A team of students from Concord College in the UK is looking to achieve a remarkable feat during their two-week stay in Kenya starting August 4, by raising Ksh1.7 million (£9,600) for underprivileged children in Embu County.
Guided by the leadership of four staff members, the students have already embarked on a diverse range of activities that are likely to leave a lasting impact on the local community.
Among their notable accomplishments, the students have already conquered the challenge of hiking Mt Kenya, ascending to an altitude of nearly 5,000 meters as they reached the summit.
The group has also participated in other activities such as visiting street families and supplying food to impoverished families in slums. They have also renovated classrooms in a special school. Besides this, they have also helped run health clinics, offering crucial assistance to improve the well-being of the local population.
“Embu was extremely heart-warming. It solidified my aspirations to be a doctor and also gave me further inspiration to try and help people,” one student told the school publication.
The collected funds garnered from both fundraising events and contributions made by the students themselves will be channeled towards The Moving Mountains Trust, an international charitable organisation.
The organisation has gained recognition for its noble activities not only in Kenya but also in Tanzania and Nepal. Renowned for its extensive charity initiatives, The Moving Mountains Trust provides vital assistance to disadvantaged children.
During their stay in Kenya, the students have termed the experience as life-changing and moving, having witnessed firsthand how street families navigate their daily activities.
"It is one of the great joys of teaching, sharing these moments with students seeing them develop personally, reaching new limits, and seeing how much potential they have," remarked one of the staff members.
Needy students in Kenya have in the past attracted overwhelming assistance from the international community and charity organisations.
According to data published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in 2020, at least one million children aged between 3 and 7 in Kenya were multidimensionally poor, deprived of their rights and fulfillment.
KNBS's findings also indicated that multidimensional poverty was more likely among orphans, children with disabilities, those residing in rural areas, and those with larger numbers of siblings.
