Meleleki, the community has already started, we are following suit.
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The initial situation
Context & Problem
Meleleki is a Maasai community in the Simanjiro district with around 1,000 people. The nearest primary school is seven to ten kilometres away. Many children walk for hours every day, some give up before they finish.
The idea & the people
Before we arrived, the community had already started Meleleki themselves: Block A with two classrooms stands, built in self-effort. Lalahe and Lazaro brought the project to us.
The journey
We are currently checking the 13 pre-build criteria, from teaching staff to the written hand-over commitment by the government. The build start for Block B + C is planned with Bücherbörse Stuttgart e.V. as lead sponsor.
The result
Block A is there, as community self-effort. Next up: Block B with more classrooms plus a teachers' office, a teacher's house, toilets, water and food infrastructure.
Ausblick / Status
Meleleki will be the seventh school we co-carry. The lever is clear: the community has already proven the will, we bring the funding.
Meleleki at a glance.
Today: Block A stands, built by the community.
Block A with two classrooms is already there, built by the Meleleki community itself, before we joined. This is self-help in its purest form: 1,000 people have released land, organized materials and rolled up their sleeves. They did not wait for someone.
The preparation phase for Block B is currently underway. We are going through the 13 points that we check before each construction start, land release, teachers for the transition period, written commitment from the government for state takeover. Only when everything is in order does the first stone fall.
What comes next and what it will cost.
The main sponsor is the Bücherbörse Stuttgart e.V., they bear the main share of the next construction phase. Block A is already standing because the Meleleki community built it themselves. We are now planning the additions together.
The figures are estimates from the planning document. Once contracts are in place, we will replace the ranges with actual costs.
| Bauteil | Status | Kosten |
|---|---|---|
| Block A (2 classrooms) | Complete (community self-effort) | - |
| Block B + C (5 classrooms + teachers' office) | In Vorbereitung | ~60.000–65.000 € |
| Teacher's house with solar | In Vorbereitung | ~35.000–45.000 € |
| 2 toilet blocks | In Vorbereitung | ~15.000–20.000 € |
| Water & food (tanks on scaffold) | In Vorbereitung | ~6.000–8.000 € |
| Spielplatz | In Vorbereitung | ~2.500 € |
| Total (Makuyuni share, estimated) | - | ~118.500–140.500 € |
Cost range from the planning document dated 11/05/2025. Block A is a community contribution, no Makuyuni costs.
What's next for Meleleki.
Construction start for Block B is tentatively dated for 2026/2027. Beforehand, we will complete the 13 preliminary points, from the written takeover commitment from the government to the community's maintenance plan.
With Block B, more classrooms and a teacher's lounge are added. Block C follows with three classrooms. In parallel, a teacher's house with solar, toilet houses, water tanks on frames to prevent elephant damage, and a playground are being created.
When everything is in place, Meleleki will be the seventh school we support and the first where the community had already started before us.
You can help finance the next school.
Every euro goes directly into the construction.