My daughter’s school is one of several island schools to be paired up with another school in Kenya.  What is school twinning you ask? It is when one school pairs up with another school that may not have the available finances necessary to purchase basic school supplies. My daughter’s class exchanges letters and pictures with their twinned class. Her school also holds various fundraisers and sends the money to the twinned school. By doing this, the kids can learn about another country and how important it is to help others in need. I’ve included more info from the website below. It’s a very interesting concept and a great idea!!
Karibu: Two Easts A School Twinning Project Background:
When several of our Farmers Helping Farmers members went to Kenya in 2002 to visit our agricultural projects, we began to realize the impact our projects were having on the local schools. In the Nyeri district, for instance, the added income resulting from the expanded Wakulima Self-Help Group Dairy project enabled more of the members’ children to go to school. The parents could now afford school fees and uniforms, or could get access to small loans through the Dairy to pay the fees. In Meru, the impact was just as positive. One woman, who was a water tank recipient from Farmers Helping Farmers, remarked tearfully, “I can now get my children to school, clean and on time!” It demonstrated to the Canadians the high value Africans place on education! Several of our members therefore made a commitment to share what they had learned in Africa with schools in our own Canadian province by developing a school-twinning project.
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Project Impact:
Four schools in the Nyeri district are now successfully twinned with four Prince Edward Island schools. They are:
- Morell Consolidated School - Mwati School (2002)
- Miscouche Consolidated School - Gathukimundu School (2002)
- Vernon River Consolidated School - Khuti School (2003)
- Montague Senior High - Meru School (2004)
Students from each school exchange letters and photos that encourage a better understanding of each other, including different cultures and global issues. We estimate that over 2000 students are being reached by this project. Farmers Helping Farmers relies entirely on generous financial donations from the local Royalty Rotary Club to fund Karibu:Two Easts. Additional support from the Prince Edward Island Twinning Schools, the Prince Edward Island Department of Education, and the management committees and school chairpersons in Kenya have also helped make this project successful. This opportunity will benefit students, teachers and their communities for years to come.
