Feature: Chinese volunteers build schools for Kenyan slum children

Mildred Mtola's determination to succeed in school has not been diminished by material deprivation and social ills that stalk her neighborhood.

The 14-year-old class eight pupil has won admiration from teachers and relatives for her impressive academic performance in Chang Rong Light Center, a primary school built by Chinese volunteers in Nairobi's Mathare slum.

Located at the heart of Kenya's second largest slum, the center, which was rebuilt in August 2014 by a group of young Chinese volunteers, has become an oasis for disadvantaged children seeking better education and emotional solace.

One of 304 pupils currently studying in the center, Mtola was ecstatic as she narrated how the new building has transformed her academic and social life.

"We are now studying in a conducive environment and have kissed goodbye to the stress of leaking roof and overflowing sewage. The new school has transformed our lives," she told Xinhua.

Mltola was among the pioneer students at the former Mathare Light Center that was established in 2008 to cater for the academic needs of poor and neglected children.

"Whenever it rained, all the classes were flooded thus making it difficult for us to study. The Chinese well wishers have put this nightmare to a stop and we are enjoying the ambience of the new classrooms," said Mtola, adding that she hopes to become an air hostess when she finishes school.

Yin Binbin, the Chinese volunteer who initiated the project, said he was shocked by the harsh condition when he first visited the former Mathare Light Center.

It was made of iron sheets and lacked basic learning facilities like desks. The center was adjacent to a leaking sewer line that exposed children to grave health risks, he recalled.

Yin then launched an online donation, and together with several other Chinese volunteers, they contracted local workers and built the new school in just over 30 days.

"The school now has 8 classrooms. With better education environment, we hope the students can realize their dreams in the future," he said.

Now, with the newly-built Chang Rong Light Center, the school's principal, David Matinde, said administrators have been overwhelmed by requests for enrollment from children and their parents.

"Since the construction of the permanent structure in August last year, the enrollment shot from 230 to 304 pupils. We have recruited highly qualified teachers who are impressed by the modern facilities here," said Matinde.

The principal disclosed that Chinese volunteers have won admiration from children and the wider Mathare community for donating money and skills to set up the new school.

"The volunteers are famous here in Mathare and everyone associate them with noble deeds. They are safe whenever they visit this neighborhood where they have made an indelible mark in the lives of disadvantaged children," Matinde told Xinhua.

Besides supporting the construction of permanent classrooms, the Chinese volunteers have also donated learning materials to the school. Matinde revealed the volunteers have donated 400 copies of English and Swahili books to the center since August 2014.

"The donations have greatly impacted on the lives of the pupils. Most of them come from poor backgrounds and cannot afford to buy expensive text books,"he said.

Motivated by the desire to transform lives of Kenyan slum children, Yin and his volunteer team are also currently supporting the construction of another school a few meters away from Chang Rong Light Center here in Mathare.

"The construction has started. The two-storey building is space- saving, and will be home for some 140 students when completed," Yin said. "It also includes a multi-functional room, which can provide space for some local community activities." Endi