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Gatoto School is located in the Industrial Area of Nairobi, and provides high quality, gender balanced education to some of Nairobi's most disadvantaged children. Founded by its local community in 1994, Gatoto was established in a four-roomed building with 5 teachers and 370 students. Gatoto has grown substantially since, and currently caters for the education and health needs of 1,000 local children.
Gatoto has a good academic record, consistently ranked as one of the top community schools in Nairobi, and has an excellent extra-curricular record, with both its choir and sports teams having won numerous national titles. Rhoda Mutia, Gatoto's Social Worker aims to address some of the wider issues faced by the community - co-ordinating weekly health classes, a feeding programme & a counselling service. The school has an equal gender ratio and a 98.6% annual retention rate. Gatoto Community Primary School
School Population: 980
Families below Poverty Line: 56%
Average Pupil Enrolment in area: 30%
Gatoto's Student Retention Rate: 98.6% |
Since its foundation, Gatoto has been maintained by a combination of support from its community and international donors. Gatoto receives no financial support from the Government for staff costs. Despite the Government's commitment to "Free Primary Education" there are currently 9 government supported primary schools in Mukuru, supporting educational needs of an estimated 192,000 children . Current enrolment in Nairobi's slums is estimated at 30%, compared to a national level of over 80% .
 
In 2007, Suas and Gatoto developed a 3-year programme aimed at securing Gatoto's long term future as a Government school and improving the quality of education delivered to all pupils. The main achievements of this plan have been:
- Quality: The training of all untrained teachers and the development of a comprehensive in-service training programme for all teachers
- Infrastructure: The improvement of all the school's buildings from temporary iron-sheeted classrooms to high quality permanent buildings
- Governance & Long Term Finances: Formalising the school board, with appropriate community representation, and registering the school as an NGO in Kenya enabling Gatoto to receive Kenyan Government funding
- Health: Providing health and social support for students, parents and staff impacted by HIV/Aids. Improving nutrition through a feeding programme for all students.
It costs €150 to keep each child in Gatoto, per year. It costs roughly €300 to support each of the 160 pupils who have continued into secondary school. Suas and Gatoto are striving to access Kenyan Government funding, particularly around teacher's salaries, which will significantly reduce the school's annual fundraising target. Suas have contributed approx €200,000 to this development plan.
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