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Updates on Kipriory 2 August, 2010 School's out in both Kenya and England for the next few weeks, for winter and summer time, respectively, although there's not a lot of difference between the two! During this hiatus from the school timetable, the Kipriory Project has linked up with the AV Foundation (www.avfoundation.org), an educational charity and part of the volunteering organisation Africa & Asia Venture which works with schools and former volunteers on projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America. AV, whom I have known since I volunteered with them in Kenya six years ago, is lending its support and expertise to Kipriory as the project fundraises for Kipriria's new library. This will give students a place to study and access to a wider range of books and learning materials. We hope also to involve the community in Nandi Hills and recruit volunteers to help look after the library. The total cost of purchasing these books and furniture such as tables and chairs, is £5,000. Anyone wishing to find out more about this or who would like to donate, can do so here: http://www.justgiving.com/kiprioryproject In other changes and updates... the day-to-day co-ordination of the project in The Priory will now fall to Rob Probin, who has worked on it with me for two years and accompanied the trip to Kenya where he found himself a 'mzee' (old man!) and came across a fellow Liverpool supporter among thousands of Manchester United fans! The Sixth Form remains central to the project. Kipriory has had the full support of the Sixth Form Director, Andy Edwards, who allowed me the use of his office, moved some things around on the calendar to accommodate the trip, served as a back-up, and had the good grace to not mind being left behind! We brought him back a copy of Kenya's proposed constitution for his politics lessons. Over in Kenya, Jared Nyakundi, Kipriria's headteacher, will be in-charge of the link in his school. Meanwhile, George and I are both now officially outside advisors and in-betweeners. It is important for the project's survival that other people now run it. I am branching out and setting up a social enterprise called Elimu UK Kenya (Education for the UK and Kenya) to facilitate links between different schools and bring more students and teachers out to Kenya and hopefully, Kenyan teachers to the UK. The Priory and Kipriria hope to meet again in Kenya in 2011. So changes and developments and a bit of re-configuration, all of it a sign that this project, though still young, is growing and thriving - and has evolved into something more. With heartfelt thanks and a very well done to everyone involved and who made it all happen, Joanne Dwyer, UK-Coordinator 2008 - 2010 _______________________________________________________________________________________ Out of Africa 13 July, 2010 Well, our team is back from Kenya and we are recovering from an amazing, eye-opening, exhausting and very moving trip. We had a few moments of GMT thrown in, just for us, but mostly it was African time at all times, 'pole, pole' (slowly, slowly), and we wouldn't have had it any other way. Please visit the following link to read an email we sent to The Priory while we were away: http://www.priory.bromley.sch.uk/newspage.asp?nid=182&news=Hello from Kenya&NewsID=182 We've also had some press coverage through the British Council School Press Office: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Getting-Involved/For-schools/global-school-partnerships/Press-and-media/Press-and-media-for-journalists/Press-releases/Press-releases/Orpington-students-forge-links-in-Kenya/ http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/bromley/8281907.ORPINGTON__Students_visit_partner_school_in_Kenya/ Kipriria's students and The Priory's made us so incredibly proud. At the top of this page, are some photographs and below are extracts from some of the comments our sixth formers wrote on the plane home, in an effort to share with others the impact of their experiences in Africa: 'Before I arrived in Kenya, I knew nothing about Africa. In fact, at one point, I wasn't going to go because it seemed so much money. Within a day and a half all the money in the world would have been worth what we saw and we hadn't even arrived at the school yet. This trip hasn't just educated me about Kenya but has also underlined the massive problem we have in the UK. This trip was second to none and offers our school so much. I strongly recommend future trips as for me it has changed the way I must see life.' Billy Liggins 'This trip highlighted both the incredible work ethic and passion for learning that the children of Africa possess, but also the dire lack of appreciation that