What’s happening at the school? – May to July 2024 update

We’ve now got to convert the building, and because of the considerable relative high-rise building development going on around our site that directly overlooks the school, better security for the main school building is now critical.

That means we need to raise more funds, and all contributions will be very welcome.

This new facility does open up the achievement of our stated aim to offer evening classes for adult education. This will provide basic literacy and skills based training for local late teenagers and adults who are so keen to develop their career opportunities.

The gift of sight is so precious – a blessing for Blessing

Due to the nature of her genetic condition, our very diligent pupil Blessing has been suffering from poor eyesight. Tim Tucker, one of our supporters, and the optician practice he works for, paid for an eye test and new glasses.

Here’s what Blessing had to say and her “showing off” her new glasses.

School success in debating competition – well done kids

We had eight students competing for the first time in the prestigious Mombasa Schools Open Championship Debating Competition in early June. Held at the prestigious Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa Campus, there were three categories, debate, public speaking, and a quiz challenge. The vision of the African Debate Academy is to shape African students into the leaders of tomorrow, so that aligns strongly with our vision “Creating great people”.

Here’s our team.

Competition was fierce, we were against over twenty-five schools, all but two were international schools. Our students did well, especially for a first ever entry, and reached the semi-finals in debating. Here they are with their medals.

We’re very proud of the children for participating and their achievements, they did very well and it’s a great credit to our teachers that they can take very underprivileged children and compete at that level.

Say hallo to children across the continents

The Beadale High School Interact Club (Rotary for secondary school age children) had a Zoom chat with the children from Bombolulu Secondary School. There was lots of smiling and waving, and our kids love to talk to their sponsors and other children in the UK. The Beadale children had held a fun run to raise funds to sponsor our children for which we’re very grateful.

A super personal success story – what a brave lad is our Brighton

There are lots of inspirational stories about how our children overcome adversity. You can read the whole heartwarming story here, and it’s well worth taking the time.

Brighton is one of our children who had lost his parents, and his aunt was always busy searching for casual jobs so she can feed her family. She is a single mother with five of her own children. That meant she didn’t have time to apply for a place for Brighton at Bombolulu Secondary School.

So Brighton simply walked in to see Thomas, our head teacher and his actual words were “Sir, please allow me to come here because I want to continue with my education and one day I would like to become a teacher.” His entrance tests and full interview went reasonably well, and his sad background supported his application. His father died when Brighton was very young, and his mother abandoned him when he was just three.

It turned out that Brighton had serious health issues and two of our school supporters, John and Wendy, paid for his hospital appointments as well as basic personal items, like shoes and clothes. The poor lad has been to a specialist eye centre, then a hearing clinic and finally he has had spinal cord and back treatment.

And the great news is that Brighton is super happy at his new school and says he is feeling better already.

Not just debates, a writing competition too

We entered a team of eight students to a Kiswahili writing competition held at the prestigious MM Shah and MV Shah Academy in Mombasa. We were competing against stiff competition from eleven other schools. Accompanied by two of our teachers, Bonface and Zulekha, George came third overall and all of our students scored 24 out of 40 or more, which is actually very creditable.

It’s good for our students to compete at this level and the results are so encouraging as we develop as a school with a growing reputation.

The clubs of Mombasa Rotary are doing great things for the school

The local Rotary clubs help in so many ways that go unseen and we are forever grateful for everything they do for us.

At the end of July the Rotary Club Of Mombasa Downtown held a student mentorship day for the students, with speakers on a wide range of subjects based around leadership and community service.

Now they’ve adopted Bombolulu Secondary School as their flagship project and their vision includes setting up a digital library as well as looking to the future and how the school might expand.

And we’re delighted that Enos, our chair of the board of governors, has become president of the Rotary Club of Mombasa North Coast.

That’s not all, in August the Rotary District Governor for Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eritrea visited our school. The district is supporting the development of our site and facilities.

Finally, thanks to all our supporters

Thank you all so much for your continuing support and kind donations. It means so much to our students, to their families, and in time to the wider local community in Bombolulu. Specific thanks must go to a number of charitable trusts who have not only donated to support the building projects, but also a number of other special projects needed for the school to function.

Plus, thanks to CMW, a client of ActionCOACH, who between the team and the business have very kindly agreed to sponsor seven of our children.

There are too many people and organisations to mention, but thanks to you all.

If you’d like a full report of what happened at Bombolulu Secondary School in May, June and July you can download it here.