An association that doesn't bring solutions, but supports them
STORM Project was founded in 2019 by a group of friends, family and former teammates of Mattia, today our founder and project manager. We didn't set ourselves the mission of "bringing education": we chose to support people, schools and communities that already have a clear vision of what's needed. Our role is to offer skills, time and funding, not to decide in their place.
Since then we've grown into a group of 15 volunteers, all working part-time alongside their jobs or studies. Over the years we've sponsored dozens of students at Irene School in Maralal, opened a direct bridge with Kakuma refugee camp, and started ILEPU, our next school in Samburu County. We remain a small organization by choice: we'd rather know every project we support personally.
READ THE DEED OF INCORPORATIONStorm's Milestones
Mattia spends two months at Irene School in Maralal, a boarding school for girls run by Father Peter Musau that takes in girls from poor families and those fleeing early marriage and female genital mutilation in the Samburu, Pokot and Turkana communities. He teaches physics, coaches the basketball team, and listens to Peter's vision: open schools for those who have never had the chance.
A Christmas fundraiser is organized in Rome to support the students of Irene School.
STORM Project, STudy to transfORM, is founded on 15 March 2019 by Mattia together with Britta, Francesca, Flavio, Carlo, Umberto Gentiloni and Enrico Tocci. ONLUS recognition follows in October after months of paperwork. In the meantime, the first collaboration begins: an informal school of Italian and math for refugees in Rome, with Baobab Experience.
A summer basketball camp begins alongside the student sponsorship project.
We visit the Kakuma refugee camp (200,000 people, the second-largest in the world) for the first time. Inside, only 6% of eligible students reach secondary school. We launch a pioneering project: sponsoring the transfer of students to Irene School in Maralal. Four students, Marna, Kachiri, Kapilu and Nyayang', are the first to arrive.
All activities move online, and teaching in Kenya continues through WhatsApp.
An online fundraising campaign supports the sponsorship of new students.
After a year of remote-only teaching over WhatsApp, we finally return to Maralal: we reconnect with students in person, organize a summer camp at Lake Turkana, and develop new projects at Irene School.
Funding from Caritas makes it possible to purchase and install solar panels.
The first group of 5 students from Kakuma Refugee Camp completes the final exams at Irene School.
Nielimishe is founded as a registered foundation in Kenya to begin work on building a school.
Ten hectares of land are purchased through Nielimishe for the construction of the school complex.
A visit to students at university and a discussion of the plans for building the school complex.
Paolo, one of our volunteers, spends time on the ground between Maralal and South Horr.