students in the UK have for their extremely advantageous circumstances. If we are to bring anything back with us this week it most certainly has to be this outstanding commitment to education, aspiration for the future and an unbelievable gratefulness for everything we have here.' George Green 'When looking back on my time in Africa, I am filled with so many emotions. The obvious one is pride not only towards myself for being able to teach the children without assistance, but also for the Kenyan people and children. They were always smiling and welcoming even when they were living in appalling conditions. This trip has made me realise that I want to help educate these people to improve the situation they are in.' Catherine Camp 'This trip is so important because of the children of Kipriria Academy. They called us teachers but they taught us more than we could ever hope to teach them. Sitting on the plane heading home, I am still unable to convey the impact these children have had on my outlook on education and life itself.' Mairtin Dwyer 'An awesome experience, unforgettable. The warmth and love that was shared was incredible and could never be beaten. We met so many different people who all welcomed us with so much love that can only be found in Kenya. I had built a special bond with so many students and teachers who appreciated every little thing someone did for them.' Amy Khan 'This trip was mindblowing. I can't put into words how great it was. The way the children welcomed us into the school was amazing. No welcome in England could ever compare to the way they opened their arms to us. They treated us like Royalty and I couldn't understand why! The headteacher and a student said to everyone that they were proud of us, but we hadn't done anything! They welcomed us immensely and we were immediately part of the community. The children had such enthusiasm in the classroom, they were a joy to teach. We were known as the teachers but the children and staff at Kipriria taught me more than I could ever have taught them. The children had such passion and energy to learn, so very different from back here in England. This experience has changed my perspective on life, it's opened my eyes to a world that is less fortunate than me and here in England. Saying goodbye was tough. I made so many bonds with the children that I didn't want to leave them knowing that I would be going back to a place more fortunate than theirs. If the children taught me anything, it was to appreciate what I have.' Ann-Marie Bradley __________________________________________________________________________________________ Our itinerary! Day 1 Travel to Kenya Leave The Priory School - Depart London Heathrow - Arrive Nairobi airport, to be met by George Tarus, Kenya Coordinator for Kipriory - Drive to Langata suburb to stay at Nairobi Campsite Services Day 2 Nairobi-Naivasha MORNING - Depart early for Naivasha, approx. 1.5 hrs drive - Stop at View Point to see and photograph the Great Rift Valley below AFTERNOON - Camp Carnelley’s, Naivasha, the highest of the Rift Valley lakes - Orientation: Jo and George to give tutorial on Kenyan history, culture, and education - Crescent Island Wildlife Sanctuary for a guided walk among zebra, antelope, giraffe, and several species of bird DINNER - Camp Carnelley's Day 3 Naivasha-Nakuru-Nandi Hills MORNING - Depart early for Nakuru, approx. 1 hr drive - Lake Nakuru National Park, home to millions of Kenya’s pink flamingos - Depart for Nandi Hills, approx. 5 hr drive; pass through town of Eldoret AFTERNOON - Arrive Tea Planters Inn, Nandi Hills - Introductions and tour of town DINNER - Tea Planters Inn Day 4 Nandi Hills MORNING - Kipriria Academy from 8AM LUNCH - Kipriria Academy – lunch will consist usually of rice, beans and vegetables and can be eaten either with the children, or in Jo’s old house in the school grounds which we have been offered the use of AFTERNOON - Kipriria Academy until 4PM - After school activities/time to spend in town DINNER - Tea Planters Inn Days 5, 6, 7, 8 Nandi Hills MORNING - Kipriria Academy from 8AM AFTERNOON Alternatively: town and tea estates; Chemoni gardens and flower factories; tea factory courtesy of Chairman of Tea Planters Inn and Kenya Tea Board; visit to Greenfield School, Kipriria’s sister school DINNER Alternatively: Tea Planters Inn; Nandi Bears Golf Club; home of ex-headteacher Sally Sang; George’s mum’s house; home of Mr. Yego, school’s director, for a farewell party Day 9 Nandi Hills-Kisumu-Nairobi MORNING - Depart early for port town of Kisumu to visit craft markets and Lake Victoria AFTERNOON - Arrive back at Nairobi Campsite Services DINNER - Famous Carnivore restaurant in Karen/Langata area Day 10 Depart Kenya Leave Nairobi Campsite