Beklo Manekya Secondary School

Beklo Manekya Secondary School originally consisted of just four classrooms, serving almost 500 students in Grades 9 and 10. The school was severely undersized and operating at full capacity. Around 1,000 young people in the local area were unable to enrol each year. With the next closest secondary school several days’ walk away, most students were unable to continue their education beyond Grade 8.

In 2012, we constructed four additional classrooms, doubling the school’s capacity and allowing an extra 400 students to attend each year.

This expansion has greatly improved access to secondary education in the Beklo Manekya area. Travelling long distances to reach secondary school is a major barrier that young people—particularly girls—face in continuing their education. It exacerbates challenges such as poverty-related constraints, heavy household responsibilities and early marriage pressures for girls. By bringing secondary education closer to home, this project has played a vital role in reducing these barriers and enabling more young people to transition into—and remain in—school.