4 ways the Nambale Magnet School is working toward sustainability.

 

We believe that in order for people to enjoy safe, productive lives they must possess a sovereign ability to care for themselves and to have the educational tools that will assure them a respected place in today's global society. In our projects we encourage the use of ecologically sustainable approaches to preserve the environment.

Agricultural Initiatives –

§  Gardens were developed in spring of 2009; they provide kale and tomatoes among other vegetables to enhance the children’s diet.

§  Dairy Unit – two cows were purchased in July, 2010, and two more were acquired in 2011. One of these bore a calf in 2011, to be sold at market.

§  Greenhouse was built in November 2010 and provides vegetables year-round.

§  Tilapia Pond was excavated and filled during the summer of 2011. Tilapia fingerlings were introduced that October. The tilapia matured sufficiently for a first harvest in June 2012, providing low-fat, high-protein fish to be eaten at the school. A second tilapia pond was completed and stocked in April 2012.

§  Poultry Unit – the poultry unit was prepared in the spring of 2012, and soon after acquired laying hens to generate eggs for consumption at the school.

§  Pig Sty – completed early in 2013, piglets will grow quickly and (relatively) inexpensively, to be sold locally.

§  Catfish Box-ponds - completed and stocked early in 2013, will provide another source or rich nutrition.

§  Rabbit Hutch - completed in March 2013; rabbits grow quickly and will provide another source of protien.

Tuition

By the second year of operation, the Nambale Magnet School was attracting the children of families in the area able to pay school fees. This not only provides income helps to support the overall operation of the school – it also ensures the social and economic mix that makes the “magnet” concept so innovative in Kenya, and aligns the school’s mission with Kenyan government policy dictating that vulnerable or indigent children not be isolated from mainstream Kenyan culture.

The School has been licensed to present Early Childhood Development Education seminars and training to area educators. These will take place during school holidays, the first in April, 2013, and will be a source of additional revenue for the school.

The school hopes to add Adult Education classes in subjects such as agricultural science and animal husbandry. Computer science classes will be offered if the school is able to acquire desktop computers for use there. This will generate income and deepen the investment of the community in the success of the school.

Long-Term: The Visitor and Conference Center

From the beginning the Kenyan board envisioned a conference center near the school – perhaps sharing land with an eventual high school. This would offer several benefits:

§  Provide safe and affordable accommodations for travelers in the area, something greatly lacking in Western Kenya.

§  Attract national – and perhaps international – conferences which would build up the local economy and expose students and faculty to a wider world of ideas and knowledge.

§  Generate employment and apprenticeship opportunities for older students at the school, giving them training in various features of the hospitality industry.

Environmental Sustainability

As the school was being built, the board and architects have been mindful of sustainability in a different sense – using natural resources as much as possible and keeping the carbon footprint to a minimum. This will continue to be a priority as the school expands. Some of the initiatives include:

§  Most notably, the water catchment system, which captures rainwater and funnels it into cisterns.

§  Solar LED security lights have been installed in the exterior of the school.

There are plans to construct a biodigester to provide for responsible on-site sewage disposal, and produce methane by-products for resale

Please Visit us at http://www.nambalemagnet.org
Follow us on Twitter @NambaleMagnet
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/#!/nambalemagnet