It may be over 10,000 miles away but Madungu Primary School in Kenya is very close to Gower College Swansea’s heart. Here, CEO Mark Jones explains how the College has supported the school for over 20 years – and how you can help.
At a time when many families are having to deal with their own challenges, it is great to see some of our College students really taking the time to think of others and help those in need. And when this particular brand of help and support has been taking place for the past 20 years, it is a remarkable story and achievement for everyone involved.
It all started in 2003, when a student from the then Swansea College – now Gower College Swansea – spent part of their gap year on a voluntary project in Madungu Primary School in Western Kenya, close to the Ugandan border and some eight hours west of Nairobi.
Government schools in Kenya, just like those in the UK, are regulated based on pupil numbers but the assumed class size in Kenya is much larger that we see in the UK – often up to 50 pupils. And when the local region in western Kenya also has a relatively high level of poverty, then the education experience for many of these young children was not the best. As such, the student wanted to do something to help, but needed some support and turned to their friends at College.
This was the beginning of the Kenya Community Education Project – an independent charity set up within the College where students and staff have collected money continually over the past 20 years to fund the costs of two additional schoolteachers which, in turn, has directly benefitted all 300 pupils who attend the school every year.
In the past, the charity has also paid for lunches for the pupils who otherwise may not have had a hot meal, as well as maintenance work on the buildings and even a cow to provide milk for the pupils.
During this 20-year period College students and staff have visited Madungu on five occasions, albeit not since Covid. Therefore, we are delighted that this year, and with the support of the Welsh Government’s Taith programme, four staff and 10 students will be travelling to Madungu to carry out some teaching and voluntary work, meet the staff and students at the school, and see the benefits of our work.
Competition for places on the trip has been fierce and I am delighted that the selected students come from a wide range of curriculum areas across the College. Their interests range from international aid, the environment and wildlife and, for many, their current and future career aspirations lie in those areas as well as teaching and childcare.
For most of the students it will be their first trip to Africa and, for some, their first trip abroad. But one thing is for certain, this will be a once in a lifetime and potentially life changing experience.
Over the next few months, the students will be busy with various activities to help fundraise for the charity. They will also be working hard to fund the balance of the trip costs themselves, this is alongside their studies and the exams and assessments that await them this summer.
If you can help us by making a donation, which would go towards the students’ individual trip costs and this once in the lifetime experience, I know the students would be most grateful.
Here’s how you can donate:
Via the Charity’s total giving link
https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/donate/kenya-community-education-project
Donations can be made by bank transfer:
Kenya Community Education Project
HSBC Account
Sort Code 40–16–15
Account number 54351959
Charity Registration Number 1163597
Or send to KCEP c/o Tracy Drummond-Govier, Gower College Swansea, Tycoch, Swansea, SA2 9EB