INTER-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

  Are you a qualified or trainee Schoolteacher? Are you a committed Christian Scientist? If so, we invite you to come and widen your cultural horizons at Sunrise for one to three months.

  Please email us an essay on why you wish to have such an experience, to: sunrise@gecor.co.ke. We will then send you our Application and Code of Conduct forms. Your application will then be considered carefully. Plese note that this is not a holiday but an inter-cultural experience and requires self discipline and commitment. We also want to point out that all visitors to Kenya must take out TRAVEL INSURANCE. The Board is grateful for your willingness to visit and we are happy to consider your application. Thank you for your interest in our school.

Here are a few impressions from some of our volunteers:

An excerpt from the logbook of Heiko from Germany, who stayed with us for 3 months:

I went from the 17th to the 19th October to the Sunrise of Africa School in Waithaka. During this time I made christmas cards with the 3rd up to the 7th grade.

The main difference between Waithaka and Garden Grove, Kitengela is very easy to see, Waithaka is a poor underclass area and Kitengela is an upcoming middleclass area. Therefore, the whole surrounding of Waithaka looks less developed then it is in Kitengela. Also the kids are, on account of  these conditions, more surprised to see a white person, so that I ended up with all kids from baby class up to the second grade, trying to give me at least their hands or to be lifted up by me, which was quite an experience.

The kids were also less accustomed to the art materials I brought from Germany, so that some of the materials found there way into the mouths of some extra brave kids.

Another new experience for me was that the whole school in Waithaka looks a lot less developed than the school in Kitengela. So that in Waithaka every building is made of iron sheets and that throughout the small space of the school, the smell of the toilets sometimes finds its way into the classrooms.

Maya, a volunteer, writes:

My time in Nairobi has been precious. I had come to Nairobi as a guest to see how the Sunrise of Africa schools were doing and have left as part of the family as Thomas and Janet Mugera have gone out of their way to make me feel at home. During my stay, I’ve learned much about Sunrise in particular and education in Kenya in general. Great value is placed on education in this country as many see it as the only way for social and economic mobility both at home and in the world arena. However, lack of resources and overcrowding make it impossible for the public sector to handle the demand, causing the private sector to step in and alleviate some of the burden. Sunrise of Africa has taken on the task.

I am mainly volunteering at the Waithaka campus, sitting in on classes from pre-school through 5th grade, as well as guest teaching art to the older students. What I’ve witnessed has been quite impressive. I was humbled by the teachers’ preoccupation with what I would think of their classrooms, which are insanely small and barely accommodate the students who are literally on top of each other. (The school has seen rapid growth, now having more than 150 students and adding a grade level each year. It is quite a feat to keep up with the demand). They share all the materials and use them until they are in tatters. But what I’ve witnessed firsthand is that physical environment is worth so little in the grand scheme of things. What is important is the quality of education, and the teaching here is clearly top notch. The students work extremely hard, attending class year around and many opting to come on Saturdays for extra tutoring.

If Waithaka is able to be so successful with limited resources as it has been difficult to expand because of land issues, I cannot wait to see the effectiveness of the new school, Garden Grove, with its modern facilities and plentiful land. The neighborhood is growing around the school and the message is getting out to families that this is an institution that is academically second-to-none. Sunrise of Africa’s vision of providing “academically outstanding co-educational schools, based on Christian principles,” is manifested in all grade-levels. As a non-profit making school, “they aim to provide education equal to the expensive, Nairobi private schools, emphasizing the development of the whole child.” The Sunrise schools are making good on this promise. They have students that come from all backgrounds, including orphans as well as refugees from neighboring countries. Regardless of their background, they are given the opportunity to receive a stellar education and are instilled with important moral values. Sunrise of Africa Schools are making a positive contribution to the education and rearing of Kenyan students. While perhaps lacking in material wealth, these students use what they have to the fullest and obviously have a wealth of a different kind: the ability to learn and grow. They hold inner qualities that outshine outward wealth and will one day make their country proud.

N.B.: The lack of space Maya mentioned has since been alleviated. Following our prayers, 3 extra rooms became available. Read about it in the News section!

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