Services - Depart Nairobi airport - Arrive London Heathrow - End of trip _______________________________________________________________ African time coming up 14 June, 2010 So Kenya is not far away now. I've been explaining to the sixth formers that once our plane takes off from Heathrow in a couple of weeks, we’ll be leaving GMT behind for a bit and entering a zone where time seems to slow down and expand, even though technically Kenya is two hours ahead. One of life's welcome ironies. We've had some distinctly African moments lately. Titus, the Chairman of Tea Planters Inn, where we will be staying, does not seem unduly concerned about when we pay, or whom. He just knows we will. ‘I’m happy for you to pay the school [Kipriria], or George, and he can give it to me,’ he says. Or, the last option: ‘You could pay direct to Tea Planters.’ Word is spreading in Nandi Hills. A student named Mark who was at Kipriria when I was there and who endured my PE classes (in the end, I had to draft in a friend), contacted me because he had heard about our pending visit. He went on to secondary school and is proud that he will be going to university in September, although I wanted to say: But you’re still 11! And, of course, he isn’t, and time does move on. Mark has been volunteering his time in a local primary school and is looking forward to meeting our group. He would like to involve some of Kipriria's ex-students in our project. ‘You don’t have that covered,’ he says, and we don’t at all. But maybe that’s about to change. In keeping with the community spirit of things, George's brother, Albert, went to photograph Kipriria's brand new school bus for us. Mr. Yego has offered it to our group for the duration of our stay (plus driver). Of course, this has meant running through a finely tuned checklist - break down cover and insurance, check; spare tyres, check; seatbelts, check, etc - which Albert documented with his camera and emailed to me. 'Mr Yego. said, don't worry about the mud on the tyres,' said George. 'It's raining in Nandi Hills.' And: 'If the pictures of the seatbelts aren't clear enough, we'll send Albert back to take a few close-ups.' We are all learning something here. Back at The Priory, and still on the subject of school buses, an appeal went out last week for volunteers to drive us to the airport at what will be a very early hour on a Friday morning. Someone offered even though it's their day off, someone else who lives far away, and others tried to but they aren't licensed to drive the minibuses. So we have Tim and Alison helping us. There is hopefully a special uniform day coming up whereby students will be asked to donate £1 to wear something additional to their uniform, to raise funds for Kipriria’s new library which the project is supporting. The question is: what should this be? So we’re going to open it up to all the parents and see if they have any suggestions. Meanwhile, the sixth formers are working well as a team. They hosted a stall at last Saturday's Community Fun Day to practice the art of teaching speed stacking to younger children. They have been working with the School Sports Coordinator for The Priory, Chris, who's been training them in how to use speed stacking equipment and is kindly donating it to Kipriria. Their overriding concern, though, and the one question they keep asking, is: ‘Will we be able to watch the World Cup final on the plane?’ It turns out we’ll be airborne on the day of a crucial worldwide event. But we’re flying with Kenya Airways and Kenya’s mad about football, so there’s hope! We’ll find out soon enough. Joanne Dwyer, UK Coordinator _____________________________________________________________________ A pre-July visit to Kenya 25 May, 2010 I am sitting in the headteacher's office at Kipriria, miming a conversation. The late afternoon rain is thundering gloriously down on the corrogated iron roof and it is really no good trying to talk above it. I am in Kenya working with a charity in the Maasai Mara, many miles away from here, but have come up to Nandi Hills to say a quick hello and perform a once-over ahead of the sixth form trip in July. This has included lots of pictures of the newly tarmaced roads and a survey of the Tea Planters Inn, where I am apparently the only guest and where our party of 18 will be staying. This has involved me traispsing round to all the rooms, with Caroline, a Tea Planters employee, and George and the headteacher himself in tow, to check everything is okay and so that I can work out the room allocation. We are trying not to ruin the shiny floors with our muddy shoes. Caroline looks at me, expectantly; I nod: 'Yep,', ticking off room 3, then rooms 4 and 5, 6 and 7 and all the rest. It is lovely here. After this, Mr. Nyakundi and Sally, Kipriria's headteacher from last year, in other words, Mr. Nyakundi's predecessor, sit down with me in the parlour (this is not nearly so unusual as it sounds) and we iron out a few things on the sixth formers' itinerary 'You will come to my house on the Tuesday,' instructs Sally. 