Engineering Students Partner with Kenyan Village to Renovate Schools

In August 2024, eight Taylor Engineering students, coordinated by Dr. Danielle Nobles-Lookingbill, Department Chair for Physics and Engineering, Chip Bii, director of Taylor World Outreach, and Roy Lookingbill, Engineering Project Support Specialist, went to the village of Chepwostuiyet, Kenya, to promote the study of engineering, help repair and rebuild their primary  school, and empower the local community to be pioneers for positive change.

Engineering students will return to Kenya for the next five years to continue these projects that will impact generations.

Redeeming Classrooms

Not only are some of the buildings in the Chepwostuiyet Primary School structurally unsafe, but they also flood on a regular basis.

In partnership with a small team of engineers from Bomet County, Kenya, and Chepwostuiyet leaders, the Taylor team began by conducting a ground survey to determine how water could be diverted away from the buildings. Eventually, they hope to design and implement a water treatment facility that will provide clean water for both the primary and secondary schools and provide sanitary waste removal.

During this trip, the team also focused on repairing the floors in two classrooms that were furthest from the significant water issues. Originally, a thin concrete layer had been placed directly over the dirt, but as the dirt moved, the concrete cracked away.

As they began to mix concrete for the new floors, the concrete mixer broke.

“Mixing concrete by hand takes hours of intense labor,” said Danielle. “The rocks we used for the first batch were too large for smooth concrete, and when we told our friends in the village that we needed smaller rocks, they worked day and night to bring smaller rocks from across the village for us to use.”

Sophomore Kaleb Int Veld, a Mechanical Engineering student, highlighted two answers to prayer. After they made the first sheet of lumpy concrete, Roy got sick. Int Veld prayed that they would find the tools they needed, that the second sheet of concrete would be smooth, and that Roy would be healed. 

The next day, Roy was healthy again. The team found a welder near the village who made two tools to smooth the concrete, and their second pour turned out beautifully.

They worked closely with their Kenyan partners, even the schoolchildren, learning from and teaching them the skills along the way.

“The most rewarding part about it is teaching the kids a trade. We heard kids say that they feel like they know how to build a house now,” Roy said. “And that's something they can teach their kids, and they can make money in Kenya. And when we go and do the rest of it, they're going to learn that, too.”

In the future, Danielle said they hope to have kids submit Bible verses to put in the school as a reminder of God’s love for them, His plan and purpose for them, and the beauty inside of them.

Building with the Community

“Every day we were out there, the community was there, the school leaders were there,” Danielle said. “Kids that go to the school were there, wheeling wheelbarrows – little kids stronger than me. It was an amazing experience to work alongside so many great people. The fact that we're going to continue to go back for five years is very exciting because we can make friends and build those relationships.”

Through this service work, the Taylor team and Chepwostuiyet community have built relationships that connect continents and will withstand the test of time.

Erick Terer, Chepwostuiyet Chairman of the Parent Teacher Association, shared: "We thank God for the time we shared together during your visit. The Church, Community, and more so the pupils are grateful for the work you did in our school. God bless you so much."

Together, they built a new floor on which they could build a new future. 

Eventually, the Engineering Department wants to build a lab facility to support learning the hard sciences. They hope to have a space where children can learn about engineering and realistically see themselves becoming engineers.

Future Plans: Septic System

Over the next five years, the Engineering Department hopes to solve several other problems, including the non-existent wastewater treatment system.

The school outhouses are holes in the ground with a rickety structure over it. The holes have no lining, so the waste and dirt mix together, making an unstable foundation. The ground is sinking, and cracks are forming along the side of the structure.

The girls’ facility is in particularly poor condition and could collapse while in use. Girls could fall into the waste, suffering significant harm. The Engineering Department hopes to build new restroom facilities with flushable toilets and wastewater treatment, providing a way to keep the outhouses clean and prevent infections and diseases, especially in more susceptible young girls.

Breaking Barriers: Promoting Girls' Health and Education

Another significant barrier to girls receiving a good education is the lack of affordable feminine hygiene products. Many girls are forced to stay home during menstruation, missing days of instruction at a time.

“When Chip and I talked about promoting engineering in these communities, my first thought was any young girl who's missing one week of math every month is going to fall behind and can’t reasonably catch up to become an engineer,” Danielle said.

It’s a complex, multi-layered problem, but the team took some steps forward, partnering with the women in the community to educate young girls on caring for their bodies and providing supplies. 

“When the team first arrived in the community, no school-aged girl raised her hand when asked who wanted to become an engineer. Just a week later, more than 20 girls raised their hand. God is moving,” Danielle added.

The Impact: A Sense of Ownership

The Engineering Department wants to build a lab facility where children can learn about engineering and realistically see themselves becoming engineers. Engineering students will return to Kenya for the next five years to continue these projects that will impact generations.

The Engineering Department could have flown in with all the equipment and technology to take care of these projects in six months, instead of five years. However, Chip and  Danielle wanted to involve the people in the community to give them a sense of ownership.

“Their involvement in pushing the wheelbarrows – that's their skin in the game,” Bii said. “But also, they are giving ideas and the team, who will do the technical pieces of drawing and design, is listening. We're raising the money to build it, but we're building with the community. We want to allow time to empower the people so they can truly own it.”

At the end of each day, all those working at the school sang praises to God together in Swahili, reminding each one about our God who provides all fellowship and provision.

On the last day, Principal Kipkemoi Siele shared, "I, on behalf of Chepwostuiyet comprehensive school, staff, parent, pupils and the engineers from Kenya appreciate you and your team on the greatest efforts and sincerity in renovating classrooms, mapping and locating the school compound. I am aware of the hand work and dedication you have put in this work and yearn to see a child-friendly environment in the future. We are pleased to have you in our community."

Study Engineering at Taylor

Taylor’s Engineering program will give you the skills to solve real-world problems, design and build cutting-edge technology, and make a positive impact for God’s Kingdom in the world. Get started now by scheduling a campus visit. You’ll get to see our labs, meet faculty and students, and find out if Taylor’s Engineering program is right for you.