To ensure the safety and well being of the children in our care, Shelter Them decided to build a primary school where all ECD children will move after their ECD education.
Our education program currently supports 110 primary school students. There is a publicly funded primary school in Gateko, but despite the efforts of our Shelter Them staff to encourage improvement, the level of education our boys and girls have received has not been satisfactory, and their safety and well being cannot be ensured. So, to achieve a smooth transition for our children from ECDC to primary school, we decided that the best solution would be to build our own primary school in Gateko. In fact, the first stage of its foundation is already completed. As with the ECDC, the primary school will be for all children in Gateko and the surrounding area, not just for the children supported by Shelter Them.
As you might imagine, the cost of this venture is considerable. The total cost for the school is expected to be approximately $75,000 USD, and over 10% of the cost has already been covered. Do you agree that quality education is crucial to an independent, productive future? These youngsters would like walls and a roof for their new primary school. Can you help? If so, go to our donate page and donate now!
Unfortunately, Shelter Them does not yet have the funds to complete its primary school, so in 2023, we were able to arrange a partnership with Open-Door Christian School, a private school near Gateko. Starting last September, this collaboration saw 37 students from Shelter Them, in Grades Primary 1 to Primary 4, integrated into the private school's system. Because there were not enough funds available to move all our students, our educational staff in Gateko chose to begin with our younger students who have benefitted from our ECDC program. The Open-Door School is a 10-minute walk or 5-minute cycle from Gateko. The positive impact of this arrangement is already apparent. Students' language and math skills had been low, but they are already improving, and all of our students express appreciation for the quality of teaching. Shelter Them has not given up on our commitment to build our own primary school which will benefit all of the children of Gateko, not only those supported by Shelter Them. The continuing support and generosity of Shelter Them supporters will help us to achieve that goal. We understand that a quality education is the surest way to enable all children to build for themselves a sustainable and independent future of their own choosing.