'Ok,' I say, noting this down under 'dinner' for our third day in Nandi Hills, and what will be our first meal in someone's home. 'When shall we go to George's mum's?' I ask. Sally thinks. 'Mmmm... Thursday.' George's mum doesn't know this yet, but we are confident she will be delighted, and will no doubt be expecting us. 'That's fine,' says George, when he returns from town. He rings Titus, the owner of Tea Planters and an important man in Kenya who is Chairman of the Kenya Tea Board and currently on his way to Dubai. He invites us to visit the nearby tea factories ('We've already got you on the itinerary,' says George). Titus is happy and says he will personally show us around. With our dinner plans and free afternoons having been worked out (tea estates, another local school, and flower factories), Sally is concerned she may not see very much of us as she will be working at her new school, a nursery and infants school that she has opened in town. And then, hakuna matata-style, a solution is found. 'I have decided,' she says, 'that will be my half-term week.' Back at Kipriria, Mr. Nyakundi and George and I are discussing the sixth formers' individual timetables for when they are at the school, until the rain, on and off since Noon, descends on us in full. I am meant to be talking in an after school assembly, and the children are due to go home, but patience is a tried and tested virtue here and there is nothing to do but listen and wait for the rain to pass. Eventually, it does, and everyone crowds into the school hall, whereby my presence is announced, although I am the only mzungu in sight so they probably know, and I am called upon to speak. The children laugh when I greet them in Kiswahili. They know all about the Kipriory Project - some of them belong to a Kipriory Club - and are joyous at the prospect of a visit from The Priory. This is one of several talks I find myself giving during my two days in Nandi Hills, including (improbably, given my lack of sporting ability) to a passing group of athletes and at a parents' meeting and a community fundraisier. There is applause when the assembled guests are told about the trip and a promise that they will give the sixth formers the best welcome they have ever had. Because of the nature of what we're doing, there has been little in the way of outsourcing for this trip, which has meant a lot of collaboration, going into the most minute detail, and setting what you can only hope is the right precedent for The Priory to visit and volunteer in Kenya. But we've had good back-up and advice and, hopefully, as my reki to Nandi Hills suggests, it will be a special experience. Joanne Dwyer, UK Coordinator __________________________________________________________________________ A new library for Kipriria 16 April, 2010 Raising funds to support teaching and education at Kipriria is an important part of this project and efforts are now being focused on the construction of a new library. The first library was set-up in 2004, in a small room where the school's hen was living and had decided to lay her eggs. Books were brought in and stacked under her watchful gaze and occasional 'cluck.' Kipriria's intake has almost doubled in size since then and as such, it is converting the old school hall into a library. More books - text books, reading books, particularly those that are specific to the Kenyan curriculum, and revision books - are therefore needed to properly stock the library. The estimated cost of purchasing these books, in the nearby city of Eldoret, is 400,000 Kenyan Shillings (Ksh), or 3,389 Sterling (£). Furniture for the library, eg shelves, tables and chairs, is also needed at an estimated cost of 100,000Ksh (£847). George is also looking into labour costs so that people in the local community can be involved and use their skills to help Kipriory, which can in turn benefit them and their families. More on this, and The Priory's role in raising funds, to follow soon! Joanne Dwyer, George Tarus, Project Coordinators ______________________________________________________________________________________ Changes at Kipriria, Luc and Lucy, and a 'Kipriory Club' 12 April, 2010 The exit of Sally Sang as headteacher of Kipriria Academy was certainly a major setback for Kipriory this year. Sally is a dedicated teacher and she had been the main driving force behind the project’s continued growth at the school. I was worried about the momentum of the project being