Over the past 12 months KOP Warwick have smashed through our fundraising target and had a brilliant time doing it!
We raised over £5000 selling cakes and Pimms, shaking buckets at train stations, cycling from London to Paris, climbing the height of Kilimanjaro on the Warwick climbing wall, running half marathons, doing all sorts of triathlons and some of us even climbed Kilimanjaro for real!
This August we travelled to Kisumu to see how our money was being put to good use (and to lend a helping hand!).
We supported three projects this year;
· Oasis of Hope – We spent 3 days helping other KOP students to build a new school building for disadvantaged but very bright teenagers. The school was set up so that children who shown educational excellence at primary school (which is free in Kenya), could go onto secondary education without having to pay. Most of the students are orphans and would not be able to attend school if it were not free. The old school buildings were run down and unsuitable, so thanks to KOP and the money we've fundraised, the school now has 4 classrooms, one science lab and a staff room.
· Ombeyi feeding centre - Ombeyi is a rural feeding centre, where 75 of the neediest children in the area can go 6 days a week, to play and receive 2 nutritionally balanced meals. KOP's money and resources went towards building, furbishing, decorating the feeding centre and providing food, clean water and chickens.
· HOVIC – Hope of Victoria's Children (HOVIC) is a day and night shelter, providing counselling, food and medical assistance to street children living in Kisumu. HOVIC aims to rehabilitate these children and provide funding, so that they can return to education and be placed back with their family or suitable guardians. Over the summer we taught at HOVIC, played with the children and ran a drug addiction talk.
We had a fantastic time teaching, playing with the children and getting stuck into the building!
We were also invited to visit a new medical school being set up in the province, which gave us a fantastic insight into the Kenyan health care system.
The whole experience was eye opening and wonderful – we wish we could go back!