Kenya and Tanzania School Books Project

The textbook project was started to respond to a desperate need for textbooks in schools in the rural areas we were visiting on safaris.

In 2003 the Kenyan Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEST) introduced its policy of free primary school education for all. As a result, enrollment in primary schools increased by over 1 million pupils or by 17.6% by 2012 (Bunyi, 2013, USAID, 2010). Before 2003 the textbook ratio was already low at  1:10, one textbook for every ten pupils. After 2003, despite government attempts to distribute more books, there was still a significant shortage of textbooks in rural schools we were visiting on safaris, so we decided to do something about it.

We put money aside in our Foundation for school books and this fund was further contributed to by kind donations from guests.

Together, we personally distributed a total of 12,580 school books.

These consisted of official curriculum textbooks, teachers handbooks and extra subject reading books including atlases and dictionaries.

The books were donated personally by guests and/or our crew members to each child with messages of encouragement to the children to study hard and aim high.

Thanks to a very kind donor we were also able to distribute over 3800 books to Mikocheni Primary school in Tanzania which similarly had a considerable textbook shortage.

This project has now drawn to a close as the Ministry of Education is in the process of changing the curriculum and will distribute new curriculum materials in due course.

Thank you to everyone involved with this project. These investments in the future of the children in these communities have been sincerely appreciated.