In the classroom

Responsible tourism – giving something back

Africa is a fabulous holiday destination but, as we all know, it is a continent of extremes. There are rich and vibrant cultures, warm and friendly people, amazing wildlife and scenery and some world class luxury accommodation. There is also terrible poverty and deprivation.

We feel it is our responsibility as an African tour operator to put something back, to try to improve the lives of some of the people whose land provides our clients with such wonderful holiday memories. We are therefore very proud to support St. Lazarus Community School in Kibera.

St. Lazarus Community School was formed in 1996 when a group of people from the Silanga village of the Kibera slums and Rachel Lomosi, who is now the Executive Director, wanted to help the numerous disadvantaged children in their community have a place to receive an education, shelter and healthcare.

The Kibera slum of Nairobi is the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa. According to Alioune Badiane, the director of the UN Human Settlements Program, "It has 3,000 persons per hectare. I do not see any other place in the world that has such a density". Kibera has a population of up to 1.2 million people in an area about the size of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens in London. More than 25% of the population of Kibera has been diagnosed with AIDS, and most of the residents live in an atmosphere of despair and severe deprivation. Many of the children are orphans at an early age due to AIDS and other diseases. More than 50% of the population is under the age of 15 and approximately 80% of all youth are unemployed.

The only place that was available when the school was formed was a couple of small rooms located in a dangerous area just a few feet away from the main railway line. St. Lazarus has since grown and through generous donations another 'mud' building has recently been purchased inside the slum. This is currently being renovated so that the children will have a better learning environment and not be as crowded in the classrooms. In addition to education, the children are provided with breakfast and lunch at the school which for many of them is the only food they get all day.

St. Lazarus now has four teachers, a headmistress, and 120 students. There is a board of directors, based in Nairobi who meets once a month to help drive the vision of the school, provide accountability and grow the school so more children can be positively impacted.

For every holiday that we arrange we make a donation to St. Lazarus and invite our clients to do the same if they feel it is appropriate.

t: 01625 440777 e: info@kenya-indepth.co.uk

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