Education is actually the original project that inspired the formation of MCSHP and so it is quite an important part to our organization. We believe it is important because these children will be the future leaders within the community and it is critical for them to have a strong educational foundation. Below is a bit of the history of this Project.

There was a girl called Rebecca who was an HIV/AIDS orphan. She went to school to become a teacher and did not have enough funds to finish all of her credentials. Therefore, she decided to come back to the Marera village to teach and encourage other orphans to pursue education.

She taught the children in the old Church during the week, when there were no services. The structure of the Church was falling apart since ants were eating through the walls and roof, which were built using mud, wood, and iron sheets. Therefore, MCSHP, together with the First Presbyterian Church of Upland, Callifornia decided to raise funds and build a new Church with a wing for the Medical dispensary and another wing for the Pre-school. This was accomplished in 2008.

In 2014, we (MCSHP) decided to build a separate structure which will contain the Pre-School and a kitchen where lunch can be cooked for the children.

Pictures of the current progress are here – September 2016

When the children are ready to start first grade, they go to the closest Elementary (Primary) school called Marera Primary school and they are usually ahead of their new classmates in terms of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Therefore, we can see that this project is having a positive impact.

In the future, we plan on adding classes to our site, which will further reduce the congestion that exists currently (70-90 students per class) at the local Primary school.

Rebecca has since passed away but her project and vision still continue to this day.