School profile
Located in the remote northwestern county of Kenya, Nakwamekwi High School (NHS) is envisioned to be a private co-educational boarding school comprising of Forms 1-4 (Grades 9-12) and offering the Kenyan government secondary school curriculum. Its 6-hectare (15-acre) campus will provide 320 students (160 girls and 160 boys) from Turkana and beyond a safe and nurturing educational and residential environment, in addition to staff housing for 12 teachers.
amekwi
School name
Nakwamekwi High School is named after the village where the school resides. The village receives its name from the low lying silvery-white shrub with pink flowers, called amekwi, which used to cover most of the grounds surface. Nakwamekwi literally means the place of the amekwi.
Lilli and Ebenyo
School origin
The inspiration for constructing NHS comes from the school developers themselves, Ebenyo Echwa (a Kenyan citizen and resident of Nakwamekwi Village) and Lilli Heinrichs (a former Canadian school teacher), and is based on one of the most pressing needs of the country – education! In response to the need/demand for quality education and essentially born out of a desire to contribute back to the community and share our experience and expertise, lies the motivation to build and guide the operations of NHS.
School opening
During the first year of operation (projected to open January 2016), the school will start with 4 classes, two Form I and two Form 2, with an anticipated total enrollment of 160 male and female students (4 classes of 40 students each).
School funding
Most of the funding for the school construction, including the initial borehole construction and handpump installation, has so far originated from the developers themselves. We have also received donations provided through PEAK – People, Education, and Action for Kenya, as well as directly to NHS. We are grateful for every contribution!