Thurua Special School

Where our partnership began…

In early 2023, we visited Tharua Special School near our home in Naromoru, Kenya. To see first-hand the condition and lack of facilities, was truly hard to process. These 15 children with a range of severe and complex needs were sleeping in dark, crowded and draughty disused classrooms, and for sanitation – had access only to outside dirty rudimentary tin-roofed shacks, with no running hot or cold water…We knew these vulnerable children and care-staff deserved more!

Eager to establish a safe and warm residential learning environment for special needs children, we set out to provide physical and sustainable changes bit by bit…

Projects completed so far… Generous  has since raised funds and collaborated with builders, volunteers, and local charities to transform the school bit by bit through improving:

• Sanitation: increasing access to water, creating purpose-built accessible bathing and toileting facilities, and establishing laundering facilities. Children and staff now have instant access to hot and cold clean water at the turn of a tap; increasing both the efficiency of the task in hand but also making a huge change in the level of sanitation, comfort and daily care able to be given.
• Standard of living: building a purpose-built, safe and homely dormitory to appropriately house both male and female boarders. This includes en-suite accessible bathrooms and attached matron sleeping quarters. The children and care staff now have safe and appropriate spaces to have their needs met, and also a welcoming and warm space to call ‘home’ during term-time. The change to these children and their care staff has been immeasurable. 
• Capacity: seeing the first dorm’s success, and aware that the rapidly growing waiting list far exceeded the 25 beds available, at the close of 2024 we embarked to build a second dormitory! Almost a year later, in December 2025 this second purpose-built dormitory was finished and open; now doubling the capacity for boarders from 25 to 50 – reaching more children and families! With this increase in pupils, we have seen the employment of more specialist SEN teachers, further expanding the enthusiastic staff team and increasing opportunities for tailored learning. 
• Learning Spaces: The second dormitory block was able to include extra rooms on its veranda – providing an office space for the head teacher and a much needed staff-room. This in-turn freed up a classroom previously used for this purpose; enabling more spaces for differentiated and tailored teaching.

The GENEROSITY of partners both on the ground and from around the world has been phenomenal!  Whether visiting in person, praying or financially donating what you can, your partnership has resulted in life-changing, long-lasting transformations.