M-PESA Foundation supports education projects in Vihiga, Kisii and Bungoma

By Peter Ochieng

Learners at three public schools in Vihiga, Bungoma and Kisii Counties have a reason to smile, after the launch of infrastructure improvement projects by M-PESA and Safaricom Foundations.

The projects, worth over Sh90 million, are part of the Foundation’s efforts to enable access to education by providing infrastructure support to schools across the country.

The latest institutions to land the support are Chekombero Special School for the Deaf in Vihiga County, Mesabisabi Primary School in Kisii County and Myanga Primary School in Bungoma County.

At Chekombero Special School in Vihiga, M-Pesa Foundation broke ground on an infrastructure project worth Sh50 million. The project entails renovation, construction and furnishing of classrooms, dormitories, an administration block, an ICT lab, a kitchen and dining hall.

In addition, the foundation will drill and develop a borehole as well as construct sanitation facilities for learners and staff.

“At M-Pesa Foundation, we believe in investing in our communities, particularly to access education, which is one of the most pressing issues that are critical for socioeconomic development. We want to expand educational opportunities by supporting schools with infrastructure, focusing on the neediest cases,” said Nicholas Ng’ang’a, Chairman, M-Pesa Foundation.

At Mesabisabi Primary School in Kisii County, the Foundation broke ground on school facilities worth Sh40 million, which will see learners at the school benefit from the construction and furnishing of classrooms, an ICT lab, and a school kitchen plus new toilets for learners.

Meanwhile, at Myanga Primary School in Bungoma County, Safaricom Foundation handed over ICT equipment worth Sh500,000.

The equipment consists of computers, projectors and routers for internet connectivity, and is set to empower learners at the school to access digital learning.

Since its inception in 2010, M-PESA Foundation’s education programmes have benefitted over 1.3 million learners in all 47 counties, through initiatives such as its infrastructure development program, and the M-PESA Foundation Academy, which enrols disadvantaged children.