During our Year 4 Kenyan topic, while the children learnt about the landscape and diversity of this beautiful country, we also heard of a tragedy – The Solai Dam Disaster.
The dam had broken its banks and the water destroyed a nearby community and the local school. Using a link we have with Mrs Boddy’s daughter (Emma), who works in a nearby school in Kenya, our year 4 children asked what they could do to help. The children decided to run a cake sale here at school and it raised an amazing £201.51. We presented a cheque to Emma and Kato who visited our school towards the end of the Summer Term.
In the aftermath of the disaster, the Kenyan Red Cross had stepped in to help the community and re-build the school. With the help of the Kenyan Red Cross, the Headteacher, Mr Ketani and the School Pastor, Pastor Ndegwa, it was decided that the money raised should be spent on purchasing school bags for the worst affected children. Within the last few weeks, Emma and Kato were finally able to take some Year 9 students from their school to the local school in Solai and presented them with the school bags for the most vulnerable children, some of whom had lost everything, including their homes and family members.
Mr Ketani (Headteacher) said that the children were all very grateful for the bags and that they would make a big difference as the children have a long way to walk to school with heavy books to carry. They said thank you to all at Wallace Fields Junior School, for raising the money.
We are especially proud of the children and their families who created posters, arranged and ran the cake sale (and provided most of the cakes!), Rohan (5M), Lilli (5M), Lola (5M) and Rose (5B) – what a huge achievement!