College II Begin Namibia Project Preparation
Members of College II met this morning to begin planning for their upcoming trip to Namibia in the summer.
Each year, a group of senior school pupils travel to Namibia on the south-West coast of Africa to provide much-needed supplies and equipment and to offer their services and support to the locals.
The group aims to help improve the learning and development of the local children by creating aesthetically pleasing learning and recreational environments. Typically achieved through producing artwork, murals and renovating or creating existing classrooms or playground facilities.
Their community project efforts will see the girls work alongside the rural community to assist in helping to improve the daily education of the Namibian ‘learners’, as the local students are known, building friendships and bonds along the way.
Combined with the main community project appeal, pupils across Year 11 to College II will be fundraising to enable them to offer further support in other areas, such as providing sports equipment or musical instruments to gift to the community.
The initial meeting, led by Mrs Mumby and attended by College II pupils, Izzy, Leila, Romilly and Sophie saw the group begin conversations on who would take the lead on what area, and initiate ideas for the tools or products they could provide. The cohort will also need to consider their meal plans for the trip and how best to navigate everyday life in their new surroundings. On arrival, the team will travel via truck to purchase items from their prepared list and shall travel to their accommodation in the city of Windhoek where they will stay for the 3-week duration.
Previous cohorts have purchased tyres to rejuvenate and update playground equipment or sent stationary and learning equipment to improve their schooling. Others bought toiletries and sanitary products and provided the children with their own individual toothbrush, something that many of which had never experienced before.
A favourite contribution is often warm clothing and bedding. To support the efforts of the senior school pupils, Ms Mumby’s Junior School felt club will be turning their creative talents to knitting and are hoping to produce a blanket to donate to the worthy cause.
The volunteers will chair future meetings with the remaining attendees to progress with their plans and to decide on how best to fundraise. More information on how you can kindly help will follow.