About-Igwminti-Primary-School

A B O U T

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Igwamiti Primary School is located in Laikipia County in the Nyahururu District of Kenya. It was founded in 1981 and currently has an enrollment of 465 students and a staff of 15 teachers.

The challenges of educating students in this region are profuse, beginning with the lack of proper facilities. When Igwamiti was constructed 30 years ago, it was done so in a hasty manner by unskilled laborers, and now the students and staff are dealing with the consequences. This is particularly a problem during the rainy season, March through May, when the leaky roofs and walls contribute to an already inhospitable learning environment.

Further augmenting the students’ burdens are the lack of toilets, poor sanitation, and their inability to attend school due to the spread of disease and intestinal parasites. Compounding absenteeism is the fact that many of the girls have no access to feminine hygiene products and thus do not attend school during their monthly cycle. In addition, Kenyans fleeing to the region from the 2007-2008 political violence in parts of the Rift Valley has caused Igwamiti’s student population to swell, putting a strain on their already meager resources.

School administrators have been told by the local leadership that funds do not exist to address these building and health issues.