Our dedicated teachers are continually striving to develop “schools of excellence.”
Without schools, children are robbed of a future. Our mission is to build schools and enhance learning opportunities wherever it is most needed. With guidance from local community leaders and dedicated teachers, we strive to build schools of excellence.
Location of Primary Schools in Kibera: Red: CoH. Yellow: FAFU. White: DFC. Green: MOBJAP. Blue: COPA
Drug Fighters Primary School and Feeding Center (DFC) – Crossing Thresholds launched its first collaborative school-building initiative with grassroots leader, Agnes Musau. Agnes and Crossing Thresholds worked tirelessly together for five years to transform an empty dirt lot into a school campus with ten classrooms, office space, a kitchen, dining hall, dormitory, and counseling center. DFC now serves over 300 children in grades one to eight and, simultaneously, offers residential care to nearly 50 orphaned children.
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Facing the Future Primary School (FAFU) – In January 2011, Crossing Thresholds established a partnership with Simeon Ajigo. Simeon’s vision was to create a safe environment in Kibera for the children of single mothers. Simeon’s vision quickly grew to include a preschool, primary school, health clinic, and community outreach program for at-risk teenagers in the slum. FAFU serves 375 children and provides each student with two meals per day. To further enrich the learning environment, Crossing Thresholds helped launch a dynamic music program, a variety of sports programs, and much needed medical and therapeutic services.
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MOBJAP Primary School – The Mobjap Primary School has been built not once, but twice. Its founder and director, Asanya Benard, began feeding and educating children many years ago. In 2016, the original school was built and dedicated. It was home to 350 children. In December 2017, a tragic fire swept through the neighborhood and destroyed Mobjap. For Asanya and the community, it was a devastating blow. Almost immediately, Crossing Thresholds began to fundraise for the purpose of rebuilding their beloved school. The outpouring of support turned into the Big Build – a 10-day trip (June 2018) with 66 volunteers committed to a new and improved learning center for these kids. Sometimes, dreams come true.
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Center of Hope Primary School (CoH) – In 2017, we discovered the inspired community leader, Isabel Omondi. In a small, rented house, Isabel was feeding and educating nearly 175 children (nursery school through 4th grade). The space was cramped, but bright and positive. With a vision for encouraging imaginative and critical thinking, Isabel implemented her own hybrid curriculum – conjoining elements of the Montessori approach with standard Kenyan subjects. Acknowledging her desire to build a much bigger school and expand her impact, Crossing Thresholds is making plans for a permanent school for CoH.
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Community Pillars Alliance (COPA) – In January 2021, when schools reopened after the pandemic, we welcomed Clement Ombati as our new partner and director of COPA. Clement was a longtime friend of Crossing Thresholds and a dedicated leader in the community. He opened COPA in a community hall with temporary cardboard partitions that served as classrooms. COPA is Crossing Thresholds’ most recent school build, with construction completed in July 2022 by the volunteers who took part in the trip to Kenya. COPA is now home to over 160 boys and girls, and 17 teachers and staff who are very proud of their beautiful new school.
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