Visits to the school.
- Dave and Deirdre Cullen - April 2010
- Becky, Hannah and Rose - June 2009
- October 2008 by Trisha & Chris representing Euro Car Parks.
- 16 - 30 May 2008 by Jacqui, Paul and Aniela.
- 16 - 30 November 2007 by Jacqui, Geoff, Pat and Aniela.
- Food Program - June 2007
- School Visit to Ngomongo Village - February 2007
- Visit to Kenya Helen Moore - September 2006
Day 1
I packed my suitcase with minimal amount of clothes and toiletries the rest was packed with clothes for the children, school equipment and toys. This was the first time I had ever packed so little for myself and it was bizarre. I was also very apprehensive about what to expect at the school and whether the Kenyan customs would allow us in with our stuff for the school.
Dad and I checked in with the exact weight requirements which was a relief due to all the extra luggage we were taking. Flight was fine and the apprehension I had over what to expect eased a little. We arrived in Kenya and got through customs without much bother ¯ just questioned on what was in our large tube ¯ a huge world map!
On arrival at the hotel we organised the clothes, arranged car hire and arranged to meet up with the First Choice regional manager.
We got a taxi to take us to the school, which was fun as we did not really know where we were going so had to ask around everywhere. We found it eventually and the taxi driver was great, he even agreed to pick us up later. We did not have to pay until the return journey! We were greeted by lots of smiling children and two of the teachers in the playground, as it was lunch time. We got introduced to all the teachers, Pamela, Mercy, Laurent, Kenny & Ascar, then shown around the school. The children just stared at us but all kept shaking our hands and saying hello. The school was in a better condition than I had expected which was nice. The classes reformed at 2pm so we then went round each class to say hello and introduce ourselves and explain what we hope to do in our short visit.
The school consists of three classrooms, a store room, three toilets, wash room and three bedrooms. All situated in a large compound which went around the whole building. Each room contained bench style desks and a few small blackboards. This building housed 85 children all of whom seemed very happy and attended school voluntarily so were little bother.
We told the teachers that First Choice manager, Jon, would be visiting tomorrow so asked if they could sing a few songs, recite some poems and generally put on something to impress him. We popped out for ten minutes to organise mobile phone sim card and on return to the school rehearsals were well underway. We sat around and listened and were very impressed, it was also very useful to see how the school worked.
Before we left we asked the teachers to put together a list of what they wanted done in order of priority in order to assist us with our quest to make a difference.
Taxi picked us up a few hours later and we returned to the hotel all ready for the week ahead. We chatted about what we needed to do and had an early night.
Day 2
Car arrived in true Kenyan style, an hour late! Jon the First Choice regional manager met us at the hotel at 9.30am. We took him to the school, showed him around, introduced him to the teachers and then discussed what plans he had. The children all gathered in the main room and did their little show. It was excellent and very good. Jon was very impressed and am sure that First Choice will now support us as their in resort charity.
Once Jon had left we set to work on what we could achieve at the school. The teachers provided us with their list which consisted of :
New & larger blackboards
Smaller chairs & tables for kindergarten
Toiletries
Text books
Story books
Curtains
Skipping ropes, balls and hula hoops
Exercise books
Crayons
Metre rule
Mops, brooms and cleaning equipment
We agreed with the blackboards and Kenny had got a quote on them, we met the carpenter, reduced the quantity and set about organising them.
We then delivered the goods we had brought from the UK. Everything was received gratefully and some of the items on the list above were included. Skipping ropes, books etc. The clothes were handed out to the children and they were really happy to receive ¯ they were trying things on and even started fighting over a few things. It was wonderful to see how happy someone can be to receive something as simple as a pair of pants or socks. I had donated my freebie Robbie Williams T-Shirt and this really cute little boy received it and loved it so much he put it on straight away. Another little boy received a crisp clean school shirt and again put it on straight away but he went off to play at break and managed to end up with a filthy brand new white shirt! Very funny and rewarding.
At lunch Dad and I went to the supermarket and purchased the cleaning equipment requested and took it back to the school. That afternoon Dad, Kenny & Pamela went into Mombasa city centre to visit the ministry of education and investigate new chairs for the younger children. I stayed at the school and covered the afternoon teaching of the older class. We did geography using the large wall map I had brought over from the UK. We started by locating Kenya & England on the map, I then handed out jigsaw puzzles of the world for the children to put together in groups. They really struggled and it was clear they were not used to practical teaching ¯ they normally undertake rote fashion learning in a purely academic way. They took a while but when achieved it were very pleased with themselves. We then moved onto looking at flags of the world and had stickers of flags, each child had to stick a flag on the map ¯ hence looking at the map and getting used to where countries were. This was done well and again a bit different for them. We learnt the continents whilst doing this. After that we moved onto capital cities of the world and they had to match the country to the capital city. They had an answer sheet and had to fill it in. They enjoyed it so much that at home time they did not want to finish. They asked me to teach them again tomorrow. It was great fun and very rewarding. The children were very enthusiastic to learn and very receptive.
