Help for Kenya

What is CIEL Kenya ?

Our association CIEL Kenya (C=sharing, I=imprint, E=education, L=light) was founded in 2022.

The acronym CIEL indicates our objectives:

• sharing because our desire is to share something with those who have fewer resources, promoting distance learning support for those who would otherwise be unable to attend school;
• leaving an indelible mark on those who wish to volunteer on site;
• education because our main goal at the moment is to build a school,
• and light because we are convinced that every small gesture we make gives light that can illuminate the path for all of us!

But how did we come to found this association?

All began in 2017, when a Kenyan nun, Sister Rose, who had lived in Switzerland and Italy, suggested to Elisa (now president of the association) to do some voluntary work in Kenya. Elisa, then 17, spent three weeks at a school in Dundori, Kenya.

It was love at first sight, and this trip was followed by others, involving not only her family but also friends and acquaintances. In 2018, a dam collapsed in a village in the province of Dundori, leaving many children orphaned after tragically losing their parents. How could we help these children have a future? By offering them the opportunity to go to school.

This is how Elisa’s family in Switzerland and Sister Rose’s family in Kenya came up with the idea of building a school in the very poor village where Sister Rose’s family lives. To make this project more concrete and feasible, Elisa involved her family and some friends, and the CIEL Kenya Association was created.

At present, the Association’s committee consists of Elisa, president, Maria, accountant, and Saba, who is in charge of technology. We try to find the money to send to Kenya; Sister Rose and her family are responsible for implementing and carrying out the work construction and management of the school, with the help of various collaborators.

Update regarding the project

After founding the association, we immediately set about raising funds by organising themed charity dinners, markets and concerts. We opened an online shop selling products made by us, most of which are created by sewing fabrics that we buy in Kenya during our trips. We also rely on the constant contribution of loyal donors, members of the association, who generously support us every year.

Thanks to this income, we were able to begin construction work on the school.

In July 2022, the foundation stone was laid. At that time, the Kenyan government had imposed that primary and junior schools be located in separate places. There were many primary schools but few junior schools. That is why we started with the idea of building a junior school to meet a real need.

Subsequently, when the president changed, the regulations also changed: it was no longer necessary to separate primary school children from junior school children. So, given that there are so many children in the area, we decided to expand our project and accommodate all age groups, from pre-school to junior school. After obtaining all the building permits in December 2023, work began and was completed in March 2024. Three classrooms, a kitchen with a pantry and three bathrooms (one for boys, one for girls and one for staff) were built.

In November 2024, the school was officially inaugurated and blessed. Subsequently, three temporary classrooms made of sheet metal were built at the request of the village population in order to accommodate even the youngest children and avoid them having to travel long distances to school. Hence the need now to build classrooms for primary school children. In January 2025, the school opened its doors: it currently has 22 pupils in three middle school classes and 22 children in three pre-school and nurs. During the first semester, we also managed to build a dormitory, divided into two sections, to allow secondary school pupils to stay overnight at school.ery classes.

What is special about this school? School fees are very low to allow as many children as possible, even those from poor families, to attend. In addition, compared to other schools, families have the option of paying in instalments or even in kind (for example, by bringing corn, potatoes, polenta flour, wood or anything else that may be useful to the school).

What do we need the Fr 30,000 for?

Together with our partners in Kenya, we are delighted to have been able to open St. Peter’s Berry Junior School and are very grateful to all our supporters.

There are currently three middle school classes with 22 pupils and three pre-school classes («Play group», «PP1» and «PP2») also with 22 pupils. The staff includes a director, a head teacher, who also acts as a teacher, six other teachers, two cooks and a caretaker.

The staff are very competent and the school runs well, but every day our employees have to find ways to cover the school’s expenses (salaries, meals for students, school supplies). In fact, due to the limited number of students and the fact that many families struggle to pay school fees, the income is not sufficient. We need to be able to have more students and therefore more classrooms to accommodate them!

This is why we need your help!

CHF 30,000 is the minimum amount we need to lay the foundations for five classrooms and build at least one fully finished classroom so that children who finish nursery school can continue their education in the same building in January 2026.

There is also strong demand from parents to build classrooms so that they can accompany their children to school themselves, without having to ask for transport. If we manage to raise more funds, we will also be able to build additional classrooms to accommodate a larger number of children. We, the members of the CIEL Kenya Association, together with all our collaborators in Kenya, are very grateful for any contribution you wish to make.

’What we do is just a drop in the ocean, but if that drop were not there, the ocean would be missing it’ (Mother Teresa of Calcutta). Thank you very much for helping us achieve our goal!