Read to Rise: building Macalder Primary School's First Library

Il Centro per la Didattica e la Formazione srl Benefit insieme a Penny Lane Online School sostiene e promuove il progetto "Read to Rise: building Macalder Primary School's First Library" guidato dalla nostra professoressa Suki Barhey per la costruzione di una biblioteca per la scuola Macalder Primary School in Kenya.

Scegliamo di sostenere la creazione di una libreria in Kenya perché crediamo profondamente nel potere dell’istruzione, uno dei principi cardini su cui si fonda il nostro statuto . Un libro può aprire strade, accendere curiosità, generare sogni. In molte comunità l’accesso ai materiali educativi è ancora limitato, e una libreria non è solo un luogo dove trovare libri: è uno spazio di crescita, di incontro e di possibilità. Con questo progetto vogliamo contribuire a costruire un futuro in cui ogni bambino e ogni giovane possa avere gli strumenti per immaginare, imparare e realizzare il proprio potenziale.

Read to Rise è un progetto per la costruzione di una biblioteca all'interno della scuola elementare Macalder Primary School in Kenya guidato dalla docente Mrs Suki Barhey.

Per aderire alla raccolta fondi, potete visitare il link: https://gofund.me/b36e5be0a

Di seguito il suo racconto di viaggio in Kenya e come si è sviluppato il progetto:

DAY 1 - MACALDER - (8th Oct 2025)

Macalder is a very remote copper and gold mining village that my father came to, to work for the British in the 1950s during colonial times. I was born in this small place which my mother always referred to as 'a jungle' since there was hardly anything there except for copper and gold.

The whole experience must have been a culture shock for her and the few other indians that were there, invited by the British to work as skilled workers in the mines. The dwellings were sectioned for the whites, indians and black workers. If an Indian worker performed well or had reached foreman standard, they were moved to the 'Whitr' quarters and it appears, they were allowed to use the facilities such as the golf course, swimming pool and club (where films were shown)

Philip and Lucie have been taking exceptional care of me, always ensuring my safety and wellbeing. Even when they’re busy with their own work during the day, they check in regularly with phone calls to make sure everything is fine.

Sukhdev (my brother) would be incredibly proud of the man Philip has become. He first met Philip when he was about 15 or 16 years old, during his and Balraj’s first visit to Macalder 22 years ago. Since then, Sukhdev has kept in touch with both Philip and his father, Elijah. Philip shared that Sukhdev’s guidance and advice played a significant role in shaping the person he is today, and he remains deeply grateful for it.

The pictures above show my father's work place, our home and facilities that we had back in the 1960s.

DAYS 2 and 3

I have now spent three full days at Philip’s school, where I’ve had the chance to speak with both staff and students. I’ve learned a great deal about the education system here and how corruption continues to hold many schools back. The budget the school is given per child is not fully spent on resourcing their education as a very high percentage is pocketed by the Head. eg: Government will fund a toilet for the school. Head take a pic of toilet in a shop and get the grant and money is obtained. When the inspectors come to see the toilet, the Head will pay him a bribe and keep the rest of the grant for himself.

One of the most eye-opening experiences was accompanying a group of children (one class per day) to the local river to collect water. Each child carried an 18-litre container on their head under the scorching heat. The river was almost dry, and the children had to work hard to gather enough water for cooking the staff's lunch and for drinking.

Monday, 13th October

On Monday the 13th, we walked to Macalder Mines (now known as Nyateke), a journey that takes the locals around 45 minutes on foot. The first stretch was uphill and the temperature hovered around 29°C, making the start quite challenging for me until we reached flatter ground. Only a small portion of the road is tarmacked; the rest remains a dusty dirt track.

We had an appointment with the local government in Macalder to formally introduce my visit, so we took a motorbike taxi to ensure we arrived on time.On the way there, we bumped into the village Chief so I was introduced to him too.

I met 2 officials at the Government office who were keen to listen to my ideas.

Mrs Barthey with the Chief of the Village

Mrs Barthey with local government officers

Mrs Barhey with the Head Teacher at Macalder Primary School

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I explained to the people I met that some of my siblings and I were born in Macalder and my parents had lived there for many years. I mentioned that my brother Sukhdev attended the local primary school and was the only non-Black student at the time. I shared my wish to visit the school and hopefully contribute to the school's development and also emphasised the importance of collaboration between the school and the local government, assuring them that I would help by bringing in expertise and reading materials. I wanted to make it explicit to them that I was not there to splash money at them.

Mrs Barhey with workers at copper mines now mining for gold

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Elijah himself was deeply impressed since when he left the school about five years ago, none of these changes existed. The current Headteacher, who was appointed after Elijah’s departure, has clearly brought a new sense of direction and energy to the school.

During my visit, I saw the oldest building on the grounds, which once served as a prison for Black copper mine workers who were punished for not completing their work. It was sobering to stand in that space, knowing its painful history. Today, part of that room serves as a staffroom, and the other half is being prepared to become a science lab. I suggested that the large room be divided into three sections ...one for the lab, another for laptops, and the third as a reading corner.

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The idea was warmly received as a practical and achievable first step toward development. We also discussed the possibility of opening up the new facilities to neighbouring schools as we continue to make progress.

Before leaving, I put together an action plan with the Headteacher and local government: the school will prepare the classroom, the government will provide furniture, and I will supply reading books gradually — a few at a time, to ensure steady progress.

I also shared the same action plan with Philip’s Headteacher. I was fortunate to meet some visiting parents there, and we had an engaging discussion about the project. Two of them, both well-established in the community, offered their full support. They even suggested that adults could use the future school library too, turning it into a space for the entire community to learn and grow together.

It was an incredibly rewarding conversation. I also shared the small booklet I had prepared before travelling to Macalder, filled with photos and memories from our early days. Before leaving, I managed to gather even more valuable stories and insights from the locals — pieces that will help shape the next chapter of this journey.

will send pics when I get into the WiFi area.

Until next time...xx

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Today was another interesting day. As I mentioned earlier, the Chinese are working on extracting gold nearby. Lucie and I went for a walk on the river near the River Migori bridge (Daraja Migori). This was the bridge that my father used to travel along.

This afternoon we noticed that the road was being repaired by truck loads full of soil being thrown over the bumps, rocks and holes which were once very difficult to walk over, drive your car or motorbike on.

I noticed that this initiative was being directed by a Chinese man so I introduced myself to him. He could not speak in English or Swahili so we used Google translate to talk. He told me that he noticed that the roads were in such poor conditions and nothing was being done about them so he decided to help by fixing them with soil from his extraction site. His words were "I don't have money but I can help them by improving the roads."

Xu said he was going to be in Macalder for a long time as they are mining for gold. It was really good to see this selfless act ... and he also went as far as to fix the road leading up towards Philip's house.

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Today (22/10/25), I went to see the slums in Nairobi... the Kibera slums.

It was overwhelming to think that we are in 2025 and those people are living 200 years in the past.

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Kibera is one of Africa’s biggest slums...not just in Kenya. The housing is cramped and uncomfortable, with poor sanitation and awful smells from open drains and rubbish. Most people share toilets and bathing areas, and electricity is often tapped illegally. Despite all this, the people of Kibera show incredible resilience and community spirit. I met many people with huge smiles on their faces and even witnessed a place with satellite where people watched football games.

"I'm planning to go back to Macalder with a view to help create those two libraries "