Last week, six Year 6 pupils from Peppard Church of England Primary School spent an afternoon here at Shiplake to learn more about the hard work that goes into the sponsorship of deprived schools and children in Africa.
The visiting pupils were taught about the day-to-day school-life in Kikunduku Pry School, Kenya, and shown images and videos made by our own pupils who visited the school back in 2015. After seeing the hard volunteer work that the expedition society and Headmaster Gregg Davies do, our visitors from Peppard Primary were challenged to make footballs similar to those used in Kikunduku. The balls are made of plastic bags tightly wrapped with elastic bands until they are firm and heavy enough to be kicked.
Peppard Primary School has been described by Ofsted as a 'happy, caring place' which, according to Chair of Governors Christine Bradbury, encourages children to 'achieve fully and become life-long learners'. Headmaster Nick Steele, who accompanied six of his pupils to Shiplake, said
'The children had an eye opening experience. They saw the many similarities between their lives and the lives of the children in Kikunduku, which they could empathise with. The School Council now aims to change the life of one child, by supporting them through secondary school. It is my hope that through acts of compassion such as this, they will become proactive global citizens.'
Shiplake supports the charity Gap Africa, both financially and through excellent volunteer work. Every summer, the Expedition Society travels to Kenya to build schools, classrooms, desks and other furniture to be used by pupils and teachers alike. For more information on how you can sponsor a child, please contact Darius Bluck ([email protected]) or Jennifer Nunes ([email protected]).
