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SHALOM ACADEMY

Strive for Excellence supports education in Irovo, Kakamega County, Kenya.

Our principal project is to develop Shalom Academy, the ECD/Primary school we built in January 2017 – that means more classrooms, more teachers and more educated children.

2015 – 2017

  • Brought educational and sports/games supplies
  • Purchased an acre of land in the village
  • Fenced the property and cleared old tree stumps
  • Brought more educational supplies
  • 1st stage build: (4 classrooms)
  • 2nd stage: 5th classroom and kitchen, completed long-drop latrines, built desks and benches

2020

  • Increased registration to 106 pupils
  • Laid concrete floors in all 8 classrooms
  • Laid concrete connecting paths
  • School director Vitalis began teaching diploma
  • Send two staff for teacher training
  • Supported staff financially during covid pandemic

2023

  • Investigate installing mains electricity
  • Extend playground shelter
  • Begin serving breakfast snack for PP1 & PP2
  • Buy more text books to maintain 2:1 ratio
  • Increase registration
  • Monitor & improve academic attainment
  • Repaint school exterior
  • Connect mains water

2024

  • Bring electricity to the school site
  • Electrical fixtures & fittings
  • Extend playground shelter
  • Replace children’s long-drop latrines
  • Complete road surface on Education Way
  • Repaint school
  • Raise pupil registration to 150

2018

  • Increased registration to 60 children
  • Installed water harvesting system
  • Built 2 wash stations
  • Painted building in school colours
  • Built secure supply cabinet
  • Levelled floors
  • Cleared land
  • Planted trees and hedges
  • Brought significant employment to village people
  • Provided year-round motorcycle transport

2021

  • Raise registration to 150 pupils
  • Increase staff to 7 teachers (plus security and cook)
  • Buy more land for expansion as registration grows
  • Plan & begin modular build of mud brick school
  • Purchase text books for every subject at every grade in a ratio 2:1
  • Repaint the entire school

2019

  • Increased registration to 80
  • Built 3 more classrooms
  • Built kitchen
  • Built staff room + resource room
  • Erected gate
  • Provided uniforms and school badges to all children
  • Vitalis Tivis gained certificate in ECD primary education
  • Funded 2 teacher training places at college
  • Hired caretaker
  • Planted fruit trees and vegetables for lunches + breakfast
  • Raised football goal posts

2022

  • WORK PLANNED FOR 2022 COSTED IN £££
  • Build roadway on Education Way 1500
  • Build sun shade in playground 1000
  • Kitchen repair 300
  • Lay mains water pipes 1000
  • Exterior painting 500
  • Renew signwriting 80
  • New benches 200

HOW CAN YOU HELP US?

You can help by donating good quality text books and stationery, uniforms and satchels – what do you have?

Cash donations are needed to develop infrastructure and pay our teachers.

Click on the button for a list of items the children need, and how your money can directly help the children of Irovo.

What support can you provide?

LATEST NEWS

Keep up to date with how the school, children and staff are doing and the impact it is making to the local community by visiting our news page.

Field Trip

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The Crying Stone is a local beauty spot in the village of Ilesi, about 12 kilometres from Shalom Academy. The stone is about forty metres tall – a large boulder balanced…

No Water, No Life

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A few years ago we were thrilled when we fitted the water harvesting system to catch rainwater from the roofs and feed it to three water tanks around the school.…

A New Uniform is all it Takes

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It was New Uniform Day (NUD) once again in January – giving polo shirts to new pupils or replacing tattered ones for our old ones. The older children also got…

TRUSTEES

Strive for Excellence is run by a small, dedicated team of five trustees. We accept no payment of any kind and take no remuneration for expenses or travel.

Alan Whelan

CHAIR OF TRUSTEES

GHOSTWRITER AND AUTHOR ALAN HAS WRITTEN THREE ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOKS AND A NOVEL – ALL SET IN AFRICA.

Sarah Campbell

TRUSTEE

SARAH IS HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN A PRIVATE SECTOR HEALTH CARE SERVICES ORGANISATION.

Olive Carroll

TRUSTEE

UNTIL RECENTLY, OLIVE WAS DIRECTOR OF PERSONAL SOCIAL CARE AT LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Vitalis Tivis

ASSOCIATE TRUSTEE

FOUNDER OF AND INSPIRATION FOR SHALOM ACADEMY. VITALIS IS NOW SCHOOL DIRECTOR AND HEADTEACHER.

John Entwistle

TRUSTEE

JOHN IS HEAD TEACHER OF ST AUGUSTINE’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL IN PRESTON.

Steve Sinnott

TRUSTEE

STEVE HAS MANY YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN SOCIAL CARE.

If you would like to find out more about how you can help then please feel free to get in touch.

07904 910686