Building safe spaces where children can focus, dream, and grow. In many rural schools, students are packed into crumbling classrooms, sharing broken desks or sitting on dirt floors. Toilets are unsafe—or missing altogether. Water is fetched from distant, contaminated sources. KESU partners with communities and local governments to restore dignity to the school environment. We don’t just build structures—we build spaces that support safety, confidence, and belonging.

• School Infrastructure Program We co-create infrastructure projects with communities through a shared investment model (KESU 60%, government 30%, community 10%). We’ve helped schools: oBuild and renovate classrooms, teachers’ offices, and libraries oConstruct safe, gender-separated toilet blocks with private MHM rooms for girls At Rushe Primary School, 700+ students now use new sanitation facilities built in collaboration with the local government—including a private hygiene room for girls. .

• Safe Water for Schools Students can’t learn if they’re tired, sick, or walking for hours just to find water.

• We provide: Rainwater harvesting tanks Solar-powered filtration systems Safe, reliable drinking water access on school grounds In 2023, three schools began benefiting from new water systems, directly improving the health and focus of over 1,000 students.

Supporting teachers and students beyond the classroom walls. A classroom isn’t just a building—it’s a place where learning comes alive. But without the right tools, even the most passionate teacher is limited. At KESU, we strengthen what happens inside the classroom by equipping both teachers and students to succeed.

• Teacher Capacity Building Workshops We offer hands-on training for teachers in:

1.Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)

2.WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) practices

3.Life skills and health education

In 2023, an MHM training in Kyerwa District reached over 700 students indirectly, through empowered educators.

• School Pesa Clubs These clubs help adolescents—especially girls—build confidence, financial skills, and future goals. Students learn:

1.Basic saving and budgeting

2.Leadership and self-advocacy

3.Goal setting and planning

• Green KESU Initiative KESU believes environmental learning starts in childhood. Through this program, we:

1.Host tree-planting drives

2.Create student-led eco-clubs

3.Conduct climate resilience workshops in schools and communities

Over 300 trees have been planted so far, and 4 schools now run active Green KESU eco-clubs.

Breaking down barriers that keep children—especially girls—from reaching their potential. When a girl can’t go to school because she’s on her period, the system has failed her. When a student living with HIV faces stigma, they are isolated in the place meant to lift them up. KESU tackles these invisible barriers through holistic, inclusive programs that protect dignity and promote equity.

• Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) We work with teachers, girls, and boys to:

1.Distribute sanitary pads

2.Provide menstrual education to de-stigmatize periods

3.Build private, girl-friendly hygiene rooms

4.Integrate life-skills games and peer education

At Rushe Primary, girls now have a safe space, thanks to new MHM facilities and ongoing hygiene education.

•HIV & Life Skills Program Many children and young mothers in rural areas live with or are affected by HIV. We offer:

1.Psychosocial support

2.Reproductive health and life-skills training

3.Community-based counseling to reduce stigma

• Economic Empowerment for Girls These clubs give girls tools for self-reliance and resilience. We offer:

1.Income-generating skills

2.Mentorship programs

3.Activities to build self-esteem and leadership

Our pilot program launches in 2024 with support from local women-led organizations.