For over 20 years, the EJ Rihoy Charitable Trust has supported community-led projects aimed at improving lives and creating sustainable, long-term impact in vulnerable communities around the world.
In Kenya, the Trust has been working with local partner Earth Angels Welfare (EAW) to develop innovative mobile classrooms for communities where access to safe and permanent educational facilities is extremely limited.
The initiative is now entering its next phase after receiving backing from the Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission (OA&DC).
In 2022, a prototype was constructed in Nairobi to test the design. This project will see the construction of one further classroom in Nairobi built to test alternative construction materials, before a further 21 classrooms are installed across remote communities in Turkana, Marsabit and Kajiado counties.
Many of the communities in these areas are semi-nomadic and many young children currently learn outdoors in “tree schools”, exposed to extreme heat, wind and seasonal rains. In some locations, temperatures regularly exceed 40°C, while access to permanent education infrastructure is extremely limited. The lightweight mobile classrooms can be easily assembled and transported to new locations as needed.
Designed by a Kenyan architect, these classrooms have been developed as a practical, socially and environmentally appropriate alternative to traditional construction, with cost per classroom being approximately one-fifth that of standard classrooms. Their modular design means they can also be expanded, reconfigured or relocated as the needs of communities change and can be adapted for multiple uses, such as clinics and social centres.
This next phase will also explore the use of sustainable construction materials, including mycelium-based panels alongside materials such as invasive plant fibres and agricultural waste. These materials have thermo-insulation properties making them ideal for harsh environments.
The project will provide classroom capacity for 528 children each year, alongside 12 pit latrines, three kitchen facilities and rainwater harvesting infrastructure. It carries with it the potential to significantly contribute to sustainable construction design and techniques for buildings providing social services in many contexts and countries.
Liz Rihoy at the EJ Rihoy Charitable Trust said: “This funding allows us to build on the socially and environmentally appropriate mobile classroom initiative we have been developing with Earth Angels Welfare and take it into communities where the need for safe learning spaces is particularly acute.
“What makes this next phase especially exciting is the opportunity to continue developing the design and explore sustainable and cost-effective materials that will enable additional scaling up and widespread adoption by others in future.
“The partnership with the Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission has enabled this project to move beyond the experimental stage to a point where its full potential can be realised to the benefit of thousands in Kenya and beyond.”
Deputy Jennifer Strachan, President of the Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission, said: “The Commission is pleased to support the Guernsey based EJ Rihoy Charitable Trust in expanding this innovative initiative.
“The project will provide much-needed learning spaces for children in remote communities while also exploring a flexible and sustainable model with the potential to benefit other communities in the future.
“The support provided to the EJ Rihoy Charitable Trust has been made possible through the Commission’s Community Partnerships initiative, which encourages local community support for projects and emergency responses in the developing world. If any group or organisation in the Bailiwick, be it a business, charity, school, or voluntary group, is raising funds for such a cause the Commission would be pleased to hear from them to discuss possible matched funding. Every pound raised could be doubled!”
