2018 Project Trip – Week One Summary
The Giving Exchange volunteers headed out to Kenya last week to begin their service projects. The team arrived at Morning Stars Ministries Children’s Home in Kenya on August 6. The next day, the group went to Kangoya Primary School where they were greeted with a performance by some of the school’s top students.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY ONE
The team set up some fun workshops for the children which included dancing, crafts, American football, rope making, and more. The afternoon was spent touring the facility and checking in on projects funded in previous years, such as the library from 2017 and the recently added greenhouse.
The greenhouse was ready for sowing, so The Giving Exchange team got to work preparing beds and planting seeds. The group also worked on building a water tower. The water tower will be an important structure for the community. The water tower will support the crops in the garden and greenhouse, as well as provide clean drinking water for the children.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY TWO
The second day of the trip, August 8, was filled with similar activities as the first day. The team continued to work on constructing the water tower and plant seeds for the coming year.
The group was also sure to connect with the children. The team members played games of chess and helped the kids make structures out of legos. The school children even serenaded our youngest volunteer with Happy Birthday.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY THREE
On August 9th, the Giving Exchange team split into two groups. One group visited the Raiba Primary School in Kiambu and the other group headed back to Kangoya Primary School to finish working on the water tower.
TGE took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Riabai Primary School. TGE sponsored two important projects at Riabai to improve the children’s safety and health. These projects included building a security fence and a rain catchment.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY FOUR
August 10th was a free day for TGE volunteers. The group had the chance to explore the community and see more of Kenya. Sites visited included Nairobi National Park and The Giraffe Center.
The free day was also used as an opportunity to scout out additional service projects. A potential future project is a safe house for young (13-17 years old) at risk and abused women in Kenya.
The evening concluded with the completion of the Morning Star projects as well as bonding time with the children.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY FIVE
A majority of the week one team departed Morning Star to head back home. The remainder of the volunteers continued to finish up some of the Morning Star projects and play with the children.
Week two of the service project trip has already begun. You can follow the trip’s progress with daily Facebook updates.