Mahiga is where the Nobelity Project began with a small rain water collection system and a few OLPC’s (One Laptop Per Child). After interviewing Wangari Mathaai (Nobel Peace Prize 2004) Turk visited her Green Belt Movement in Kenya. While there he planted trees at the primary school in Mahiga, a rural farming community in the Central Highlands. After noticing a number of trees that were struggling to survive the headmaster explained that each child was assigned a tree to water, but he said “the water was far and the children are small.”
“How far do they carry the water?” asked Turk. “A mile and a half” was the answer.
“And where is the water they drink?” “A mile and a half.” Like so many children in Africa, they started their day carrying water to school that they collected from a small stream that also served the local livestock.
And so began a relationship with the community of Mahiga to improve the lives of these students so they had a better chance to stay healthy, get an education, and be able to lead happy, productive lives. After the initial installation of a small rainwater collection system and a secured computer lab, Turk returned to Kenya to visit Mahiga. Water borne illness was down and school attendance was up! It was clear this community was ready to support their children by working for a better future. But with no secondary school within walking distance, and no resources to send their children to a distant boarding school most of these kids were facing the end of their schooling at the end of the 8th grade.
Inspired by the commitment of these families and school officials, The Nobelity Project has been able to secure funding and complete Mahiga Hope High School, that opened its doors in January 2011 and currently has an enrollment of 150 (with the capacity to hold 320). In partnership with Architecture for Humanity and the Nike GameChangers Fund we constructed the RainWater Court: a full court basketball facility that collects, purifies, and stores rainwater. Included in the project is a new kitchen and dining hall, science and computer labs, and the Netri Hope Library. And the growing numbers of preschoolers now have their own clean and light classrooms and playground. Now a government supported school Mahiga Hope will see it’s first graduates in 2012. As the student body grows and the school moves toward self-sufficiency The Nobelity Project will continue it’s support through student sponsorships; art, music, and sports programs; library and textbook funding; desk and chair purchases; and a mentorship program.
