News: Planning the Future of ASSETS

ASSETS Co-ordinator, Stanley Baya reports on ambitious new plans for ASSETS.

On the 24th of March, the ASSETS committee met to approve a new strategy that will see the development of the programme for the next twelve years. After three months of hard work Simon Payne, a Community Development expert together with the ASSETS Co-ordinator came up with a plan for the expansion of ASSETS.

This is very good news for all the communities around the forest and creek as they will be able to receive bursaries within just a few years. The strategy aims at incorporating all the 36 primary schools surrounding the forest and creek by taking three new schools every year.

For the last two years students from Bogamachuko, Mida and Mijomboni primary schools have benefitted from bursaries issued by ASSETS. This year the committee agreed to include Girimacha, a school on the western side of the forest. This is going to be a real test of the significance of the ASSETS programme as very few students from this school proceed to secondary school and the poverty level in the area is just shocking.

Currently a total of 80 students are being supported with six of them being sponsored. As the planning was going on, no new students were taken on board during the beginning of this year. However as it was agreed twelve more students will be considered at the beginning of the 2nd term.

Thanks go to Turtle Bay Beach Club for contributing over Ksh 20,000 towards lunch and conference room for the strategic planning meeting.