Not For Profit

We firmly believe in investing in people and since 2001 we have supported grassroots education in a village in rural Kenya.

Our support has helped to build a number of classrooms at the local primary and secondary schools as well as improving sanitation facilities and funding the construction of a large water tank to reduce the amount of water that must be retrieved from the village’s sole water supply.

Over the years we have donated laptops and provided funds to improve wiring, renovate toilet blocks and create a new playground. Fundraising efforts happen within the wider school community too and all the planning, effort and hard work is provided by them, which on the steep hills can often be a challenge!

Liaising with our longstanding local contact in Kenya means we can react to needs as they change. When maize prices tripled, the impact was felt deeply by the school families, so we chose to put a temporary feeding programme in place to ensure the children had food at school during the very challenging situation. When COVID hit, we supported families that couldn’t afford school fees due to the severe economic impact of the pandemic in that part of Kenya. It meant that 30+ students finished their secondary education.

Whilst proud of our contribution to date, we are acutely aware that there are 100 other schools in the district that we are unable to support. Some individuals from our clients have chosen to add to our donations over the years. Should you ever wish to do the same, please do contact us and we can liaise to ensure every penny goes to the latest project.

Chome

Chome Primary School, located in the hills above Wundanyi, was opened in January 1997. The school motto is ‘Rise and Shine’ and their mission is ‘to encourage their pupils to respect themselves and each other’.

Since 2001, we have supported Chome with the construction of four classrooms, an administration block, latrines, improved water supplies, kitchen facilities and landscaping of the hilly school grounds to prevent flooding of the classrooms during heavy rains. We have also supplied laptops and playground equipment.

With changes in Kenya’s education system, Chome will need to accommodate an extra class in 2025, requiring additional facilities. Our recent support has focused on preparing for this, including funding several projects to refresh classrooms. The donations helped replace old furniture, with a local workshop crafting new desks, chairs, and lockers. The school also updated blackboards to whiteboards and refreshed classroom paint.

The school now has over 200 pupils and regularly finish in the top 3 schools in the District. As a result of this support, Sequoia has formed a very strong relationship with the school and the village as a whole.

The next priority is to replace a set of stairs with a ramp to improve accessibility for students with disabilities, as the school is located on a steep site.

Since 2001, we have supported Chome with the construction of four classrooms, an administration block, latrines, improved water supplies, kitchen facilities and landscaping of the hilly school grounds to prevent flooding of the classrooms during heavy rains. We have also supplied laptops and playground equipment.

With changes in Kenya’s education system, Chome will need to accommodate an extra class in 2025, requiring additional facilities. Our recent support has focused on preparing for this, including funding several projects to refresh classrooms. The donations helped replace old furniture, with a local workshop crafting new desks, chairs, and lockers. The school also updated blackboards to whiteboards and refreshed classroom paint.

The school now has over 200 pupils and regularly finished in the top 3 school in the District. As a result of this support Sequoia has formed a very strong relationship with the school and the village as a whole.

The next priority is to replace a set of stairs with a ramp to improve accessibility for students with disabilities, as the school is located on a steep site.

Kiwinda

After the completion of all the classrooms at Chome, Sequoia also started supporting Kiwinda Secondary School in 2007.

Kiwinda Secondary School is a mixed day secondary school located in the neighbouring village to Chome Primary. It admits students from eight nearby primary schools, including Chome Primary School. There is a severe shortage of secondary schools in the area, chiefly due to the introduction of free primary education in 2002 which has increased the number of children graduating into secondary education.

To accommodate more students, the school management and parents launched an expansion program. With our support, Kiwinda made significant progress, including the construction of a three-storey block with three classrooms on each floor and a new boys' toilet block. More recently, students participated in a tree-planting project aimed at improving forest cover and mitigating the recent climate change.

Kiwinda Secondary School is a mixed day secondary school located in the neighbouring village to Chome Primary. It admits students from eight nearby primary schools, including Chome Primary School. There is a severe shortage of secondary schools in the area, chiefly due to the introduction of free primary education in 2002 which has increased the number of children graduating into secondary education.

To accommodate more students, the school management and parents launched an expansion program. With our support, Kiwinda made significant progress, including the construction of a three-storey block with three classrooms on each floor and a new boys' toilet block. More recently, students participated in a tree-planting project aimed at improving forest cover and mitigating the recent climate change.

In 2022, as part of Sequoia’s 30th birthday celebrations, we ran a one-off campaign to support students whose families had been particularly affected by the economic & health impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thanks to your generous donations, combined with the funds that Sequoia provided, we were able to support a total of 31 students – all alumni of Chome Primary School – to pay their school fees and complete their secondary education certificate. The grants were presented to the students and their parents by our contact in Kenya, Simon Mwachia and his wife, both ex-teachers, at a ceremony.

Kiwinda continue to host talks by prominent speakers from around the country for their students, who also enjoyed a mentorship program last year. These events have created the opportunity for the students to receive advice and guidance while inspiring them to think more widely and expansively about the opportunities which could be open to them.