The children went home and the others returned from their trip to Mombasa. Not very successful which was a shame.
We returned to the hotel and slept soundly from another hard days work!
Day 3
We arrived at the school to the welcome of lots of smiling children running out to the car. They took my bag and kept shaking my hand. It is a wonderful way to start the day. I taught geography to years 2 & 3. There were more children in this class and they were more excitable to be taught by me so it was harder. We located the countries on the big map again and performed the world jigsaw puzzles again ¯ which they found hard. We then stuck animals around the world onto a new sticker map. Again this helped them understand where countries were. I then handed out an animal sticker to each child and asked them to draw it and colour it in. They cheered when I suggested drawing a picture which made me sad as this is something our children do on a daily basis, but as paper and colours are pretty scarce in this school it excited them. They were very proud of their pictures but wanted me to take them back again to England with me.
Dad & Kenny had gone shopping for games equipment and checked up on the blackboards. It was break time when they returned and they enjoyed playing with the footballs etc. After break Dad & I painted the hop-scotch. It looked great and by lunch time the children were amazed and wanted to play but couldn´t due to it being wet paint ¯ then the heavens opened and it poured down with rain for the rest of the day ¯ ruining all our efforts!
That afternoon Dad, Pamela and I went into Mombasa and purchased the new text-books and exercise books. This fixed price shop became negotiable which was fun and Pamela said we got a good discount and was very happy. We purchased a text book in mathematics, English and Kiswahali for each class. The teachers basically write it up onto the blackboards as we can not have a text book for each child. We then went to the post office to get stamps and checked our PO box ¯ electricity bill only! Typical where ever in the world you are the only post you get is bills!
Back to hotel, still raining and another early night!
Day 4
We went via the supermarket to purchase remaining toiletries, first aid stuff and school equipment. Arrive at school and still pouring with rain ¯ checked the hop-scotch and children were playing on it which was great to see but it was all flaking off due to the rain. Arrived again to the hugely warm welcome from the children. Blackboards had been delivered the night before and one put up. They looked really good. The man returned for his money for the blackboards but we refused to pay until he put them all up. He soon returned and they all got put up (even the old ones moved to where we wanted them). He got his money and we then asked if he knew anyone to put up a netball ring, mentioned the words two hundred Kenyan shillings ¯ then bingo after an hour another man returned and it was done! I painted a height chart on the wall inside the school to help achieve some health record maintenance.
We then went out to lunch with the teachers and had a meeting. It was very interesting to see how differently they behaved and how shy they were. They found it hard to make decisions and we found it difficult but hopefully at the same time educated them.
When we got back to the school the sun was eventually shining so Dad repainted the hop-scotch (fingers crossed it lasts!). I partook in a kiswahali lesson which was great fun. I sat with the children and learnt with them ¯ I learnt a Kenyan version of head shoulders knees and toes ¯ it amused the children to see me reciting the words and singing along with them.
As school finished we took a load of photos of the children and said our good byes ¯ it was actually quite moving. We then finished some things off with the teachers. Played a quick game of netball with Pamela, Mercy & Laurent. We left on a real high and lots of laughter. They made us feel so welcome and I genuinely know they want us to return.and you know what we probably will.
School Visit to Ngomongo Village
When we went to Kenya in February 2007, we decided that we wanted to organise an outing for the whole school.
First we consulted the teachers as to where would be a good place to go. They seemed to be unanimous on their choice of Ngomongo Village. Second we consulted our driver Chals on the practicality and cost of transport for everyone. Prices ranged from 20,000ks to 7,000ks, so we plumped for the latter.
On the Friday when we were due to go, Chals turned up at our hotel in a very beaten up matatu. (Battered mini bus, the favoured mode of public transport for the masses.) The children were very excited and clamoured to be on the first run. It took three trips to get everybody there. Every journey never quiet, the children singing loud every inch of the way. (Ear defenders recommended for all future trips!)
Fortunately, there was a children's playground with a roundabout, swings seesaw and climbing frame, so the first two groups had plenty of fun whilst waiting for everyone to be assembled. (The provision of similar apparatus at the school would be a big bonus for the children.)
