| The Rift Valley of Kenya has long been the majestic heartland of all that Africa means to the world: a sense of new beginnings, a symbol of the struggles and ingenuity of mankind, and a powerful source of inspiration for our never ending quest for newer and better opportunities to improve our individual and collective destinies. The founders of CDR International, a US based company providing telecommunications services in Kenya, in cooperation with the Athena Project, have been so inspired. They have integrated as a central component of their corporate philosophy the goal of improving the lives and economic prospects of the people in the communities that they serve. The first beneficiary of this important policy initiative is the Ngererit Primary and Secondary School located in the Konoin region of the Rift Valley. |
| The Ngererit School initiative will build a brand new primary and secondary school facility to accommodate 1,000 students. The current school, built in 1961 for a capacity of 200 students, is unable to suitably accommodate an enrollment that has quadrupled over the past four decades. The existing classrooms have leaky roofs, dirt floors, poor insulation, decaying infrastructure and poor sanitation facilities. There is also no electricity at the school. The Ngererit School initiative will provide $550,000 to construct new classrooms, laboratories, a library, dormitories and administrative facilities to enable the school to return to its original core mission: to help young girls and boys in the community and its surroundings achieve their personal, social, and intellectual potential so that they can go on to lead responsible, productive, and fulfilling lives. The initiative will be an innovative, practical, and inspirational model of good corporate citizenship that other private firms in the US and other countries are likely to emulate in developing countries. | |  |
