New Kenyan initiative for Oundle

On 13 June, ten pupils and two teaching staff from Ngecho Secondary School in Kenya arrived in Oundle for the first of what is hoped will be many reciprocal visits.

Working with Touraid, Oundle pupils and staff have been fundraising hard to enable the School to offer a large range of experiences for the week-long visit, many utilising the School’s facilities. The visit will also focus on areas where Oundle can learn as much from Ngecho as vice versa, and where ideas raised and skills learnt in the UK can be taken back to Kenya.

The Ngecho group will spend days in Oundle’s Art School, Science Facility (SciTec) and the Design and Technology Centre (with a heavy focus on transferable renewable energy), the Stahl Theatre, and finally a sports day, including a session with Touraid’s visiting ambassadors and Erick Situma of the Kenyan RFU, who is also accompanying the trip. French Rugby Union player, Serge Betsen Tchoua, who plays as a flanker for London Wasps at club level and formerly for France internationally, will also be taking part. He is generally considered to be one of the top flankers of the professional era of rugby union.

The Ngecho group will also get away for some time in north Norfolk and London.

Teacher Marianne Layden explained: 'The drama day is in partnership with Weavers School in Wellingborough. This Partnership was initiated through a Government-led Schools Linking Project supported by Northamptonshire County Council and aims to encourage cross-curricular professional development with emphasis on strengthening the foundation for healthy citizenship and communication skills in children and young people. Oundle has been working with Weavers for the last year, with Third Form (Year 9) pupils from each school taking part. The final project of a drama workshop was planned to coincide with the visit of the pupils from Ngecho School in Kenya.'

Andy Berry, CEO of Touraid, said: 'We’re delighted to be involved in this project, which is a new direction for us. The strength of Oundle’s continued strong commitment to Ngecho and other Kenyan Schools is the perfect foundation for such a link.'

Headmaster of Oundle, Charles Bush added: 'This is an exciting initiative and we look forward to the arrival of the children and staff from Ngecho. They will be most welcome.'

Oundle pupil Chris Rothera, aged 18, who visited Ngecho in October 2009, said: 'We’re really looking forward to welcoming the Ngecho pupils here. When we visited their school in October, it was amazing to see how focussed and inspired the pupils were.'

Oundle has strong links with Kenyan schools, going back to 2001. Staff and pupils visit Murindati and Kimbo primary schools near Gilgil most years, and have more recently begun links with Aitong School near the Masai Mara, together with Ngecho, where the School sponsors ten pupils per year through the Harambee Schools Kenya organisation.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the project can contact Marianne Layden.

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