An American NGO that supports vulnerable communities has constructed a dining hall for the children at a Malindi Community ECD school to help retain them in school.
The NGO, A Million Foot Prints, through a German Conservationist Silvia Jenkins, has spent UDS5, 000 (Sh. 600,00) to help in the construction works of the Dining hall for Kwa Upanga ECD which also includes an administration office and a shop.
From January when the schools open the Children at the school will be taking lunch a move that community members said would help children remain in school.
Normally the ECD children miss classes due to hunger when there is no food at home and lack concentration in school as their parents are struggling to ends meet.
Apart from constructing the dining hall and office Million footprints also constructed a modern toilet last year, classrooms, and are sponsoring children at the institution.
Jenkins who is the Millions Foot Prints ambassador and conservationist living within Kwaupanga area in Malindi could not hide her joy as the project was being commissioned.
The Community was also happy.
In an interview, she thanked Million footprints for sponsoring the projects that have been of great help to the community.
“Of course, there are future projects like in the back of me we want to make a kitchen, a fence, my personal wish is to make a library in the day time we are going to have the dining room for the children so that they can sit and enjoy their meal and afternoon we are going to open the place for grown-ups to buy somethings from the kiosk,” she said.
Pastor Kalugo Menza Patron Kwa Upanga ECDalso thanked Million footprints for the dining hall project adding that they received Sh. 600,000 for the construction.
“Now we have officially opened the building and this building will help the kids to take their meals while inside a hall, before the project the children used to take their meals outside,” he said.
Kalugo appealed to the donors to support them to build a kitchen and constructing the fence so as to secure the assets to prevent thieves from stealing from the school.
He said the project has had a positive impact on the community which is poor as they could have done fundraising to get the money for construction.
Delfina Charo the ECD Officer in charge of Ganda Ward Kilifi County who was the chief guest said Million footprints had done a lot for the community school from classrooms, and toilets and now they were commissioning the dining hall.
To her they highly believe they would be coming for more openings including the kitchen which was a priority and the school fence.
