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Name: Louise Pritt
Programme: Kenya Community Outreach
I'll just start by saying a big thank you to Real Gap, without you I would never have met Mary and James and had one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
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On my first day I went to an area called Matili, where I was shown an unprotected spring. It was stagnant water, which was used by approximately 80 families in the community. It touched me so much that I decided this was one of the projects I wanted to work on.
With money fundraised from home, myself and another volunteer worked on the spring with the community and the technician (who was 84 years old!) every day. On completion, the community were extremely thankful and seeing the new spring in action gave me a wonderful sense of achievement and the realisation that I had changed this communities way of life forever. |
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I also worked in a local primary school, which is funded by Mary and James's charity. The school is over flowing with children. My class alone had 70 pupils, in a classroom lacking in light, space and seating. This said, the teachers and pupils are fantastic; they are eager to learn and loved having us there.
Along with other volunteers, I also helped paint the outside of the classrooms. Our ABC wall and world map will be of great assistance to the teachers and pupils as they can be used as learning aids in place of textbooks which are in short supply. |
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I also got extremely close to a number of families in Matili. Organising hospital visits and collecting medication for those who could not afford it. In particular I worked with a disabled girl called Viona (7 years old) who crawled everywhere. The wonderful thing is that the children of the community gave her piggybacks so she didn't miss out on anything.
With fundraised money we got her a Zimmer frame and had her assessed at a nearby hospital. The improvement in her mobility within a month was incredible. I am now funding her to go to a disabled boarding school where she will receive free physiotherapy and I can't wait to go back and see her progress! |
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Overall my experiences in Kenya have been fantastic. I have never cried so much (particularly when I had to leave!) but it is one of the best things I have ever done. I will always hold a place for this programme in my heart and in particular the people I met along the way.
Mary, my ‘black momma', is an incredible lady with an amazing spirit and James is an intelligent and good-hearted person. Mary, James and their extended family made my experience what it was and I can't wait to go back and see them all. |
Louise Pritt
 Further information on the Kenya Community Outreach Project
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