The charity has stepped in to pay all teachers’ salaries for April and May as Aquinoe, in common with all schools in Kenya, remains closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trustees met courtesy of Zoom last week and agreed to transfer 263,500 Kenyan Shillings (£2,055) from charity reserves to the Kenyan charity account.
Aquinoe director Josphat Shaduma wrote: “Some of the staff had been calling in at the school to find out if I could do anything for them but now there will be a smile on their faces.
“We are very grateful for the assistance and we have no words to express our thanks to all of you. Please inform other trustees and supporters how grateful we are and particularly at this time when everybody is indoors with no income.”
Kenya has no system for helping people who are not working and therefore not being paid.
The school currently has twenty-two staff (teaching and non-teaching), with all but three confined to home.
When chair Jean emailed the charity’s supporters telling of the decision last week to help the school staff many came up within days with donations currently totalling over £900, even though the email had not been meant as a further appeal.
Jean says: “It brought tears to my eyes. Even though I know from experience how generous our supporters are, I was overcome with emotion.
Coronavirus is still with us and we continue to review the situation.”
Aquinoe has been closed since 22nd March when all services and educational establishments were shut down. A strict curfew during lockdown has been extended until 6th June leading to recent violence in Kitale where bodaboda motorcyclists, who transport passengers, clashed with police leaving two dead. Tension remains.
As of 18th May there had been 963 confirmed coronavirus cases in Kenya with 50 deaths.
At the school gates in happier times.