slowed down when she left. Sally remains an integral part of the project as a parent (her son Elvis Presley Kiplimo goes to Kipriria) and as an adviser. However, when Mr. Jared Nyakundi was appointed the new headteacher, I instantly knew that everything would stay on track. Mr. Nyakundi picked up from where Sally left and has been very supportive of the project and ensured that it is running as it was when Sally was in charge. He has overseen new developments in the project including the setting up of a ‘Kipriory Club’ in the school. Our efforts to have students at Kipriria learn the history and culture of the English people were greatly boosted by the arrival of Luc Dinane and Lucy Phillips. They are from England and have been doing voluntary teaching at the school since January. Nick Daniels, a former teacher with Africa & Asia Venture at the neighbouring Samoei Secondary school, who has returned to live in Kenya, arranged for them to come and teach at Kipriria. They took charge of Kipriory together with Mr. Nyakundi and set up ‘Kipriory Club’ whose membership stands at 29. The club is a way of encouraging the students to own the project and take charge of its activities just like the sixth form team at The Priory. These are the students who will help in receiving the sixth formers in July with the aim of giving them a more personalised experience. The club is already making preparations for this. It meets every Thursday to review their work and to lay strategies of moving forward. Luc and Lucy are in the process of writing their report which should contain a lot more information about it. I have been in constant communication with Mr. Titus Kipyab, the proprietor of Tea Planters Inn. This is to ensure a comfortable stay for students and staff from The Priory when they arrive in July. The weather in Nandi Hills has been rainy for the past two months but is beginning to dry up a bit. The onset of the long rains is however expected this or next month. The good thing with Nandi Hills is that no matter the weather conditions, the sun always somehow manages to find its way through! George Tarus, Kenya Coordinator _________________________________________________________________________ Messages from Kenya April 2010 Joshua and Joanne both attend Kipriria Academy; their father, Mr. David Yego, is the school's director. They have recently been emailing messages to Jo, who knew them when they were very small: From Joshua 1 Hi Joanne;
I am Joshua, now in class six and Eleven years old celebrating my birthday on 8th of this month. How is England? Are you still in college? My mother told me that you are coming with fifteen other young children to my school Kipriria Hills Academy. You are highly welcomed to my home and school. Thanks. Says Joshua. 2 Hi Joanne, Thanks for your e-mail, I like football and gymnastics. My friend Luc from England taught me PE and Gymnastics. I love him so much. In Kenya, it is raining, warm and wet. I am on a short holiday, my sisters went out to see and play with their friends. Joanne is now six years old and in class one. When she comes back I will teach her how to send Email and tell her to send you an Email. Byebye and dont forget to write an email to me. Thanks. From Joanne My name is joanne at Kipriria hills Academy. i am in class One East. I like swiming. We dont have a swiming pool at school but I will tel my father to make. My brother taught me how to send emails. when you left here I wass a small child. I wass small and looked like a dolly. joanne _______________________________________________________________________________________ These boots were made for walking... 25 March, 2010 Waking up at 6am and walking 20 miles isn’t exactly everyone’s idea of fun, which is why you’ll be surprised to hear that that’s exactly what a team of our sixth form students decided to do. On Saturday March 13, a group of dedicated, and questionably able-bodied young people set out on a sponsored walk. The aim of their walk was to raise money, enabling each of them to visit Kenya in July as part of the link between Kipriria Academy and our own The Priory School which began 18 months ago and has been extremely successful and fulfilling. Our link team have sent utilities such as books and sports equipment over the course of the project, and have also spurred kids from each school to write to each other and learn about each other’s lives and cultures in Geography lessons. The sponsored walk took our students from outside the gates of The Priory School to the doorstep of the Kenyan Embassy in London. Taxing as it may seem, the day was enjoyed by all, despite getting lost several times along the way. Arriving at the Embassy at about 3pm, exhausted and… well exhausted (except for Mr. Probin who felt it necessary to walk the sponsored walk whilst in his car and driving!); a snap-shot was taken of our team with a look of false-engergeticness. Not only was the link project using the walk as a fundraiser, but the publicity prospects could not be ignored! George Green, Sixth Form Student _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jambo Kenya! 