East Africa

As part of our ongoing connection with the Christian Masai school in Tanzania that the Senior school visited in the Summer, we have the opportunity to sponsor a small number of children through their primary education. It costs £340 to educate a child per year, and if anyone from the King’s community would like to assist with sponsoring a year or part of a year, then do contact the Chaplain on spadfield@kings-rochester.co.uk. Thank you to those who have already signed up, as we seek to maintain our link with this important charity.

Jack S (U5) had the opportunity to visit Kenya and Tanzania with the School during the summer and see how your support has helped so far.  Jack writes:

In the summer month of July, King’s School Rochester embarked on an unforgettable trip to Kenya and Tanzania. Escaping from the ever-changing British weather, Wednesday the 10th of July marked the beginning of our expedition.

Upon our arrival in Nairobi, King’s were whisked away to Magnet School in Ongata Rongai. Our hearty welcome from the Magnet School was not one to ever forget, by which through the dancing of the young girls and the children, many smiles were expressed. During our wonderful time there we were introduced to their school facilities, local church, surrounding primary schools with Bishop Kibobi graciously inviting us to have dinner in his home. We, as King’s pupils take many basic necessities for granted, therefore our visit into the Kenyan community was a stark realisation of the prevalence of poverty that surrounded us. Our evening meals at Magnet consisted of yams, rice and traditional meats which was a change from our Western diet. Within our time at Magnet, we were taking out of the quarters to visit the house of Karen Blixen and the Giraffe Park, by which the King’s pupils fed the stomachs of the ravenous giraffes.

Kuja Safaris were responsible for our astonishing visit to the Masai Mara National Park where we “glamped” overnight. However, our expectations for breathtaking animal life were surpassed on our second visit to the Masai Mara National Park. Phones and eyes captured the spectacular beauty of the wildlife. In order to complete our safari triathlon, we embarked on a short adventure to the Nairobi National Park. Emotions remained high on that day, after we were introduced to the many baby elephants that were within the orphanage. One of many dreaded long-distance bus rides were on the horizon, as on Thursday 18th July we travelled from Tanzania to Arusha, then straight onto the MAPED Masai Christian project. Many hours on the bumpy roads!

Our stay at MAPED consisted of taking part in a plethora of activities – ranging from cleaning our sweat-ridden clothes in the local river, to attending their prestigious church service. The King’s pupils were split into colour coordinated groups, where each group was responsible for cooking, cleaning and other chores. However, the coordination between the King’s pupils was not transferred onto the football pitch against the Masai children where we were thoroughly defeated. One of the more memorable occasions was witnessing the sacrifice of a goat, which was a token of appreciation by the Masai tribe.

With only a few days remaining, but with many more memories to create, our final bus ride terminated in Dar Es Salaam, where the tents were replaced with luxurious hotel suites, overlooking a swimming pool and a picturesque beach. At last, all the worries of camping were washed away through a flush of a toilet and the steam of a hot shower.

The 2024 Kenya and Tanzania expedition was a truly grounding experience, and I hope every King’s pupil gets the opportunity to participate in the near future.

Read more and see more photos here