Before we set off with our guides, we gave all the children a banana and water to keep them going. (Flagging children were topped up with additional "banana fuel" as and when identified.) The party was put into two groups with a guide for each.
The tour took us through a forest and in each clearing was a village setting typical of a tribe from a particular part of Kenya. At each stop, there was someone dressed in appropriate costume to show the children the sleeping quarters, cooking area etc. There were demonstrations of maize grinding, archery, tool making and so on. The children were able to experience many of the activities for themselves. They also saw ostriches and crocodiles as well as many birds, trees and plants. A sudden movement by a crocodile increased rapidly the distance between the waters edge and most of the group, There was a demonstration of African dancing, after which we were invited to join in. Why did they find our efforts so amusing?
Additional "fuel", in the form of biscuits and water, was dispensed before the journey back. Our driver did a wonderful job, the teachers were so good looking after the group and, most of all the children seemed to enjoy themselves. We found it extremely worthwhile.
Feeding Program
In June Hugh (one of the trustees) & Jason his son in law went out to the school from England. The objective was to set up the start of the food program. We purchased all the cookers, gas, pots , kettles etc that were needed to feed over 90 children & staff. A local carpenter was found to build the tables etc. Pamela the head teacher helped us buy the correct food for a month. She had worked out the best balanced diet that was possible with our resources. By the time we had left a breakfast of porridge, tea & fruit was being served every day. The teachers are doing all the cooking etc. They will continue to buy the food. We can feed the children and teachers for about £5 or $10 a day.
The school was in good shape with teachers all working well as a team & lots of happy children being well taught.
Two trustees with their family were at the school for the last two weeks of November. They found that the school was running very smoothly and that the children were in the middle of their end of term exams. We noted that the standard of education is continuing to rise and were particularly pleased that all children in the top class now read and write English well. After their end of term exams the children put on a show for the trustees and some other visitors who had made donations to the school.
During the stay, negotiations took place with the landlady resulting in plans for our head teacher to move out of the school into one of the other rooms onsite which frees up a fifth classroom for our new intake in January. We are still in the process of negotiating an extension of an additional 5 years on our lease which will enable us to carry out more repairs and general improvements to the school. This has been put on hold until the current troubles in Kenya are over.
With the new intake in January and close examination of the current timetable and teacher allocation it was deemed necessary to employ a new teacher starting from this January, we have asked Pamela to find a trainee teacher in their last year at college to fill this post.
As the school was looking scruffy and various things have been broken or damaged we have employed a maintenance manager to look after and improve the school, he is on a three month trial to be reviewed by trustees visiting in February 2008.
The school was taken on an outing to Haller Park to see animals native to their country, this was enjoyed by all and the following day at school they drew pictures about their day out.May 2008 Visit By trustees
Two Trustees visited the school this May, the first Trustee visit since the troubles earlier in the year. They were delighted to find the school running smoothly with a full compliment of 90 children attending. In fact it was apparent that huge progress had been made by the teachers, in particular Pamela, our Head Teacher in taking responsibility for developing and improving the school. This was notable in both the quality of teaching and the operational efficiency of the school. The enthusiastic chaos experienced during earlier visits had been replaced by a structured organised timetable. The Trustees felt that the many previous visits by Trustees where we have repeatedly attempted to empower the teachers to take charge has finally began to make a difference.
The quality of the teaching and organisation of the school has been recognised recently when a Government Schools Inspector during there annual visit declared the school and the results achieved by the pupils as “Above Average”. A fantastic result when we bear in mind that it has only been an officially recognised school for the past year.
Two new teachers have joined the team since the last visit. Binti who is a qualified Kindergarden school teacher and Michael, a Pastor, who is considering whether to train as a teacher. This gives us a compliment of 5 teachers, 4 of whom are qualified inaddition to an assistant. Whilst this compares favourably to the number of students the problem is that we are now teaching 9 classes (KinderGarden 1-3 and Standard Grade 1-6) therefore each teacher has to cover more than 1 class. A problem which will be compounded in January when we have ano class, Standard 7.
The major news is that the Trustees were able to successfully negotiate an extension to the lease of the school for a further 8 years, this ensures we have the building until 2016. As part of the deal we also have the right to extend the building to construct a further 2 classes. Essential since our existing rooms have 2 or 3 classes being taught together.
The food program was running smoothly and the pleasure it gives to the children remains an absolute joy to experience. Due to the recent massive increase in food costs we have reduced the food allowance to a bowl of porridge 3 times a week, bread and tea twice a week and fruit 3 times a week. Whilst this does not sound a great deal it is genuinely appreciated. The cook who works part time runs the operation superbly albeit in very basic conditions which we endeavoured to improved with the purchase of a new gas rings, pots and pans and cleaning equipment.
