Back home…to Shimoni

After a short holiday including a trip to the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru, it was back to Shimoni to begin my placement as an intern. After spending a month in Shimoni last expedition as a volunteer, it felt a lot like coming home.

-Volunteers returning home now as staff members--

Although there are no classes running in the schools in Shimoni for all of April, Fran the Community Officer and I are still managing to keep very busy. The expedition began with a needs assessment of the various community groups we work with so as to develop a list of project goals that we can realistically see achieved within the next three months.
It was really heartening to see and hear about how active the groups had been during our break and how enthusiastic they were to continue to work with G.V.I. Among our plans are the development of branded products for the SAFE Shimoni group to sell to tourists and the community alike in order to fund their outreach programs which cover everything from first aid to pre natal care. We also hope to get cooking lessons underway with the Women’s Group so that they can further fund the education of some of the community’s neediest children. We are also working in tandem with the Health Committee to establish a waste management system in Shimoni and to open a public toilet block.

--Some volunteers cross the channel to Wasini island--

As well as all of this, adult English classes are up and running again and better than ever, we are attending revision classes with students at Matunda Bora and Shimoni Primary School and we hope to have most of the classrooms painted before school starts up again in May.
It’s very busy and the days are long but it’s great to be back at work!

Back home…to Shimoni