This week, we’re travelling to Nakuru, Kenya, home to our partner school Jubilee Academy, to learn more about their long-term goal of increasing the number of classrooms at their school so they can keep children in education for longer.
We have worked with Jubilee Academy since 2013, a school which began in 1998 with 17 students. Susan Juma, the school’s director, recognised the need in her community for a school that would provide a free education for children who could not afford to attend school. Today, Jubilee Academy provides a free education and a free daily meal to 110 students and is registered by the Ministry of Education through the help of African Adventures and our Foundation.
The need
Since Jubilee Academy opened, the school had operated with only mud classrooms, leading to its closure in 2019, when the Ministry of Education announced the immediate transition from semi-permanent infrastructure to permanent structures. The license to operate as a school was revoked and the 388 students were forced to stop attending and were unable to receive an education.
With Covid 19 impacting the world soon after, it was a long time before the school was able to reopen when the government agreed to a transition period from temporary to permanent classrooms, provided they could see progress being made. Sadly, by the time the school reopened, many of the school’s previous population were now scattered, and most of those children never returned to the school. Only around 10 out of 388 returned, with the rest going back into street life or working for their families.
Construction of the new brick-built classroom block
Upon reopening and as operations began to resume in the UK, African Adventures was able to start providing the necessary support to the school. In 2023, improved toilets were constructed with the support of a large volunteer group, and the construction of a permanent classroom block commenced.
In 2024, the three permanent brick-built classrooms were completed, providing Early Childhood Education for children in the local community.
A new lease agreement was signed, securing the school for the next 15 years.
Volunteers who supported with the construction of the new block, inside one of the new classrooms with Jubilee students and teachers.
The outside of the new permanent classroom block.
Susan Juma, Jubilee Academy Director
Word spread around the local area that Jubilee Academy was open again, providing free meals and education, and parents who could not afford to send their children to government schools started bringing them to the school. Day by day, the number of students at the school is increasing, and the current population stands at 110.
Next steps
Jubilee Academy now has three classrooms, providing a free education for children aged three to six.
However, once students finish grade two, they must leave and find a new free school to attend, which results in many children dropping out of education altogether.
African Adventures Foundation has received a grant to build a further two permanent classrooms, which will accommodate grades three and four, helping to keep children in education and also ensuring they receive a nutritious meal each day through our foundation’s food security programme.
The construction of the two classrooms is underway, with the foundations and walls complete. The next phase, which began earlier this month, involves the construction of the roof and the installation of doors and windows.
We look forward to seeing the two classrooms completed with the help of local fundis (builders) and our volunteers this year, which will help achieve Jubilee Academy’s goal of providing an education to children in the local community who would otherwise not receive one, giving them better opportunities in life.