The other major development was the introduction of a new library. Kindly donated by Mr Justin Fleming in memory of his wife, Franzi, the library was constructed and stocked during our visit. The aim was to provide the children of all ages with enjoyable reading books in English to motivate and stimulate them. We also wanted to provide sufficient books so that each class member could have their own copy to better improve their understanding, previously one book had been passed around the class! The response was fantastic with the children of all ages using the books as part of their English class.
Finally a brief mention and thankyou to a volunteer who has spent the past three weeks at the school. Lisa has assisted the teachers and pupils by giving her time and financial assistance generously and it was apparent that she had made a massive difference in the school. We hope to soon have an update from Lisa to provide a different perspective on spending time as a volunteer at the school.
In summary a very positive upbeat visit with the school and teachers making great progress. Most importantly of course the children are continuing to experience an education and personal development that otherwise would not be available to them.
Euro Car Parks - Bombolulu Visit October 2008
When Trisha and I arrived at the School on Wednesday the 1st of October, we were met by Pamela the Head Teacher who introduced us to Merci who teaches the nursery children. We were really looking forward to meeting the children who were fantastic and so friendly and welcoming and very eager to chat to us.
As part of the introductions the children put on a great show for us reciting poems, teaching us some traditional songs and dances and telling us about their culture. We really enjoyed it.
Those of you that have children may not believe me but these children were unsupervised whilst working, not one of them moved from their desks, they continued reading. I don’t think they believed us when we told them that in Ireland if the teacher left the room no one would stay at their desk!!
The school currently has 5 teachers and 95 pupils, two of whom are orphans and live at the school. There are five classrooms a kitchen area, toilets and a library. Unfortunately many of the children can not afford the twenty Kenyan shillings for lunch; this is equal to 20 cent. We were shocked by this, but after visiting other Schools and an orphanage, the children in Bombolulu are quite lucky in comparison as each child is given a free snack during the day paid for by donations and clean drinking water is readily available.
During our stay we went to Jumangji book shop in Mombassa and bought all the books needed for the school, which means that each child has their own books and no longer has to share. We were delighted to be able to make this small change for the children because they have made such a big change in our hearts.
It was a fantastic experience to visit the school and meet the teachers and pupils. These children are so happy, very eager to learn and so grateful for everything they have. It’s quite hard to explain but seeing people who live with such poverty, so happy and thankful for all the things we take for granted such as food, shoes and toiletries seems to put life in perspective and you can’t help but come away with a different outlook and a grateful appreciation for all you have and how lucky you really are!!
We will definitely be going back !
Trisha & Chris
Find out more about Euro Car Parks helps the Bombolulu School of Promise
Becky, Hannah and Rose - June 2009
Myself and two friends, Hannah and Rose, travelled to Kenya shortly after finishing university in order to gain some volunteering experience and witness a different culture.
On arrival at the school we were given a warm welcome and had soon been introduced to all the staff and all 95 children. Their hospitality and kindness was to continue throughout our two week stay and by the time it came to go home none of us wanted to leave.
We spent our time at the school assisting with the teaching and even conducting our own lessons. With the younger children we had plenty of fun learning music and English as well as setting them arts and crafts activities. They especially enjoyed the plastacine, and all the new crayons and art materials we took with us.
With the older children who were more able to speak English, we spent time teaching more traditional subjects like science, and also social studies- a mixture of politics, history and geography. It was great fun when we let them ask us anything they wanted to, and they absolutely loved learning about different cultures and life outside of Kenya.
Our favourite time was break time, when all the children of all different ages would play together, much to our surprise. Their group singing and dancing was really impressive and we still had their songs ringing in our ears on the plane home. Every lunch time they were provided with a substantial meal, and we were invited to join them on many occasions.
Before we left, we organised a party for our final full day. We bought plenty of food including cake and spaghetti and meat (a special treat) as well as decorations, and left the entertainment to the teachers. When the day came it became apparent that the children had been practising dancing and acting everyday after school so they could put on a show for us. They wore face paints and traditional Kenyan costumes and provided us with a fantastic display of Kenyan culture and even got us joining in with the dancing. When it was time to go, the children all sang us thank you songs even though we felt like the lucky ones.
Our experience of Kenya and the Bombolulu School of Promise was one that none of us shall ever forget. The children were so happy and so well behaved, and the teachers became good friends of ours. All this made it very hard for us to say goodbye…but we are already looking forward to our next trip!
