Investing in a Better Future 

Since 2022, Periamma has been working on improving the seven schools we support in Baringo County, Kenya in a number of areas such as sustainability, agriculture, sports, and education. First, over the course of 2022, we raised DKK 182,000 to build 14 rainwater tanks – two at each school. This will make it easier for the schools to gather, conserve, and use rainwater as needed. We have also established a kitchen garden and 10 mango trees at all seven schools. This will help the students learn about nutrition, health, and the environment, but also help the neighbourhood to produce more edible fruits and vegetables. 

We are still gathering money to construct football fields and libraries. We already have football fields at two of the schools and libraries at five of them. However, our goal is to have one of each at every school.

Water Well at Oterit Secondary School

We collected DKK 150,000 from private and corporate sponsors to build a water well at one of our sponsored schools in Baringo Country, Rift Valley, Kenya. The water well at Oterit Secondary School gives up to 15,000 people access to clean drinking water. Clean water access mitigates the risk of illnesses among our school children and members of the community, who would otherwise consume water from polluted sources. It also supports farmers and the well-being of animals when there are longer periods of dry season with no rain coming.

Sexuality and Health Rights Project in Kenya

A project in Kenya was delivered on sexuality and reproductive health rights, in partnership with 100% For The Children and supported by CISU. The project reached 4080 students and 68 teachers at 17 schools in Mlolongo (Machakos County) and 17 schools in Baringo County. Periamma and partners managed through education and training to empower young people to have increased control over their own lives, bodies, and the community factors which impact upon it. These young people now have the knowledge and skills to intervene and shape their surroundings by speaking up and advocating for their own rights through civil society engagement.

Participation in Peaceful Elections

Periamma was responsible for a civic and voter education project in Kenya funded by the Danish Government through CISU (Civilsamfund i Udvikling). The election project focused on the importance of getting the young and marginalized to participate in democratic processes and to agitate for peace.

Periamma is working with the Kenyan organisations Help Mission Development Services (HMDS), IEBC Nakuru, Centre for Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance (CEDGG), Jawabu, Maisha Initiative, and Nakuru County Women Empowerment Forum.

Ggaba as part of Periamma

Support Disabled Children’s Fund in Uganda was founded by Danish Sidsel Bjerrum in 2015 and provides aid and shelter to 50 handicapped children and their families. Periamma invited Ggaba to become part of Periamma by promoting their project and securing all donations can be tax-exempted as we are a registered charity in Denmark.

Technology centre in India

Together with Microsoft, we established a new technology centre at the Seva Mandir school. This happened with the help of donations from Juniper Networks and Microsoft in the shape of buildings, expertise, computers, and solid access to internet. 10 local educators participated in courses so they could teach the children how to use IT. 30 employees from Microsoft in India and Denmark put in a lot of work at the school to make this happen, and it has made a huge impact.
This project is upgraded when needed so that each year new graduates from Seva Mandir are among the very few in this geographical area to leave school and enter the job market with a diploma in technology skills and up-to-date computer skills.

Periamma was founded

Ole Hoyer visited Seva Mandir in 2011 for the first time, and he was received with such warmth from Prabha (the headmaster of the school). Seva Mandir was founded by Anne Marie Petersen in 1921. Today, it’s a government school where the teachers’ salaries are paid by India. However, the buildings were in bad shape and the materials were lacking thus, the opportunity to develop projects became a major focus and source of motivation. Periamma was therefore founded as a Danish Charity in 2011 – out of the commitment to helping those who are forsaken by our wider societies and thereby continuing in the steps of Anne Marie Petersen. The idea for the name Periamma came from Anne Marie Petersen. It was her nickname when she lived in India which means great mother or big sister in Tamil.