Gap-Africa Update

At the beginning of this academic year the College's pupils and staff helped raised a brilliant £18,077 through the whole school sponsored walk. The challenge was in aid of the charity Gap-Africa and we are pleased to be able to provide an update on how the funds have been or will be spent.

In the first instance, the fees to sponsor eight children to attend secondary school, which is not free in Kenya, have been covered for 2023, 2024 and 2025 (at a total of about £3,000 per year). Each House sponsors one of the children, who sends across updates on their education. Marcel Wagner, who founded Gap-Africa in 2010, said in a recent letter to the Housemasters, “It is reassuring to know in advance that school fees are held and set aside by us. This will see your sponsored student through to the end of their secondary school time and many thanks are due to you all.”

The charity was founded on the back of Shiplake College's support of the Kikunduku Schools Project (KSP), as a result of the first Expedition Society trip there in 1994. After headmaster Nick Bevan’s visit to the KSP in 2004 he began a biennial marathon-length walk down the Thames Path to raise funds for the Expedition Society to use during their visits to the KSP. This support carried on through the headship of Gregg Davies and continues under Mr Howe. The Covid pandemic promoted an extended break but with the help and support of the School's Chaplain, Revd Chris Briggs, the tradition was resumed last term.

Before Christmas, £5,500 of the funds were used for building an administrative residential (matron’s) house, which is for a live-in member of staff to help supervise a large dormitory for girl boarders at one of the schools. Marcel adds: “You have also made a substantial contribution to the construction of the Matron’s dwelling at Utithi Primary School… Once the Matron is on site the girls’ dormitory, that is complete and stocked with beds and mattresses, will see it occupied. The girls in this space will now not have to travel distances every day and have more time to dedicate to their schoolwork. The school also has light for evening homework, something most children do not have at home and there is a limit to how many solar lights we can provide for home study. A further benefit is that the poorer students, AIDS and Covid orphans, will receive three meals a day and not go to bed hungry as is often the case.”

More recently, £8,327 was used to cover the cost for a UK Charity, WellBoring, to sink a much-needed water well at Nzouni Primary School, and also service some of the other pre-existing wells that Gap-Africa have helped drill. Clean water does away with many diseases and troublesome conditions that are associated with contaminated and turgid water and as a result the wells are improving the health not just of the pupils but the entire population attached to the villages.

Finally, if there are any funds left over from the sponsored walk donation, there is a string of minor projects Gap-Africa try and cover each year! In the recent Gap-Africa Newsletter, it said: "Gap-Africa is sad to pass on the news of the death of our amazing trustee, Revd Christopher Briggs, the Chaplain of Shiplake College. Chris had only been a trustee for a year and a half but in that time made a huge impact and was very active pushing our work forward. Chris was also our direct link with the College and represented our interests on campus and will be missed in many ways, especially his infectious and mischievous smile and his clarity at trustees' meetings."