Madventurer Kenya community project 09/01/10 6 weeks - Latest News from our overseas crew

Jambo from Karunga, the past two weeks in Kenya have been eventful! Work on the two new classroom blocks is coming on nicely and is starting to take shape! Weekends have been action packed with lots of exciting things being done and all the volunteers have been super sawa AKA AWESOME!

The first day for the volunteers and us crew in Nairobi we were lucky enough to meet a man called Spencer Cowley who is an adventure motorcyclist, travelling from London all the way around Africa and back again (a bit of a Charley Boorman but better!) A very interesting man with lots of cool African adventure stories!

Sunday came and we all travelled together to our project village Karunga, met the locals, toured the village and then had a cheeky Tusker beer each!
Monday and the work began, carrying on from what the 2009 volunteers had so impressively started. Work was on our two brand spanking new classrooms that we are going to complete. So building commenced and we had one of the most enthusiastic groups ever all MAD of course! The final bricks were laid in preparation for the timber wood trusses that we did the following week, the teaching also started well with lots of volunteers getting involved in all sorts of classes, English, Maths, PE and Social Studies.

We were told by Sammy the schools Head teacher that thanks to last years teaching by Madventurer volunteers, out of 54 schools in the district, where Karunga used to be 50th we are now 24th. So I have set the target for next year to be top 10! And this is primarily down to Madventurers working with teachers to improve their skills and what a difference it makes. We also managed to squeeze in a game of football against Class 8 where we scraped to a 3-2 victory with a last minute goal by none other than um...me! ha.

The first weekend was spent in Naivasha where we all went. We stayed at Crayfish Camp which is an awesome place in an awesome spot right next to the glorious Lake Naivasha, Hells Gate National Park and Carnellies. Seven of us hired a man and a boat and explored the hippo ridden waters of lake Naivasha a truly amazing experience, and others walked with giraffes in Crater Lake, Hells Gate National Park. We then finished the afternoon with drinks and premiership football back at Crayfish (my ideal Saturday afternoon) Then for dinner everyone went to Carnellies the ultimate chill out restaurant with great food!

Second week at school we all got cracking on the woodwork for the roof making the trusses, which involved a lot of sawing, hammering and joining something now everyone is an expert of! Also a few of the girls refurbished the schools kindergarden with posters and learning utensils which now looks super sawa :)

The evenings at our house have also been very entertaining, with many a camp fire and guitar, singing and dancing and of course a few local brews (tusker) and not so local brews (smirnoff) being consumed!

Second weekend, and the last 4 volunteers travelled back in Nairobi where we had a goodbye meal at a very famous meaty restaurant called Carnivore, you can imagine what the serve? crocidile, ostridge, pork, beef the lot! And they don't stop until you are completely full! Well that's about all for now, ill leave you with a few nicknames that volunteers have obtained - Phil = Muscles , Alex - Stewie from family guy , Matt - Robbie Williams and Georgi - Sunshine.

All in all a great start to the new year in Kenya!

Nic - Overseas Crew Leader