Visit to Kenya by Hannah Cooper, cpywt Youth Worker

Earlier this year I set out on an adventure! I was flying to Kenya! My purpose was a reconnaissance for a future young people’s trip there, planned for the summer of 2009. I managed to get myself on a pre-organised trip – with a group of curates from Chelmsford diocese, who were visiting the mount Kenya East area, which has had a link with our diocese for the past 30 years.

Because of the recent troubles in Kenya, there was doubt about whether the trip should go ahead. However, with reassurance of those in Kenya hosting us, and the positive change in Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice, we decided to continue with the trip.

After a brief unplanned stop in Mombasa (due to fog at Nairobi airport), we arrived, met with our driver and started the journey to the Kirinyaga diocese, which is where we stayed for the majority of our time in Kenya. Kirinyaga diocese is a rural area, just below mount Kenya, in the north of the country. Once there, we visited many places, and were totally immersed in Kenyan culture.

My main aim was to establish whether a trip next year would be possible for our Coggeshall Gateway youth group. As a youth group we had decided that we wanted to visit a different culture, develop relationships with the people that we meet – and also to raise some money to be able to be able to get involved in a project that would leave a positive lasting memory of our visit.

It soon became very clear that there was no problem in safety in the area we were visiting, and that a potential youth visit would not only be viable, but would be very warmly welcomed by the people there. It was also very interesting learning first hand about the recent troubles. The media in England made it sound as though everyone in Kenya had picked up a machete and rioted! However that simply wasn’t the case: while there were some areas badly affected, most places – like Kirinyaga – were totally unaffected.

During my stay I spent 4 days getting to know the Revd Phyllis: she is the manager of Street Children Provision in Kirinyaga diocese. One of her duties is to manage the Utugi Children’s Centre. A residential care project for boys, this has now been established for some 8 years. Currently Utugi houses 18 boys ranging from the age of 8 -18. The Revd Phyllis is very keen indeed for our Gateway group to visit next year. It has tentatively been agreed that the project we are to get involved in is to provide the boys with a playing field to include a football pitch. Currently there is little cleared outside space on their plot of land, so a cleared playing field and painted football pitch would give the boys some much-needed safe playing area.

A youth group visit next summer would also involve visiting other areas of Kenyan life. So the plans would include a visit to both a primary and secondary school, at least one youth church service and also St. Stephens Children’s centre (similar to Utugi, but about 10 years ahead, so this would give a good idea of what Utugi could look like with support in the future).

I’d also like to take the group to Samburu Game Park, giving them all a chance to take a break during the trip, and to see some of the wildlife.

The cost of the trip is probably going to be in total about £1,300 per person –this figure includes all the money needed for creating the football pitch and all the donations that will be given to the projects that we visit. While parents will be asked to foot some of the cost, we will be spending the next 18 months doing lots of fund raising to make the trip become a reality.

If you would like futher information please contact Hannah on 01376 563861.