NINE church schools in the Lichfield Diocese have formed partnerships with church schools in Western Kenya, close to the Ugandan border, following a fact-finding visit by teachers funded by the British Council.

Accompanied by the diocesan schools’ advisor Rosemary Woodward, they went to cement the partnership between the Lichfield Diocesan Board of Education and the inter-denominational Inter-Christian Fellowships Evangelical Mission’s education department.

The teachers, none of whom had visited Africa before, spent a week at their own partner school, teaching and exploring Kenyan school life and education alongside staff there. They also worshipped at the local church and spent time with parents, governors and local communities.

Meanwhile, Rosemary, who has visited IcFEM several times before, spent her time visiting other Kenyan schools with a view to preparing future links for more Lichfield church schools.

‘The focus is on mutual understanding and sharing and the building of friendship, rather than on giving and taking,’ said Rosemary. ‘There is much that we in the UK can learn from Kenyan schools that can strengthen learning right across the curriculum, as well as encouraging pupils to realise that children across the globe share so many hopes, interests and experiences.’

Initially the teachers were amazed by the obvious cultural differences – from the journey by road from Narobi to the lack of resources, large class sizes and rigid curriculum. The recent introduction of free primary education has meant that many classes have more than 100 pupils, and some primary pupils are in their 20’s.

However it was soon apparent that there were many shared experiences – professional skills could be transferred into different classroom settings; schools could identify joint projects that can continue across the space of miles; sport, music, art and drama were common interests; and letters, pictures and information were exchanged.

‘But more importantly, very real friendships were built, teachers visited the homes of their headteachers and the warmth of the welcome meant that these visits were highlights of the week, even though two of the party shared their bedroom with the family’s chickens!

‘This was only the beginning of a shared journey. Already curriculums here and in Kenya have been enriched. More schools are preparing to get involved and there are now plans for further exchanges, so that schools and communities here can welcome our friends to the Lichfield Diocese, and more school representatives ca visit Western Kenya.’