Itinyi Primary School is in a remote, marginalised region of Kenya where over 65% of the population live in poverty and there is 90% unemployment. The school has 300 pupils and space is at a premium with three children all sharing one desk in each of the classrooms. The 70 youngsters in the nursery currently have to learn outside.

Oodle Car Finance has signed up to volunteer in the Tsavo area of southern Kenya in June. A team of 11 volunteers headed up by Jonny Clayton (CEO) and Phil Williams (MD) will join the BIG Foundation to build a nursery and help improve the quality of life for those living in the small village of Itinyi.

The Oodle volunteers are fundraising with the hope they can receive enough donations to complete a building especially for the smallest students at the school. Many of the children have ambitions to be doctors, teachers and lawyers when they grow up. And they are very aware that education is their route out of poverty.

The volunteers will also help out on other community projects in the area such as worm the goats in the village, build an elephant deterrent fence to protect crops and reduce human-wildlife conflict, and help the local community ladies’ group make jewellery and elephant dung paper for their shop.

To enable their staff to take part, Oodle is giving all their volunteers the time off and covering the cost of their flights. This JustGiving page has been created so that our clients, suppliers and friends can donate towards the great cause, with the hope of raising at least £15,000. Any support is very welcome.

The volunteers at Oodle have been inspired to take part in such a life-changing journey for a variety of reasons. All are keen to do good and give back. Many are interested in learning more about life in less privileged parts of the world than our own. For example, Edi Matioli, PA to Phil Williams, was struck by parallels with her own childhood in Brazil such as the long distances children walk to school from remote areas. Elly Rosier, a payout consultant, is particularly passionate about ethical travel having studied human geography at university where her dissertation was on what motivated young people to volunteer and give to charity.

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