New School Rises in Mathare: French Embassy Celebrates Groundbreaking Education Initiative.

H.E Ambassador Arnaud Suquet, the French Ambassador to Kenya.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 3, 2025.

In the heart of Mathare, one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements, hope is being cemented into foundations. The French Embassy last night celebrated the transformative partnership behind Roots Institute Centre's new permanent school building at a cocktail reception at the Residence of France.

On Thursday evening, July 3, diplomats, partners, and community leaders gathered at the French Ambassador's residence (Peponi Gardens, Peponi Road) to mark a milestone for Mathare's vulnerable youth. The event spotlighted the groundbreaking construction of Roots Institute's permanent facility, a grassroots initiative providing free education to over 450 children daily in one of Nairobi's most underserved communities.

"This project embodies our shared commitment to dignity, opportunity, and lasting impact," said a H.E Ambassador Arnaud Suquet, the French Ambassador to Kenya, at the reception, which highlighted the Kenyan-French partnership driving the initiative. Attendees learned about the Centre's decade-long journey operating in makeshift iron-sheet classrooms that lack ventilation, electricity, and reliable water access.

Henk Jan Bakker, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya

For years, Roots Institute has been a lifeline for children from Mathare's overcrowded shelters, under 10m² with no sanitation. "Without Roots, these children wouldn't attend school," explained the Centre's director. The new multi-storey concrete building will replace temporary structures and feature, well-equipped classrooms for 600 students, adequate sanitation and ventilation, secure recreational areas and reliable electricity and water systems

The Centre's comprehensive programs include: free early childhood-primary education for 450 children, secondary scholarships for 105 students, life skills training (health, rights, hygiene) and extracurricular activities (dance, art, acrobatics)

"Yesterday wasn't just about a building," emphasized a Roots representative. "It celebrated investing in dignity and breaking poverty cycles for generations." The project has united French and Kenyan partners under a shared vision of education as the foundation for equitable development.

With construction now underway, the new Roots Institute Centre promises a future where Mathare's children learn without compromising safety, comfort, or dignity, turning yesterday's celebration into tomorrow's transformed lives.

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