The Home of Simbolei Girls Academy
Kenya’s Rift Valley
Rift Valley Province in Kenya is physically beautiful but economically and educationally disadvantaged.
In 2017, one-third of students finishing primary school were unable to attend high school because not enough schools were available. Existing local schools are generally of low quality. High-quality schools are usually very expensive and located only in major cities.
The Great Rift Valley is part of a huge tectonic rift in the earth's crust that also created the Red Sea and the valley of the Jordan River.
The Kalenjin people hold the steep escarpments of the Rift Valley to be deep in symbolism and spiritual importance. In the 1930s, Kalenjin elders opposed the building of roads from the valley floor to the plateau above.
Lake Bogoria, on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, is actively volcanic, with hot springs of boiling water in which intrepid tourists occasionally boil eggs.
Iten town, near the site of Simbolei Academy. Sitting on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, Iten has become renowned for the many famous runners from the area, including many Olympians and world record holders in the marathon and other long distance races.
Because of its range of landscapes, which varies from deserts to savannas and rainforests, the Great Rift Valley and its steep escarpments are home to a wide variety of plants and animals.
While the bottom of the Great Rift Valley has a dry, desert-like atmosphere, the plateau, where Simbolei Girls' is being built, has a mild climate with temperatures all year round ranging between lows of 40°F to highs of 78°F.
