estimate of the expenses to get the school up and running for our first phase, which includes building classrooms for PP1 (preschool) through Grade 3, as well as the office. These will open on the first day of the new school year on April 25th, 2022.

Purchasing the property: $20,000

Building materials for the school building including five classrooms and an office: $33,000

Building kitchen and toilets: $5,000

Labor for building: $15,000

Playground: $2,000

School furniture, materials, and equipment: $15,500

Computers: $5,000

Fence: $2,000

Misc. labor and administrative costs during purchase and construction: $2,000

Establishment of scholarship fund: $10,000

GoFundMe fees: $4,000

We know that this is a big project, and we also know that with the assistance of many it is completely achievable. With the contributions of those from outside our economic system here in Mambai, what may have taken many years can be achievable in a matter of months. To support us in our efforts to provide the children of our village with an excellent education, we have partnered with Sowilo Africa, a non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon. Sowilo Africa has worked with projects in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and have enthusiastically agreed to offer their support for our project as well. We are happy to share that, through this partnership, contributors will be able to make tax-deductible donations.

We believe it is important to acknowledge the imbalance of power and privilege that is inherently present in our request. For example, here in Kenya one bag of cement is KSH 650/=, which is equivalent to about $6.50 in the U.S. This amount represents just over three full days of work for most of our parents, whereas in the U.S. it is less than an hour's work for most. We know that such vastly disparate experiences can create a sense of "otherness", as it may be difficult to imagine a life so different from our own. For this reason, as you contribute, we request that you do so with an attitude of respect for our shared humanity, an acknowledgement of whatever privilege you have that allows you to help (and, if you're willing, reflecting on how you got that privilege), and an appreciation for the opportunity to actively contribute to creating justice where there had previously been injustice.


FUNDRAISING TIMELINE - PHASE ONE: Preparing for Opening Day


Update: Sept. 22, 2021

After consultation and reflection, we're choosing to push back the opening date to the beginning of the new school year in April so that we can strengthen our school culture and teacher training before adding new teaching staff and students. The timeline is in the process of being adjusted accordingly.


October

 Begin negotiations for purchase of land


November

 Purchase land with down payment ($15,000)

 Build Fence ($2,000)

 Hire security guards ($25)


December

Complete purchase of land ($5,000)

Dig and build toilets and kitchen ($5,00)

Build playground ($2,000)

Renovate house to office ($3,500)

Pay security guards ($25)


January

 Lay foundation for five classrooms ($6,000)

 Build PP1 classroom and furniture ($6,500)

Purchase PP1 classroom supplies ($1,000)

Pay security guards ($25)


February

 Build PP2 and Grade 1 classrooms and furniture ($13,000)

 Purchase PP2 and Grade 1 classroom supplies ($2,000)

 Pay security guards ($25)


March 

 Build Grade 2 and 3 classrooms and furniture ($13,000)

 Purchase Grade 2 and 3 classroom supplies ($2,000)

 Pay security guards ($25)


April

 Purchase supplies and equipment for office ($3,000)

 Set up scholarship fund ($10,000)

 Pay security guards ($25)


May

 Purchase first set of computers ($5,000)



OUR SCHOOL STANDARDS

We are committed to creating a challenging academic environment which nurtures every student to develop their capacity and latent talents at their own pace.

Some ways we plan to fulfill on this commitment:

We will use the National Competency-Based Curriculum to the best of its potential, including having individual education plans for every student to ensure they are moving forward in each subject area at a pace that best serves them.

We will also offer a wide variety of arts and STEM projects to support the diversity of interests and talents among our students. Our plans currently include at least weekly STEM projects beginning with Early Learners, and almost daily art classes including 2D, 3D, dance, drama, and music.

In addition, we will introduce public speaking in lower primary to encourage development of language and writing skills, confidence, and self-expression.

We are committed to providing a safe, trauma-informed environment which includes routines and predictability, strong and nurturing relationships between students and educators/staff, and support and skill-building for emotional regulation.

Some ways we plan to fulfill on this commitment:

We will begin each day with dance or other physical activity, followed by a morning circle in each classroom to transition from the home to the school environment and build safety and routine in the classroom. Lower primary (through Grade Three) will also end each day with a closing circle to reflect on the day and transition back to the outside world.

We will provide quiet space in each classroom so that students can have a place to deescalate as needed, as well as providing ongoing training for our teachers so that their interactions with students support students' mental and emotional well-being.

In addition, we eventually plan to employ a school counselor who will counsel individual students and staff as well as guide the school community in general toward a healthier and more nurturing atmosphere.

We are committed to building a school environment founded on an awareness of our spiritual lives and which provides opportunities for nurturing our spirits and focusing our academic endeavors for the advancement of our families, our communities, and the world.
Some ways we plan to fulfill on this commitment:

We will begin each school day with prayer as well as holding regular community prayer and devotional meetings hosted by our students.

Discipline will be focused on developing the whole student to be self-disciplined and reflecting on the spiritual implications of our choices.

Students will have regular opportunities to be of service to one another as well as the community, and will be encouraged and guided to find creative solutions to problems within their families and the wider community.

In addition to the nationally required Christian Religious Education classes, we will offer Baha'i classes which will include lessons on world religions and their texts so that students can view each religion in a wider context without prejudice while also developing a deep awareness of their own spiritual and moral development.

We are committed to developing an appreciation in our students for the history and culture of our motherland as a source of identity and belonging as well as a place from which to explore our relationship with the world at large.

Some ways we plan to fulfill on this commitment:

Beginning in pre-primary, students will learn about the history of East Africa before colonization.

Also beginning in pre-primary, students will study Kimaragoli, the local language, along with Kiswahili and English.

Our school uniforms will include kitenge cloth, an East African style of cloth generally used in traditional dress.

Music, drama, and dance classes will include traditional instruments and dances.


A FEW NOTES

First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH for any contribution you may make. What we've outlined above is everything we need to get our school up and running in the new school year, which amounts to a lot of money, so we feel it's important to emphasize that every contribution counts. Really. Remember when I said that $6.50 for a bag of cement is more than three days of work for many of our parents? I wasn't exaggerating. Wherever you can help, we really appreciate it. To show our appreciation, for every contribution you make to this campaign, we'll add your name (or the one you comment below) to a display we'll create inside the school office. (Photo coming once it's there!) Anyone on that wall will receive an extra special welcome when they visit. (You'll visit, right?)

We're currently looking for educational institutions we can partner with for fundraising and also collaboration like exchanging messages and videos between students. If you're a teacher or administrator, please reach out!

We hope to get a video put together soon to tell our story and share more about our school, our students, and the community. (In fact, we'd love help with this if you know of someone.) In the meantime...

OTHER ACTIONS

After contributing, please follow us on Instagram at tenderherbsschool  and tell your friends about it!

And, finally, we have two invitations for you:

1) Please help us brainstorm ideas for making our fundraiser a success.

2) Please come visit us! We’d love to show you around! (Though, for now, maybe consider sending that airfare toward the fundraiser instead?)