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KENYA VOLUNTEERING TRIP
For 11 days at the end of July 2014, nine of us (including two
veterans from last year’s trip) and Hayley Johns travelled
to Kenya along with a group from Morecambe Community
High School to help on the Mount Kenya Reforestation
Project. Before we left, a large scale fundraising campaign
was undertaken, which included running Lower School
discos, collecting textiles and hours of backpacking.
On the 20th of July we assembled at Manchester Airport
with a long journey awaiting us, arriving in Nairobi in the
small hours to be greeted by Priscilla (our trip organiser)
and Kristine and Robert as well as Hayley who had arrived
via a different plane. A long drive on a coach followed, and
as gave many of us our first view of Kenya, so it’s one we
may never forget – driving through parts of the sleeping
capital Nairobi, through security points and then witnessing
hundreds of young school children making their journeys to
school by foot at first light – an immediate reminder of the
reality in certain corners of the planet.
Batian’s View, a hostel located in the Naro Moru area at an
altitude of seven thousand feet would be our home for the
next ten days or so. Batian’s had a large garden, a tabletennis
table, a meal area where we had a filling breakfast
and dinner every day, and visiting lemurs!
The strong sense of community was something that really
struck the group. The local people would all invest time
in helping each other, especially at the project which not
only focussed at looking after the environment but also
the elderly and young in the community. Their unfaltering
positive outlook in life, friendliness and resourcefulness
altered all of our outlooks on life. The children especially
made an impact on all of us, their warmth and humility
was both incredibly moving and humbling, and they would
always greet us when our paths crossed!
Our work at the project consisted of various undertakings
and was a two mile walk from where were saying. We split
into three groups, each of us participating in digging up
the floor of a church, making mud bricks and helping to
construct a classroom on different days for the first three
days before all attention turned to the classroom towards
the end. A hot lunch was served every day at the project
from where we could also buy gifts such as jewellery and
wooden animals. We worked from nine until three, under
the leadership of John and Sammy, with help from other
locals including James.
However, project work was not our only occupation. We
visited two primary schools and secondary schools over
the course of the trip. At the primary schools we had the
privilege of being sung to by the welcoming children (an
incredible experience in itself) and we were invited to sing
back with the aid of Phil’s (the trip leader from Morecambe)
guitar playing! We also donated and distributed football kits,
clothes, stationery, books and hundreds of MCHS jumpers
to the schools and pupils. Football matches were played
during two of the school visits which sadly both ended in
defeat for the visiting team – 3-0 against a team of locals
and 5-2 against a team from the high school.
One of the most profound parts of the trip was out visit
to a home for disabled children who were suffering from a
range of physical impairments. However, the optimism and
enjoyment of life displayed by the children despite their
situations was incredible and affected us all immensely. The
work carried out by the Italian Sister and her colleagues
in creating a positive environment and guaranteeing
physiotherapy and surgery in Italy for the children is
commendable. We also visited a Safari Park in which we
were excited to see wild elephants, impalas, a lioness,
buffalo, rhino, giraffes and many other animals! There was
also a trek to the Mao Mao caves which allowed us to view
Kenya’s beautiful countryside.
On the night before our departure, the community put
on a barbecue for us – with the sheep butchered on site –
and a visit from the local chief which ended in singing and
dancing with the community generously giving each of us
a gift.
Visiting Kenya was a truly unforgettable and amazing
experience and we owe huge thanks to those who made it
possible – Hayley, Gill, Drew and Phil who accompanied us
on the trip, Priscilla, Kristine, Robert, John, Sammy, James
and all the other locals who made the experience, and Mr
Reynolds who, although he unfortunately couldn’t come
with us, was vital in its organisation.
Max Mortimer (L6MED) and Olly Richmond (L6DJN)
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