Rebuild the Iljureen School of Kenya

In March, our three families, the Marolda's, the Ryans and the Vidamours, traveled to Kenya. During our Safari, we visited the Maasai people of Iljurleen. This village sits at the base of Lake Natron, on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. Walking through the village, we came across the Iljurleen School while class was in session. As the children sat on the floor, cheerfully singing, clapping and learning numbers, we couldn't help but notice the conditions of the building and their classroom. There were no chairs, no books, in fact the room was entirely empty except for the children, who sat in the dirt learning from a broken chalkboard. The teacher was down to his last nub of chalk, and yet the children were completely focused and so happy to just be in school.

The chief's son, Daniel, informed us that the building is only temporary, because when the rains come through, the building made of mud and sticks washes away. This happens every year, and this will continue to happen until they can get a permanent structure built. As we learned about the hardships that the community has endured trying to keep their school working, Daniel explained to us that he has a vision of building a permanent eco school using locally resourced materials. 

Not only did this trip resonate emotionally with us as parents, it opened the eyes of our children. As we left Africa, our kids kept talking about the children from Iljurleen and that they wanted to help rebuild their school. We want to continue this desire in them to help others, and so as our kids are busy planning their own fundraisers, including lemonade stands and dog walking, we are hoping to reach out to more families through our Go Fund Me so we can get this school built before the next rains come.

We appreciate any donations, or any ideas towards helping this community. All donations will be given to Kire Godal, Tara's mother, who lives in Kenya full time, and works directly with the community of Iljurleen. Kire will be working exclusively with Daniel, the chief's son, to distribute funding for building the school, and purchasing any resources for the school. These kids need books, chairs, a chalk board, chalk... they need so many little things along with just funding . Please reach out to us if you would like to know some ways to get your own children involved. This is not only a wonderful charitable experience, but also an educational experience for all of our children.

Love,

The Marolda Family

The Ryan Family

The Vidamour Family