After celebrating ten years of the Foundation in 2019, we thought we would revisit some of the first projects we supported, to see how they were doing.
Fotobi School applied to the Foundation in 2009. At the time, students at the Junior High School were forced to study in unsafe, dilapidated buildings, and a shortage of space meant that some classes had to be taken under trees. The Blue Skies Foundation agreed to support the school, and in 2010 it constructed a new three classroom block, office and storeroom so that the teachers and students could have a safe, clean environment in which to learn.
When we last evaluated the school in 2017, we carried out a ‘Most Significant Change’ report, which applies a methodology to try and understand what had changed most for the community since when the project was provided. On that occasion we found that the new classroom block had helped to improve academic performance and discipline, but it had also significantly boosted the popularity of the school, so that a selection process needed to be introduced in order to control intake.
Fast forward to 2019, and it’s a similar story. Despite the need for a fresh lick of paint, the classrooms are still in good shape and the raised profile of the school, which is now the second best performing in the district, continues to attract students from a wide area. The Head Teacher says “The provision of these classrooms was a life saver and has brought the community closer together”.
All the classrooms are currently in use and there are plans in the coming term to repaint the walls and fix new white boards. After almost ten years, it’s great to see the project is continuing to make a real difference to this community.
