The Korando
Educational Centre
A school. A home. A place to grow.
Located ~20 km outside Kisumu in western Kenya, Korando is both a school and a boarding home. Founded in 1996, it has grown from a handful of children learning in mud structures into a thriving educational community supporting over 300 children from Early Childhood Development through to Grade 10.
Built from the ground up — by the community
Korando was founded in 1996 by Mama Dolfine, a local woman who believed that children in this community deserved a place to learn. She started with just five children and a vision. Over the years, that vision grew — but the buildings did not keep pace.
When our founder Torsten Kremser arrived in 2012, he found mud structures: basic, fragile, and in desperate need of support. He decided to stay and get involved. Together with Mama Dolfine and the local community, mud walls became classrooms. Temporary shelters became dormitories. And in 2015, Better Me e.V. was formally established to provide long-term, structural support to Korando.
From mud to milestone
Every improvement at Korando has been made possible by donors, volunteers, and the community working together.
Every child's needs, under one roof
Korando is not just a school. It's a complete environment — where children learn, eat, sleep, and grow up in safety.
Fully equipped classrooms from Early Childhood Development through Grade 10, supporting every stage of a child's education.
Safe, clean boarding facilities housing 112 orphaned and vulnerable children who call Korando home.
Fully renovated in December 2024 — a proper kitchen and dining space the whole community is proud of.
A double-storey school building opened in 2020 gives children dedicated classrooms and space to learn every day.
Our sustainable yellow volunteer accommodation on the grounds — solar-heated water, natural ventilation, and a grey-water food forest.
Outdoor sports are a regular part of life at Korando — and beyond the usual activities, we also run swimming classes for the children.
From smoke-black walls to a kitchen worth celebrating
The old kitchen was black with smoke. The walls, the ceiling, the floor — all of it. The air was thick. The floor was broken. It was a space that was hard to even stand in, let alone cook in every day. In December 2024, thanks to your donations, we changed that completely. New tiles. Proper lighting. Clean walls. A kitchen and dining hall the children and team are proud of.
Smoke-stained walls, broken floors, inadequate ventilation — the conditions the team cooked in every day for years.
Tiled floors, clean walls, proper lighting, and a dining hall the whole community uses with pride every day.
More than school — a full programme
Every child at Korando benefits from a structured set of programmes that go well beyond the classroom.
Education
Free schooling from ECD through Grade 10 for all enrolled children, sponsored or not.
Daily Meals
Three nutritious meals a day for all boarding children — fuelling focus, growth, and attendance.
Life Skills & Mentoring
The YUMP programme builds confidence, decision-making, and resilience for life beyond Korando.
Sports & Activities
Football, athletics, swimming and community sport teaching teamwork, discipline, and joy.
What Korando makes possible
"It felt like stepping into sunlight after a long stretch of dark. Korando and Better Me carried me through my hardest days, giving me the confidence to find my own path and shape my future."