Bill Mackie, partner at Cripps Harries Hall, has just returned from the trip of a lifetime to Kenya with Build Africa, the charity that helps young people escape poverty through education and income generation in Kenya and Uganda.
Every year Cripps Harries Hall chooses to fundraise for a charity and this year Build Africa was nominated. Cripps Harries Hall staff have been keenly fundraising to enable the charity to build new classrooms at Kong'asis school in the Naivasha region of Kenya. The Kenyan school has 704 pupils, with a pupil teacher ratio of 64:1 and only one decent classroom before the recent construction of two new rooms. To date, Cripps staff have raised over £10,000 in support of the cause through a variety of fundraising activities.
Bill Mackie self-funded the visit and opened one of the newly constructed classrooms with Elaine Gordon from Build Africa. He took suitcases filled with equipment for the pupils donated by Cripps Harries Hall staff including skipping ropes, footballs, whistles and stop watches. He also took letters to the children from children in Tunbridge Wells as part of a pen pals scheme.
Bill Mackie, Cripps Harries Hall commented: "I was very proud to be representing Cripps Harries Hall on this visit. All the people of Kong'asis were immensely grateful - the fact that people many thousands of miles away are thinking of them and supporting them in such a tangible way has undoubtedly given them hope and encouragement for the future. It is difficult to convey just how appreciative these people are."
Oliver Kemp, Chief Executive, Build Africa said: "It was a great experience for Bill to visit the school and meet the children who are benefitting from the new classrooms Cripps Harries Hall has generously funded this year. The teachers and children were thoroughly overwhelmed with the gifts Cripps staff sent over and there was a general air of excitement amongst the entire community."
Based in Tunbridge Wells, Build Africa works exclusively in Kenya and Uganda. Its work includes building schools and providing guidance to the schools once constructed to ensure that they are effectively managed. For more information about Build Africa visit www.build-africa.org and the specific school in Kenya at http://www.build-africa.org/schools.php?id=74&year=2011
