New and returning volunteers travelled to Nakuru, Kenya, for our 2024 Summer Programme to help our partner schools achieve their aims for 2024.
With our programmes growing and more volunteers to help bring our work to life, we partnered with two new schools, which some of our summer groups visited for the first time. Along with volunteers picking up the baton and continuing the development work at our other partner schools, the progress we have seen has been outstanding.
Read on to hear about our Kenya Summer Programme and everything that has been achieved…
The Walk Centre
This summer, volunteers continued with the renovation of the classroom floors at The Walk Centre. They broke up the old floors and mixed cement, which they laid and levelled to create a new floor.
Classroom renovation didn’t stop there; volunteers helped to replace old corrugated iron in the classrooms, replace the broken glass in the windows and built new desks to go in them!
As an extracurricular activity, The Walk Centre set up its own scout group for students to join, where they can learn valuable skills for life. A group of UK scouts volunteered at The Walk Centre this summer and kindly donate d a full scout uniform to each child.
On the last day of one of the group’s trip, they organised a special meal for the students at The Walk, where they prepared and cooked over 400 chapatis.
“If you’ve ever thought about doing something similar, my advice: just go for it! The children and staff at The Walk Centre have taught me so much about life, mindset, and community. There’s nothing like the sense of genuine care and support everyone has for each other there.” Kelsey, Volunteer.
St Trizah
St. Trizah welcomed four groups over the summer period, and together, they achieved so much.
The construction of a new classroom was completed over the summer with the mesh being added to the windows to secure the glass panes. Volunteers also helped renovate classrooms by scraping off the old damaged paint to prepare it for a new coat. Once repainted, volunteers painted murals on the classroom walls.
Volunteers built new brick pillars to support the expansion of the verandas outside of the classroom. The new verandas will allow St Trizah to collect rainwater and provide shade for the students. This project will continue into our October programme, and we can’t wait to see it fully completed!
Alongside the classroom renovation work, volunteers taught a range of lessons, including an English lesson on the alphabet.
Jubilee Academy
This summer, volunteers have been working on the kitchen construction project, where they supported local builders in digging the foundations and constructing the walls, which they then plastered.
Previously, the cook had to prepare the students’ breakfast and lunch in a small tin structure with limited space.
Alongside the addition of the new permanent classrooms and the new toilet block, the bigger kitchen will allow Jubilee to increase the number of students that can attend their school.
Our volunteers who took on the teaching volunteer role taught various lessons in the new permanent classrooms, which were completed in May. The new classroom block, comprising three classrooms, now allows Jubilee Academy to apply for their pre-registration certificate with The Ministry of Education.
West End Academy
Construction of a two-storey permanent classroom has been taking place at West End, and this summer, volunteers helped tile the floor and added desks to the classroom now occupied by grade three students.
Volunteers also helped paint the second classroom, which is the new grade four classroom.
Volunteers helped to install fencing grills at the main gate and along the front of one of the classrooms, which they then painted.
A group helped to renovate the playground by painting the existing swing set and adding new seats. They also kindly donated a slide, which the students were excited to watch it be installed and then try out.
Mercy Njeri High School
Mercy’s aim for the summer was to improve the learning environment for their students. Volunteers got to work on the project by breaking up the broken floors, mixing cement and then laying it with the help of a builder to create a new floor. Volunteers also helped two paint two classrooms.
Earlier in the year, the African Adventures Foundation received a grant to build Mercy Njeri a new toilet block, which would replace their previous eight inadequate toilets, which posed sanitation issues, increasing school absences and learning time lost due to both teachers and students having to queue for a long time to use them.
The project was completed in time ready for our volunteers to give it a coat of paint to protect it from the elements. The toilet block has provided 600 students with safer and more hygienic sanitation facilities.
Cherish School
A large project that has been taking place at Cherish is constructing a perimeter wall. The wall will secure the classrooms, kitchen and toilet block on site and ensure the students’ safety.
Volunteers picked up the baton from our previous groups, continuing to build the wall. They also fixed a section that was unfortunately destroyed by a storm.
They also helped renovate the classroom block by painting the inside and outside.
Volunteers taught a range of lessons, including English lessons where they got students to use their chalkboards to spell out words.
Eileen Ngochoch Primary School
Flora Nursery and Primary School, one of our new partnerships for 2024, welcomed two groups to their school during the summer.
Volunteers helped Eileen Ngochoch deliver a water harvesting project, impacting over 1,000 students. As part of the project, volunteers built a handwashing station and a concrete base for the new water tank to collect rainwater for kitchen use.
Our second group of volunteers then continued the water harvesting project by digging a trench so piping could be laid for the new water tank.
They also helped to renovate classrooms by relaying the concrete floors and then tiling them.
Ungana Academy
Fantastic progress was made this summer at Ungana Academy with their perimeter wall project. Volunteers helped plaster the completed wall and then painted murals on the outside of it.
They also painted the outside of the grade two classroom, which was part of our permanent classroom project, completed last summer.
Volunteers painted 80 new chairs and 20 new tables for the pre-primary classrooms and installed new shelves in the classrooms.
Prisons Primary School
Prisons Primary School, another of our new partner schools for 2024, welcomed their first groups of volunteers this summer.
Volunteers helped to renovate the staff areas at Prison Primary to create secure and practical office spaces. They fixed the tiles in the headteacher’s and deputy head teacher’s office and the staffroom. The admin block also got a new coat of paint, and the door was fixed.
The renovation work didn’t stop with the offices; volunteers then moved on to painting the inside of classrooms and the outside of the classroom block.
Volunteers got their hands dirty, planting 80 tree seedlings in the school grounds.
Volunteers purchased a volleyball net for the playground and played the first of many volleyball games with the students.
Donations
Over the summer, our volunteers have provided thousands of extra meals to students at our partner schools by throwing farewell celebration meals.
Despite a government education being free at the point of entry in Kenya, it is unaffordable overall for many because students have to pay for their own school books, uniform and desk.
Textbooks, notepads and pens were kindly donated to students at Ungana Academy so they can make notes during their lessons and complete lesson activities.
Volunteers also purchased school uniforms for students and donated sanitary products and clothes, to name just a few things!
Picture from tonyrefail of uniform
Adventure weekends
Away from volunteering, there were plenty of activities to keep our volunteers busy. Some groups opted for our Rift Valley Adventure Day, giving our volunteers a whistle-stop tour of Kenya. The day included a safari, as well as a visit to the Equator and a hike at Thomson Falls. Other groups visited the famous Maasai Mara, where they went on safari to spot the big five and learnt about the Maasai tribe by immersing themselves in Kenyan culture.
Thank you to everyone who was a part of our Summer Programme, helping to make a lasting impact at our partner schools.
If you’re interested in organising a group volunteer experience, click here to create your ideal trip.