Becky Moss
Dave and Deirdre Cullen - April 2010
My wife Deirdre and I spent a week at the school in Bombolulu just before Easter and were astounded by what had been achieved. There follows a quick account of what we found.
We arrived on Day 1 with two suitcases of clothes containing over 200 items for the girls and boys all bought in Dunnes and Penneys. We also brought sweets which were distributed. It was amazing to see children try their first ever sweet. The teachers and kids were expecting us and were mid lessons when we arrived. We noticed that some of the kids did not have uniforms or shoes but more anon. We also noticed that one five year old boy was asleep on his desk. When we enquired, we were told that this was because he hadn’t eaten anything since the previous lunch time and had no energy. This was a daily occurrence. Lunch was then prepared and served up to the over 80 students and teachers. Nearly 20 of the kids were off sick as there was an eye infection circulating with medicines beyond the reach of these kids.
We returned on Day 2 to be treated to a show out on by all of the various age groups. The show lasted two hours and included drama, fashion show (with the new clothes), fantastic tribal dancing and costumes, singing and even musical chairs for the tots. Everyone was in great spirits and we really enjoyed it. Someday I will get the nerve up to share the video of me doing some native dancing ! Again lunch followed and we participated in the serving of same (remember some of these kids had never seen white people before). We spent the afternoon with the older classes telling them about our history and politics. The three most common questions were how did we get rid of the British; how did we get a female president and did we know Wayne Rooney ?!
Day 3 started off with us going shopping. It was clear that there was little by way of toys and sports equipment so we stocked up on footballs, skipping ropes, bubbles, young children’s educational toys and crafts, together with geometry sets, wall posters, atlases, etc. It was like Christmas day and when you see that they used a bundle of plastic bags tied up with string as their football, you can imagine the excitement when the new gear was distributed.
Day 4 was a bit more serious as when we arrived, there was a letter in from the Mombasa Council looking to close down the school. We went into Mombasa and met with the Municipal Education Officer. He pointed out that the school had insufficient toilets, class rooms were being shared and there was no playing field. I promised that we would address this and he gave us until the end of the year to sort out. I will return to this later. Whilst in Mombasa, the Head Teacher Pamela took the opportunity to pay a council tax bill. It took six different queues and two hours to do a simple job and that is the Kenyan way! Again we spent the afternoon with the older kids who wanted to know more about the Irish and also about education in Ireland.
Day 5 was spent at the school mucking in. We again went shopping before hand and stocked up on stationery and more school equipment for the kids. We also bought a small stereo for them to listen to music as that is part of their daily classes. This was a great day as the kids were less afraid of us and started interacting. In that time, we met two orphan boys whose parents had died from Aids and who Pamela had taken in to live with her. These guys were simply fantastic and their knowledge levels were incredible.
Our last day was spent by me going with two of the teachers (Michael and Ruth) into Mombasa to buy teachers’ aid books to help them with their teaching of the syllabi. We also picked up a new charcoal cooker (two truck wheels welded together) together with knives, basins and the biggest pot I have ever seen for Mephista the cook. Meanwhile Deirdre was given lessons in carrying water buckets on her head to no success. The kids knew we were leaving and some asked could they come home with us to go to secondary school as they have a huge thirst for knowledge. School starts at 6:30am until 4:30pm and they come in at weekends also to study more, most unlike my days at school!. They made some speeches to thanks all of us and I was asked to say a few words to the whole school. I was truly humbled by what I had seen. As we left the school, there were tears all round, tears of sadness and tears of joy!
It is now clear to me that we have a few more things to sort out. We need to resolve the issue regarding the school premises and either extend it or look for a new premises. It is leased with the lease due to expire next year so the Trustees are currently looking what options there are. Secondly, as the first class of students finish primary school in December, we need to find a way to get them secondary education. Whilst in Kenya, by a stroke of luck, we met three retired teachers from Kildare who ran a charity running and building secondary schools so we may be able to link in with them. I will revert on this one too.
I have given an undertaking to the charity and teachers that we will increase our funding to enable these improvements to take place and am considering some proposals on how to do so at the moment.
Whilst it is apparent that these children would not have received any education without your help and many have been saved from homelessness, becoming street children, child prostitutes, etc, the overpowering characteristic of the school is one of happiness. These children only have the clothes on their back and live in steel and mud huts with no electricity with little food, they can’t wait to come to school each day and cannot learn enough. When I first got the idea of getting involved, I had little idea of what has been and can be achieved and didn’t dream of the difference it is making to these fantastic children.
Click on Images to enlarge