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Compassion CBO School - Githogoro, Nairobi

compassion students line up for hand washing compassion students taking breakfast

Compassion CBO is a small, friendly school with big ideas which is based in the Githogoro slum district to the north of Nairobi. Led by personal powerhouse and entrepreneur Evanson Njeru, the school is contributing almost as much to Porridge and Rice as it is benefitting from partnership with the charity. As well as educating the children, the school and Evanson run a number of other projects including growing food to supplement the school's supplies and income and running an anti-FGM hotline.

Compassion CBO's website

Evanson Njeru

Evanson Njeru,
Head Teacher

Priscilla Mugoh

Priscilla Mugoh,
Deputy Head

Compassion School

Compassion CBO currently run classes through to class 6 for approximately 150 children, their school buildings are rented from the local church, which means they have trouble expanding classrooms or improving facilities. Porridge and Rice have acquired land near by and hope to move the school there presently.

Among the new facilities the school will need are additional classrooms, a water tank and a kitchen. Evanson hopes to expand to cover classes 7 and 8 - which takes the local school provision up to High School.

The Shambah, and other enterprises

pig

Evanson is keen to find other sources of income for the school. Before partnering with Porridge and Rice, Evanson had set up a small-holding, or "Shambah" where he keeps chickens and pigs. The animals are a source of both food and income for the school. Porridge and Rice are now sharing these facilities to raise additional chickens and pigs, which means the income can be distributed around the partner schools.

Evanson also obtained the use of other land to grow fruit and vegetables to supplement the diet of the school students. He has planted up fields of sweet potatoes, corn, plantains, bananas and papaya. Our other partner schools are now using this example as inspiration to work compost heaps and small vegetable plots of their own.