Turkana County’s Kapoo area has a reason to celebrate after philanthropist and comedian Eric Omondi completed building a classroom for local children in just one day.
The project, which follows a successful fundraiser, will transform the learning environment for children who according to the comedian were learning under harsh conditions.
Sharing the news on Monday, January 6, 2024, Omondi expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed to the initiative.
“We birthed a new school. We built a classroom in one day and bought uniforms, books, and shoes for these little angels. We named the school Teacher Kamaret Primary School after the amazing, selfless teacher who volunteered to teach these children,” he announced.
The activist said his team also provided a stipend to sustain the volunteer teacher for at least two months and pledged to continue supporting the school. However, he acknowledged that more work needs to be done as half of the children don’t have uniforms yet and the classroom needs more work.
“More than half of the children still don’t have uniforms, and the classroom is not 100 per cent complete. By the end of this year, we will have a complete school here with boarding facilities,” he promised.
Harsh conditions
The initiative began after Omondi visited the Kapoo area and witnessed the conditions under which the children were learning.
In a video shared on his Instagram account, he highlighted their struggles; sitting barefoot on the ground under the scorching sun, writing in the dirt due to the lack of books and pens, and walking several kilometers to school.
“These young ones learn in this scorching sun barefoot. They are forced to walk several kilometres to access education through this volunteer teacher.”
Omondi questioned how these children could compete on an equal footing with their peers across the country. He pledged immediate action to address the inequities they face.
