After a project committed to maternal and infant health, Missione Calcutta in Kenya continues its presence.

In Suguta Marmar, located 27 kilometres from the administrative capital of Samburu County, Maralal, Missione Calcutta, in collaboration with Caritas and the Diocese of Maralal, The Tree of Life Kenya, and thanks to funding from the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), is actively working to improve the childhood conditions of around 600 pupils at the Consolata Primary School in Suguta.

The context in which Missione Calcutta operates is full of difficulties and uncertainties for young people and children, especially from a socio-economic and nutritional point of view: Samburu County is one of the poorest and most backward in the country, with peaks of absolute poverty up to 77%, extremely low literacy rates (34%), a growing school dropout rate, and highly damaging cultural practices such as genital mutilation, domestic violence and early marriages, especially for girls.

In addition to this context, the situation has progressively worsened since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the management of which has been particularly difficult due to the unprepared health system, the scarcity of clean water and the difficulty of obtaining sanitizers and masks. For this reason, Missione Calcutta will provide the school with monthly hygiene and sanitary devices to prevent the spread of the virus.

This is a multi-sector project that includes, in addition to the renovation and extension of the sanitation facilities at the Consolata Primary School in Suguta, psychosocial support interventions for children who are victims of violence. It also includes the expansion of the school farm to counteract the severe food insecurity in the area, and interventions aimed at modernising the school materials currently present, through the distribution of educational materials for pupils and training materials for teachers.