On May 20th 2017, we (two teachers from Llanfihangel Rhydithon CP School, Powys) will be going to Kalama in Kenya to volunteer for two weeks in Kyandili and Mulaani Primary Schools.

Children who attend these schools are from deprived families; many walk four miles to school each way. Few have shoes and often their school uniforms are the only clothes they own. Having had little or no breakfast, the students then study throughout the day, eat a small communal lunch, and then walk miles home to do more chores. They often have to walk miles to collect water, on top of the many miles they have walked to, and back from school.

Class sizes at Kyandili Primary School are huge, with up to 48 children to one teacher. Teachers are given one box of chalk that must last them a whole month.
Mulaani Primary School is a smaller school with roughly 150 students; nearly one third of the students are orphans.

The schools are extremely under-funded by the government and they hugely benefit from any extra income. Schools typically have only five teachers for eight classes, and one text book for four students.  Funds raised by other volunteers have so far helped to build two libraries, build a stock of books, renovate classrooms, install a water harvesting system and connect to the electricity grid (see www.volunteerteachkenya.net for more information).

The children we teach in Llanfihangel Rhydithon CP School are going to be heavily involved in raising funds for the schools, including a 4 mile sponsored walk (to replicate the 4 mile walk the Kenyan children do daily) and a music and poetry evening at the school. We have set this page up in case anyone would like to support us and donate to these schools. We understand that there are so many charities to support and you may have already donated recently to a charity, but if you feel that you could make a donation, however big or small, we would be so grateful.

Many thanks,

Rachel Walker and Ellen Thomas