The Foundation's engagement in Gundua Primary and Secondary Schools has created a school based on the local village’s needs and terms. It now provides qualified education to more than 900 students
The UN’s Millennium Development Goals that every child in the world should be able go to school and have the opportunity to complete a primary education by 2015 was the starting point for the Gundua Foundation’s engagement in Kenya. The UN goal has unfortunately not yet been achieved, but development has come a long way and our efforts in Ex-Lewa have developed in a positive way. Gundua Foundation now offers education from kindergarten to both primary and secondary level.
Girls’ Dormitory
In 2022 a new Dormitory for girls was inaugurated. The Dormitory is built on the school premises in Ex-Lewa and will accommodate 200 girls, with priority given to girls residing in villages furthest from the school, those from poor families but with good academic performance. The status of the school was changed in April 2022 from Gundua Day Secondary Shool to Gundua Mixed Day and Boarding secondary school.
Gundua Mixed Day & Boarding Secondary School
Gundua Mixed Day & Boarding Secondary School was jointly established by the Ex-Lewa community and Gundua Foundation in 2007. The school was initiated with the main objective of absorbing pupils exiting from Gundua Primary School and other primary schools nearby. Since its inception, the institution has been admitting both boys and girls for their secondary school education. Gundua Secondary School is transitioning from a day school with low tuition fees, with children drawn mostly from families around Ex-Lewa to a mixed day and boarding school that would draw its students (especially girls) from a wider geographical area.
The school has a total of sixteen teachers; nine are employed by the Teacher Service Commission (government), two by the School Board of Management, while five have been hired by Gundua Foundation as part of our long term support to the school. If need be, the school will request additional teachers from Teachers Service Commission (government) to be posted to the school.
There is a clear intention, through modern teaching methods, to give the students a better chance of achieving their future goals and to help them start thinking more independently by learning better and more. All teaching is in English, except for the specific classes in Swahili.
The goal for Gundua Mixed Day & Boarding Secondary School is to become one of the best schools in the region. The results have continuously improved, and the school is ranked among the top three out of 30 schools in the region. When it comes to continuing on to higher education, the goal is that at least half of the students should be qualified for university level studies. Almost 200 students have moved on to higher education at different universities in Kenya thanks to a comprehensive sponsorship program.
The success is an important contributor to the growth of the Gundua Foundation’s endeavours in the Ex-Lewa region, in combination with giving its inhabitants better life conditions. Education will remain one of the most important building blocks for this, and even if the Gundua Mixed Day & Boarding Secondary School may be a small step, it is nonetheless a step in the right direction. The goal is to give all the world’s children a chance to go to school within the not too distant future.
The Gundua Foundation is responsible for the actual construction of the well-equipped and proper school buildings. The costs for operating the school and the teachers’ salaries are shared with the Kenyan school authorities.
Primary school
Ex-Lewa’s primary school was integrated into the foundation’s organisation in 2010, with the aim of securing a consistently high standard of primary schooling. In 2014 the school became a full member of the Gundua Foundation. About 540 children go to school here.
Kindergarten
110 children at the ages 2-5 are enrolled in the kindergarten at the school. The vision is to offer a school where the educational responsibility is shared not only among teachers and students but also including the parents and the local society.
Entrepreneurship education
In 2018 the Wallenberg Houses were built aiming to empowering women and youth through entrepreneurship training. The training is conducted in partnership with Hand-in-Hand East Africa. The programs offer courses in sewing and horticultural training among other things.
Ndurumuru Primary school, an example of what the Foundation can achieve
Gundua Foundation is constantly working to support the children in the community of Ex-Lewa. An example is the complete rebuilding of the Ndurumuru Primary School with generous support from IKEA. The school, which is located far out on the countryside, was in great need of renovation.
Meet the students
Happiness and enthusiasm are abundant among the students at the Gundua Secondary School. Meet some of the school children who have taken the chance with the greatest seriousness, despite long roads to school and often hard work at home.
Douglas Miguna Kithure
Douglas was examined from Gundua Secondary School with three straight A making him the school’s absolute champion since the start in 2007. Douglas’ grades made him a preferred candidate to the Gundua Grant for higher studies. Since a while back Douglas is now studying at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.
“ The teachers at Gundua Secondary School are fantastic! They motivated and inspired me to really improve my grades and to apply for university studies. I am deeply grateful for the foundation’s schools and education and that I was chosen to get the Grant and thereby the chance to move onward”.
“I dream of working with telecom which is a growing industry and which hopefully will need to recruit more talents in the future”.
Emily Mwendwa
Emily Mwendwa is a grade 8 student in Gundua Primary School. Her favourite subjects is biology and Emily’s dream is to one day become a doctor. Emily lives with her mother and three siblings in Ex-Lewa Market. The family has very poor living conditions and their house is without functioning electricity or running water. The house is a small shack of about ten square meters where six persons eat, sleep and spend their time together.
“I want to become a doctor because many people in my country, both in the villages and in the cities, are suffering from illnesses that I want to help cure.”
“My parents tell us that the school is good for us and that we will get so much more out of life if we study. And my big dream is to receive a Gundua Grant from the Foundation so that I can start studying medecine at the university in Nairobi.”
Peter Kiogora
Peter Kiogora is presently studying a Bachelor of Science in Education at Maseno University.
Peter was previously studying at Gundua Secondary School and is the school’s master of mathematics. In the big final in the national mathematics competition in Nairobi in November 2015, Peter finished as number 70 out of 100 competing students in a very tough competition.
”My studies have brought me here today.”