Lopur, August 26, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
Residents of Nationokar in Lopur Ward, Turkana West, now have an Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centre after Plan International completed and handed over a block consisting of two ECD classrooms and offices to the County Government.
The facility, which also includes a sanitation block with a two-door toilet for boys and girls and a hand-washing point, was supported by Danmark Indsamling through the three-year Nurturing Futures Project running from April 2024 to March 2027.
Deputy Governor Dr John Erus received the facility on behalf of the County from Plan International Kenya Country Director George Otim in a ceremony attended by officials from Swisscontact, Water Mission and APAD who are co-implementing the programs under a consortium.
Parents welcomed the intervention, saying it will ease the burden of accessing early learning with Sam Eipa noting that children had previously been forced to seek learning opportunities in the refugee camp, costing them both time and money.
Samuel Ebei said parents constantly worried about the safety of their children due to the long distance, adding that some children had dropped out of school as a result.
According to the Head of the Institution Edward Lobuin, the intervention had now elevated the institution into a true comprehensive school, with ECD section, lower and upper primary and, junior secondary school.
“Transition rates will most likely improve since the facility provides education for all levels before proceeding to senior secondary,” he said.
Dr Erus said the completion of the facility in record time demonstrated the benefit of implementing projects through local CSOs while using locally adaptable technology to benefit the target population.
Additionally, Dr. Erus urged the local population to take full advantage of the new facility by ensuring that all eligible children enrolled.
He reiterated that the County would continue working with partners to ensure that the shared goals of the KISEDP and Shirika plan are met in the fullness of time.
On his part, Otim described the facility as deliberate infrastructure designed to improve the well-being, nutrition, protection and holistic development of crisis-affected children aged 0-8 years residing in the Kakuma refugee camp, Kalobeyei settlement scheme and Lopur Ward.
Additionally, he called upon partners to initiate a new program aimed at expanding the facility owing to the huge population of both the host and refugee communities in the area likely to exert pressure on it.
“What we, Plan International and co-implementing partners, have done is a drop in the ocean. The classroom best fits 100 learners at most at any particular learning period. However, this is a densely populated area that requires additional facilities to serve the already huge and constantly growing numbers of the refugee population and host community,” he said.
Prior to the handover, Plan International also showcased health services outreach and Parenting Under Pressure program targeting host and refugee populations with life-saving interventions and capacity enhancement for parents to safeguard protection concerns of their children.
In addition to the school infrastructure, Plan International has an active program that connects schools to source boreholes for water access and improved sanitation standards.
