In the October Exeat, 15 Oundle School pupils ventured back to Kenya on a trip which focussed on the development of ecology and education.
The group spent 4 days around Gilgil, working with Oundle’s partners at Ngecho Secondary School, Kimbo Primary School, Saidia House orphanage and the Township Special School and hostel.
Many new plans were formed, including the tentative creation of a rugby based life skills education partnership with Nakuru Rugby club. In addition, the trip saw the culmination of one pre-existing project – the Granny Club – a self-help support group at Saidia House, where grandmothers look after their own and non-related orphan children.
A number of deserving pupils at Kimbo School were also given a solar power light to allow them to work into the evenings.
The second part of the venture took place at Ol Pejeta Conservancy near Nanyuki, where the pupils were hugely fortunate to go behind the scenes at the Jane Goodall Chimp Sanctuary, and the Northern White Rhino breeding programme – walking through the bush with the anti-poaching rhino patrols and taking part in animal counts as part of the Ecological Monitoring team.
Trip organiser, Ian Clark commented, “The two parts of the trip showed up various issues with the development of nations such as Kenya, and hopefully raised a number of questions in the pupils’ minds. This may be the last of this sort of trips we make to Kenya, with future trips targeted on one or more evolving goals. Either way, as ever, we came away with more in terms of contemplation than we left behind in terms of aid.”