Kibaoni Primary School was established in 1990 with two temporary mud-and-grass-thatched structures serving as classrooms. Since 2008, when the foundation began supporting improvements, the school has expanded to include [insert number] classrooms, separate latrines for boys, girls, and teachers, a combined library and administrative building, a kitchen, dining hall, water well, handwashing and drinking stations, and a food garden.

Today, the Foundation is focused on improving the students' diet. To achieve this, the foundation funded a substantial fence to keep wildlife out of the garden and is working with the school to incorporate more vegetables into the students' lunches. 

Before 2010, students at Kibaoni Primary School had to walk home for lunch. The journey was long for many, and some did not return for afternoon classes. Students contributed by bringing a stick of firewood each day to help fuel the cooking fires. Initially, meals were prepared using unventilated wood-fired stoves, which created a smoky and unhealthy environment. All that changed in 2018 when the Foundation received funding from Yale University Alumni Safari group, Anne Elbrecht, Jim and Sylvia Furner and many others to construct an on-site kitchen and dining hall. Improvements were made to the kitchen and dining facilities. In 2024, new stoves were installed that safely vent smoke outside, creating a much healthier space for students and staff.  A typical lunch consists of corn and beans; and due to limited resources, students sometimes need to share bowls. With the addition of a garden at the school, the Foundation hopes to improve lunches with fresh vegetables.

In 2019, a group fromTexas University at Austin, visited the Kibaoni Primary School, near the town of Karatu.

During the school tour, a group member asked the school’s director why the children were all wearing their red wool sweaters on such a blistering day. “Ah,” he said. “A lot of visitors ask about these sweaters. “These children walk a long distance to school in the morning, and they must set out before the sun comes up. It can be very cold on that walk.” He also said that as a child in Tanzania, a school uniform is the most valuable thing you own. “You never take it off. You never want to lose your sweater.”

Inspired by their visit, the Texas Alums have raised over $8,000 to help the school repair a fourth-grade classroom and work on a badly needed latrine for the teachers. Participants from the same trip in past years also pitched in. The funds were donated to the Kiboani Primary School Foundation to work on these projects.  

In 2020, a new well was dug at Kibaoni Primary School, and water lines were installed to supply the latrines, dining hall, and other key access points across the campus. This reliable water system ensures that students have safe, consistent access to clean drinking water and greatly improves campus sanitation—something that had never been available to students and staff before.

To support the school’s growing lunch program, taps were installed at several locations to irrigate garden areas, allowing students to cultivate their own vegetables. In 2021, water filters were added to spigots to improve drinking water quality, and in 2024, repairs were made to the well’s solar power system. That same year, a stronger and more secure fence was built to help protect this vital resource.

Since 2010, numerous classroom and infrastructure projects have been undertaken to improve Kibaoni Primary School. In 2010, funds were raised to build a dining hall, followed by a generous $10,000 donation for a new kitchen building. In 2011, a classroom building with two classrooms was constructed. The years 2012 and 2013 saw the remodeling of older classrooms, including patching walls and ceilings, sealing floors, replacing doors and windows, and repainting both interior and exterior walls. Construction of the Library and Administration Building began in 2015, and by 2017, funds were approved to furnish the library, wire it for solar electricity, and install ceiling boards in the library, teachers’ room, and a small classroom. In 2018, major repairs were completed in the dining hall and kitchen, including improved lighting and ventilation, exterior masonry repairs, and the addition of a student sink. That same year, classroom STD IV B was fully renovated, and water lines were extended to latrines and the dining hall. In 2019, the boys’ latrine was fully repaired, and an unusable latrine was demolished, while a new latrine for teachers was planned. A fully renovated classroom was completed in 2020. In 2021, water filters were installed and a revenue-generating garden was developed. In 2023, several classrooms received new floors, fresh paint, electric wiring, metal doors, and blackboards. The dining area also saw significant upgrades, including new outside-vented stoves and interior refinishing. That year also marked the beginning of the Foundation’s participation in Tanzania’s national BOOST program, with approved funding for an incinerator. In 2024–2025, new latrines were built for teachers and boys. Looking ahead, future plans include the construction of a computer lab to further enhance learning opportunities for the students.

In 2011 a new classroom building was built in memory of James Furner, one of the founders of the Foundation.  In 2013-2014 major renovations were completed on existing classrooms.  As with any buildings, time wears on the buildings and maintenance will be on-going.