With increasing demands for schools and pupils to have a greater awareness of global issues through citizenship studies (see the DfES website here) have you considered linking your school with an African school in one of the poorest parts of Kenya?

Amani UK, as part of its ongoing support to the people and community around the town of Oyugis, in the Luo region of western Kenya, has established links with over 30+ schools serving over 13000 children (many of whom are orphans). All of these schools are very interested in and are hoping to link with a UK school. Through Amani UK’s partnership with three on-the-ground community projects and our own dedicated Schools Liaison Worker the initial and often difficult stages of first contact can be made easier. Given that none of the Oyugis schools have electricity or email we can also help facilitate the ongoing relationship through Schools Liaison Worker, Kenyan field workers, and regular UK visitors.

Our register of interested Oyugis schools was compiled by one of our volunteers who is herself a Director of Learning at a Surrey secondary school. During her summer holidays she visited Oyugis to research whether a formal schools linking program was possible and then met with all the interested Head Teachers to ascertain the viability and practicalities of such links. Here are some of their comments:

"We are optimistic that a link will help our pupils and the local community at large."

"I am pleased and excited at the thought of linking with a UK school which should benefit all of our children."

"The entire community will appreciate a link with the UK that hopefully will assist in alleviating the challenges that the school faces whilst learning about Africa."

"The school would like to become a shinning example of how a link can benefit us all."

Some of the Head Teachers with our volunteer at one of her meetings.

The benefits of a schools link can be many and varied and include:

• Encourages understanding and friendship
• Examination of values and attitudes
• Become active global citizens
• Developing a better understanding of the world we live in
• Develop skills to combat prejudice and discrimination
• Penpals
• Focus for Outreach charity initiatives
• Sharing of teaching experiences
• Possibility of visits
• Sharing of lesson support materials

So, what will a link entail? To be honest we don’t really know! Rather than setting a prescriptive formula we see it as a new-found friendship that through careful nurturing and willing participation from both sides will hopefully develop in its own natural way with both sides working together for mutual benefit.

Alternatively if a formal link is too much, how about adopting one of the schools as your outreach charity recipient?

If you are interested and would like to know more please click here to contact us by email.

Erokamano! (Luo for Thank you)

For further information see:

• How this project started
• So what are Oyugis Schools like?
• An overview of the Kenyan education system
• A perspective from a UK school that has already made a successful link
• The Schools Register
• Established Schools Links
• Some suggested Do's & Don'ts
• Our Schools Liaison Worker
• Stuck for a project idea?
• Useful Links