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Solar Energy: A sunny solution to boarding school blackouts

 in Central Pots / Kakamega / Partnerships / Research / Summer / Summer 2018 / Summer Team / Summer Team  tagged energy / epafrica / epafrica18 / female education / grassroots development / impact / Instagram / kakamega / opportunity / partnership / solarpower by

Context Anyone who has spent any time in Kenya knows that power cuts are frequent and disruptive. The effects of  these outages are particularly dire in boarding schools, where students are plunged into darkness every time there is a power cut, severely inhibiting their ability to revise or do their homework outside of daylight hours (7am to 7pm). The cuts are unpredictable and can last several hours or even days. Electricity bills in the secondary schools […]

Kakamega Period Party – by Jamie Southall

 in Central Pots / Kakamega / Project Workers / Summer 2018  tagged epafrica18 / gender / impact / kakamega / menstruation / opportunity / partnership / personal development / summer team / sustainability by

The context On the 14th of August, Kakamega Central House saw its first ever Period Party. I had been researching cheaper and more sustainable alternatives to the poorly supplied sanitary pad system our school uses, and became interested in menstrual cups as a possible solution. After making some enquiries, I found that many  companies could potentially supply a large number for free or at a discounted rate.   After myself and other Project Workers presented […]

Organisation is Key – by Eddy Sidebotham

 in Kakamega / Partnerships / Project Workers / Summer / Summer 2018 / Volunteers  tagged epafrica18 / impact / investment / kakamega / organisation / partnership / personal development / volunteer by

In my day-to-day life, I would say that I am fairly organised and tidy (my family might disagree with the latter point, given the chaotic state of my bedroom at times…). It has only been through my work as a Project Worker in St Mary’s Mukhuma Secondary School, however, that I have realised the true value of tidiness and organisation. Upon our arrival at school, it quickly became clear that St Mary’s faced great challenges […]

Thinkpiece: Is it truly the ‘Death of the Boy Child’ ? – By Zahan Bharucha

 in Insights / Kakamega / Kisii / Mbarara / Schools / Summer / Summer 2018  tagged female education / gender / impact / kakamega / personal development by

Preconceptions, Misconceptions and Reconceptions Prior to arriving in Kenya my understanding of gender within Kenyan society was simplistic to say the least; having viewed Kenya as a country still under development, I presumed that gender parity would be a distant reality and that women in the country would face an uphill battle in achieving gender equality. This impression was only compounded by some of the advice I came across before travelling, advising girls to cover […]

From Kabul to Kenya: A Change is as Good as a Break

 in Kakamega / Summer / Summer 2018 / Summer Team / Volunteers by

Karibu Kenya “Every Ten Minutes”; said the sign outside Jomo Kenyatta Nairobi Airport, promising a shuttle bus between terminals with – under any standards – impressive frequency.  I began to wait in the pleasant dusky warmth, perched on the edge of the pavement. A group of Kenyan ladies strolled past, their wheely-suitcases fitted firmly on their heads. “Karibu Kenya”, they announced. It had been a long journey from the dusty heat of Kabul, where I […]

School Visits Over the Years – Change and Continuity (Part 1: Change)

 in Summer  tagged epafrica18 / school selection and progression / School Visit / summer 2018 / summer team by

Along with ensuring the safety of our Project Workers (PWs), school visits are amongst the most important things that the Summer Team do. They are an essential part of our model, ensuring that every year we have a great group of partner schools with whom to work; schools that will keep the Project Workers safe, and work hand in hand with them to improve the quality of education for their students. First off, a 90 […]

Life in Kakamega – by Jennifer Zhang

 in Insights / Kakamega / Partnerships / Project Workers / Summer / Summer 2018 / Volunteers  tagged epafrica18 / kakamega / project worker / Water project by

Landing in Kenya with my enthusiasm and passion, I have been experiencing all kinds of different things in this unique country for the past month. I got to encounter different people and come across cultural specific moments in central house, schools and downtown, exploring the small county Kakamega as a college student from China. Jackie Chan and Ching Chong Chan Being Chinese in Kenya makes up loads of special moments of the experience. For example, […]

From 13 to 23 in two weeks

 in Kakamega / Summer / Summer 2018  tagged epafrica18 / girlchild / personal development / summer team / Volunteering by

My experience with EPAfrica has taken me straight to my role on the 2018 summer team, a volunteer coordinator in Kakamega. Before I arrived three weeks ago, one of the main sentiments that had stuck in my mind from the website was that this, my sixth time in East Africa, was another ‘opportunity for personal development’. I did not, however, anticipate that this development would be so plainly visible in the age estimates I have […]

Our first week at George Khaniri Jepkoyai, Kakamega

 in Kakamega / Summer 2018 by

by Soham Dalwani and Zahan Bharucha It only truly hits you that you are a Project Worker, when you enter the school compound and are instantly greeted by a wave of ‘how are you’s from over a hundred students at once. For more than half a year we wondered what the experience will be like, where we will be living and how we can help; but all these questions fade away when you see the […]

8 Years On : Fiona Rushbrook re-visits Masosa Secondary School

 in Summer by

I was a project worker for EPAfrica in 2010 and spent my 12 weeks working with Masosa Mixed Secondary School. I’ve managed to visit the school a few times since I left, whilst a Summer Project Manager and during my time on the Management Committee. However, it has been almost 4 years since I last visited and so whilst working in the region I took the ‘long way’ from Kampala to Nairobi going via Kisii […]