23 March, 2010 Amidst much excitement, a small amount of trepidation (mostly to do with the required immunisations and peoples' dislike of needles), minute planning and transcontinental email and telephone conversations, preparations are underway for The Priory’s first visit to Africa. This July, 15 of The Priory’s enterprising sixth form students, accompanied by me, Rob Probin, and Sally Linton, our sixth form tutor in-charge of Gifted & Talented who's been working hard at fundraising, will depart for Kenya to spend a week at Kipriria, with a few days set aside for travelling to and from Nairobi and the chance to see some more of the country along the way. The idea is to begin a face-to-face intercultural dialogue between the two schools and further develop the link. As George says, it is about creating opportunities for students in both schools to consider, and experience, life beyond their own localities. The sixth formers will be lending their time and skills to assisting teachers with younger students and helping to run after school clubs and sporting activities. We hope this will lead to more trips to this part of the world, and to some of Kipriria’s teachers dipping into life at The Priory. So far, we’ve had fundraising events, parents’ meetings and other meetings, the task of putting together a timetable for each student – and staff member, as they will work alongside Kenyan colleagues and teach some lessons, too – and lots of questions. There have been a fair few enquires about the weather. Nandi Hills, I can safely say, is prone to rain, usually when the clouds descend at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, which as we will discover, is possibly the only thing in Kenya that arrives on time! Meanwhile, The Priory’s group of 15 (plus staff!) are looking forward not only to going to Kenya, but to coming back with stories to share - we've already had one dinner invite! Joanne Dwyer, UK Coordinator ___________________________________________________________________________ In the beginning 15 July, 2009 The seeds for this project were sown in Kenya, in 2004. I was volunteering as a teacher at Kipriria Academy, some five thousand feet up in the air, surrounded by tea estates and a sea of green on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, in the town of Nandi Hills, when the school's director, Mr. David Yego, expressed an interest in connecting with a school in England. In the end, it had a fairly long gestation period, mostly for reasons of timing, until it came into being at The Priory four years later. 'One step at a time' has been our motto. Or, as they say in Kenya: Hakuna matata. Our first priority has been to raise awareness for the project from within each school. In its first year of life, The Priory has established a team of sixth formers to help oversee this, sent a consignment of teaching and learning materials to Kipriria, kicked off an exciting letter writing exchange, and both schools have begun to incorporate an international dimension into parts of their curriculum. Kipriria's students have been introduced to the history of England in Social Studies lessons while, over in the UK, a scheme of work has been developed on Kenya in Key Stage 3 Geography by Rob Probin and Head of Department Martin Dunn. In July, The Priory hosted its first ever conference on Africa with guest speakers sharing their knowledge and experience of Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, and Congo. This event was very well recieved. Then there is this website, to document the project as it unfolds, and most of all, the kindness and support of so many people, especially the staff in our two schools. As our Kenya Co-Ordinator, George Tarus, writes in a recent letter to The Priory: "Receive regards from all the teachers here; they look forward to carrying this project forward. We certainly need to learn a thing or two about your culture and so do you about ours. It will be my greatest joy if one day we can have students from England attending the Kenya Music Festival. It is arguably one of the biggest events on the calendar of the school system in Kenya. If you ever wanted to learn the cultures of Kenyan communities in one go, then the music festival is the event to attend." And so our small, intimate enterprise has hope and heart and is slowly branching out. Joanne Dwyer, UK Coordinator |
