Cardiff alumni and university partner to construct ‘innovative’ kindergarten in Kenya

Two of Cardiff University’s Student Futures partners – Play Action International (PAI) and CAUKIN Studio – are joining forces to provide access to a safe learning environment for children in Kenya. The collaborative partnership between the two organisations will see them working together to fund, design and construct a new kindergarten in Kisumu, Kenya.

PAI, founded in 2009 as East African Playgrounds, works in disadvantaged communities and focuses on enhancing children’s learning, development, wellbeing and access to education through play. To date, the organisation has built over 400 playgrounds in primary schools, Early Childhood Development centres, refugee settlements and community settings.

PAI is an established partner of Cardiff University’s Student Futures and Global Opportunities team, providing students with summer volunteer opportunities in Uganda.

Through PAI, students have helped transform a school field in Kenya by building a new playground from start to finish. By living within the community and helping to run sessions during the two or four-week project, students witness first-hand the power that play has in uncovering children’s potential.

CAUKIN Studio was founded in 2015 by a group of friends studying architecture together at Cardiff University and inspired by a shared desire to learn, create and continue humanitarian efforts. Whilst at university and working with the Student Futures’ Enterprise and Start-up team, the studio won two student start-up awards. CAUKIN said their goal is to show that an organisation can balance profit with purpose through their collaborations, education and international development.

Through the university, CAUKIN also provides students with summer volunteering opportunities worldwide. Students have the chance to get hands-on experience with construction projects and local life.

CAUKIN established an initial connection with PAI through Cardiff University’s Global Opportunities team whilst studying at university. The studio reached out to PAI late last year to extend their business development and see if there were any future projects to collaborate on.

Around the same time, PAI was looking into funding for the design and construction of a new kindergarten at one of their schools in Kenya. PAI said hours after agreeing to the project with a major supporter, the organisation received the email from CAUKIN looking to discuss working together.

According to PAI, the timing was perfect. PAI had the perfect project to pitch to CAUKIN and the studio aligned with their values and vision.

“They [CAUKIN] were excited and inspired by the challenge we had set ourselves – to completely reimagine what a nursery building could be and to bring play into the very fabric of the structure,” Jack Butterfield, PAI Fundraising and Partnerships Manager said.

According to CAUKIN, the current building was not a safe learning environment because it was constructed from a rotting structure and rusty iron roofing sheets.

CAUKIN described the design of the new kindergarten at Obwolo Primary School as “intended to create a new template for early years of learning in Kenya.” Also, it will look to merge the boundaries between play and learning. PAI added they are looking to keep a low carbon footprint using local materials as well as for the building to cost less than a typical government-built classroom.

The studio said the aim is to replicate the design and setup of this kindergarten across the country as PAI continues to grow. Currently, PAI is looking to raise the remaining funds whilst CAUKIN is moving forward with the design, with plans to be on site in Kenya later this year.

“What excites us about this project is the opportunity to apply our play expertise to transform the concept of a bog-standard classroom into an innovative, effective, safe and fun place of learning that stimulates children across the whole spectrum of their development – just by being in the building,” PAI CEO Murielle Maupoint said. “Working with CAUKIN and the teachers/children at Obwolo school to come up with this new design has been such fun – and we simply can’t wait to see these ideas burst to life.”

“The Global Opportunities team are delighted that two organisations with which we've worked for a number of years are joining forces on this exciting project in Kenya, providing a much-needed, high-quality kindergarten,” Chris Gale, International Summer Programmes Manager said. “We're optimistic that this will be the start of a long-lasting collaboration, which will see many undergraduate students spend time in Kenya, volunteering with the construction of kindergartens, or indeed volunteering in the kindergartens, once completed and operational.”