The hostel to accommodate 120 girls was officially
opened in December 2021 with additional supportive funding from the W F Carter Trust. The extended day in school gives girls time for evening studies, activities such as girls’ clubs and peer group social time.
Girls staying in the hostel avoid dangerous walking journeys from home to school every day, some as far as 8 kilometers each way, and also avoid having to spend every evening collecting water, firewood and completing other domestic chores instead of studying.
Our grant will allow this rural government school, the 2nd most improved in the country last year, to build a girls hostel for 80 girls.
Families supply food for the girls in the hostel – those unable to contribute are supported by income from the school farm where they grow coffee, maize and beans.
The girls are encouraged to become more independent in the better living conditions with the support of a hostel matron. This encourages personal and social education as well as their own motivation in being in school throughout the day and night. Having their own bed space allows them to safeguard their possessions.
School attendance has greatly improved and the additional time and space now available for evening extra studies and revision results in a higher level of educational attainment and personal development. Most hostel girls have full attendance records, unlike those who walk to and from school every day.
