Esiteti School
Esiteti School is located at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro bordering the north-eastern side of Amboseli National Park and south of Tanzania. Esiteti School follows the normal Kenyan curriculum; however, it has been suggested their curriculum be supplemented with basic lessons on conservation, ecology, and tourism. Although very few schools in Kenya incorporate these areas of education, Esiteti has become a model school providing inspiration for others to follow suit in creating a more viable conservation area in Maasailand.
Help Build a Classroom
Donate to build a classroom and be an integral part of the new Esiteti School scheduled to open October 2010. (See Architectural Plans for the new school.) Four more classrooms are needed to complete the school. Name a classroom on behalf of an individual, company or school by donating $8000 for materials and construction for a classroom.
Cross Cultural PenPal™ Exchange Program
“The earlier children are introduced to the many cultures around the world, the more enriched and tolerant they will become as young adults.”
—Teri Gabrielsen, Founder of ASK
The ASK PenPal program facilitates a Cross-Cultural Exchange between students in the U.S. and the Maasai students of Esiteti School in Kenya, East Africa.
- The ASK PenPal Program is for Elementary through Middle School students. Students at Esiteti Primary School are from ages 4 to 15.
- Teachers and Schools have an opportunity to encourage their students to be engaged with an indigenous tribe of people such as the Maasai through literacy, communication skills, and creativity, while fostering global and cultural awareness, and compassion for other children across the world.
- Twice a year in October and March, someone from ASK will hand-carry your projects to Esiteti School. Then, the students of Esiteti School will reciprocate.
- Correspondence needs to be compact and lay flat in a suitcase since everything will be hand-carried into Kenya. Be sure name, age, and school is labeled on each item, and if possible, include individual or class pictures. PenPal materials need to be mailed to ASK no later than Oct. 1 or Mar.1 each year.
PenPal Suggestions:
- Written Work – Questions are always a great way to stimulate a cross-cultural exchange. Ask each other about their culture, food, chores, playtime, and sports. Write a story, or illustrate your own book. Share poetry, ideas, dreams, and aspirations.
- Art – individual drawings, paintings, or a collaborative mural (Tracy Larson at El Montecito School had her preschool students create a “Matisse” inspired cut-out art project, and along with the artwork, they supplied Esiteti School with colored construction paper, scissors and glue sticks. The Maasai students had never used scissors or glue sticks before and loved doing a similar cut-out project in return to Tracy’s preschool class!)
- Media – Photographs (individual or group) or video with cultural music, games, dances and songs. Content can be delivered electronically via a link or an attachment under 10MB, or you can mail a DVD).
Please contact Tracy Larson at if you have any questions.
2010/11 Service Trips to Kenya
People representing ASK travel at least twice a year to work with the students of Esiteti School and its community members. If there is interest in joining us, please email us at
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Join us on a two-week visit to Amboseli National Park and the surrounding Maasailand. Guests have the opportunity to participate in lesson plans with the students, go on safari in the National Park and stay in a lovely beach house on the Kenyan coast. Accommodations in Amboseli are at Tortilis Camp, which was voted one of the top Kenyan hotels in Travel & Leisure magazine. Total cost is approximately $3000, which is inclusive of all accommodations, food and transportation while in Kenya, excluding roundtrip fare to and from the States.
Esiteti School Teachers
From left to right: Benard Musaine Parmari, Josephine
Kisioki,
Peter Smasaa,
John Samanya Memusi, Luka Niibbaba
