Our story
A brief history of how we enable quality education
ATKYE was founded in 1997 in Lugano. It initially focused on providing assistance to the Karatina orphanage, located 130 km north of Nairobi.
Since 2000, ATKYE has also been supporting the education of poor girls in various schools on the coast, in Kilifi County.
On 19 February 2007 ATKYE inaugurated its boarding school 'Bambakofi Academy', with 4 classes of 25 primary school students, in Gede-Mijomboni.
In 2009, the school building was completed with the construction of the second block of classrooms and the second dormitory.
At the beginning of 2011 the school reached full capacity and welcomed 200 pupils, divided into eight classes of the 'Primary School' cycle.
In 2012, "ATKYE Italia Onlus" (now "ATKYE Italia ETS") was founded by Italian friends who had previously collaborated with and supported ATKYE. Since 2024, it has been registered with the RUNTS (Italian Register of the Third Sector).
In 2013 ATKYE purchased a plot of land of approximately 25,000 m2 to have a farm (Shamba) with its own crops and livestock.
In 2016, a nursery was built that welcomes little guests during the day for a small fee.
In 2018, a new block of 3 classrooms was built for fee-paying classes at the request of the families of children leaving nursery school.
In 2019, the small house that houses the permanent agricultural workers was built, with a tool shed and a closed kitchen with a canopy.
In 2020, the “POST BAMBAKOFI” project was launched to provide university support to some deserving young people without government scholarships.
In 2022, the fee-paying school established an autonomous administrative structure, providing ATKYE with the funds needed to cover the shared services it uses. Also in 2022, a new three-classroom block was built for fee-paying grades 4, 5, and 6, with construction costs covered entirely by tuition revenue.
Since January 2023, the Bambakofi school has been authorised to host lower secondary classes for students aged 13 to 15. The corresponding classroom block, including a laboratory, will be built between 2023 and 2025.
Construction of the school's perimeter wall will begin in 2024, with the aim of increasing the level of safety for students, staff, and volunteers. Construction of the wall will continue in phases in 2025, 2026, and 2027.
In 2025, a plot of land measuring approximately 4,500 square meters adjacent to the existing one was purchased to expand the cafeteria, dormitories, and outdoor activity spaces. Also in 2025, a well was dug and a pump installed near the agricultural field to ensure sufficient water supply for crops.