Africa week at Kenilworth School has become an annual Spring event as part of their award for International involvement.
To raise the awareness of students about people and situations in the developing world, the school invites local organisations with links in Africa to take part. The Kenilworth / Uyogo Friendship Link has joined in Africa Week since its inception. Members of the Link are invited to take assemblies, prepare african food, arrange lessons alongside the school staff and support the students in their fundraising. Lessons have included sensitive letter writing in English, discussions about poverty and its effects in RE, environmental concerns like sharing the earth’s resources more equitably in Geography and preparing African food in Food technology. The curriculum is enriched in new directions and our aim is to be sure that all students in Kenilworth are aware of the Link and how it benefits the village and its people.
Students have undertaken events like sponsored famines and sponsored head shaving. The USU concert – Urban Sounds for Uyogo – organised by the students themselves from all year groups is a ‘sell out’ every year, supported by students and parents. A ‘Swing Night’ for adults rounds off the week on the Friday. Some of the proceeds from Africa week have been generously donated by the students to KUFL each year, to help their friends in the remote village of Uyogo. We have been able to do so much more since the students joined with us, so we are very grateful to them.
Even more exciting is the fact that this awareness has encouraged some students to visit Uyogo. Mr. Nahal and sixth former Richard Evans travelled there, taking gifts from Kenilworth school and developing lasting friendships. Matthew Williams who during his school life started working on the lighting for USU concerts remembered Uyogo and arranged to visit during a university vacation holiday, teaching in Africa. Joanna Minchin a medical student from Warwick University spent a summer working in the hospital near Uyogo. Thus the knowledge generated at school was life changing.
