Early in the morning of July 9, 2026, a devastating accident occurred on our school grounds in the Kibera slum (Nairobi). A truck veered off the adjacent highway, crashed through the grounds, and severely damaged the three newest classroom buildings.
Early Thursday morning, at 6:40 a.m., a heavy truck veered off the highway and crashed headlong into our school grounds. Three classrooms and everything inside them were severely damaged. The sturdy guardhouse (on the left in the picture) lies in ruins, and the water pipes running through it have also been completely destroyed.
The truck's cargo, consisting of sand and cement, was "removed" very quickly by a group of young men. The truck itself was towed away from the scene of the accident using heavy equipment.
Students are helping to salvage supplies and furniture from the damaged rooms. Twenty-five school desks and about 50 chairs are so badly damaged that they will have to be replaced. The children’s notebooks and books, which were stored in the rooms, were also particularly badly damaged. The impact also damaged several water pipes, and the water severely damaged the textbooks.
Classes for the three grades are being held on the fly in a small repurposed room, the computer lab, and the corrugated-metal cafeteria. On the side facing the playground, the buildings look almost undamaged. Even though appearances can be deceiving, next week is exam week for the students, and everyday life will quickly catch up with the girls and boys again. With your help, we will secure the grounds even better, inspect the rooms, and then decide how best to restore them.
Now that we've gotten over the initial shock, planning for the classroom repairs is underway. For insurance reasons, we're not allowed to make any changes yet, but preparations are in full swing.
Die Arbeiten zum Schutz des Areals haben begonnen. Mit Gabionen (Gitterkörben gefüllt mit Steinen) wird entlang der Grenze unseres Areals ein massiver Schutzwall errichtet. Das geht schnell und lässt sich kostengünstig umsetzen.
Your prompt assistance ensures that the children can continue to receive loving care.
