Two Ron Dearing UTC students spent a month in Kenya helping to make a difference in disadvantaged communities, making memories to last a lifetime.
Year 11 students Isabella Sykes, 16, and Ethan Ehlert, 15, took part in the trip organised by overseas school expedition specialists Camps International, with 19 other students from Hessle High School and Sixth Form College and Cottingham High School and Sixth Form College.
They each had to raise £4,500 over two years to cover the cost of the whole trip and equipment needed for the journey, which began with flying to Nairobi, the country’s capital city, via Frankfurt in Germany.
Isabella and Ethan stayed at various camps across the country, sleeping in tents, bunk rooms or basic lodges, and sometimes travelling up to nine hours on a bus between destinations.
They helped to plaster homes and huts, lay floors in a school, make bricks, clean paths, plant trees and carry out wildlife conservation work, as well as meeting local children and families and seeing an array of animals in the wild.
Isabella said: “The experience made me realise I don’t need everything I have at home. I can live for a month out of a little bag, in a tiny room, and I don’t need my phone all the time.
“It taught me to go outdoors more and opened my eyes to how other people live. I haven’t stopped talking about it since we came back. It’s a beautiful country and it was worth the two-year fundraising struggle.”
Isabella and Ethan held car boot and bake sales to help raise some of the money required for the trip and they both set up online fundraising pages to gain sponsorship from family and friends. Raffles also helped to add to Ethan’s total.
Ethan said: “I wanted to try something new and it took me out of my comfort zone. I made some really good friends and learnt a lot about myself, such as how I am when I’m away from home and living with other people.
“Everyone was so welcoming and I didn’t see one unhappy person. No matter what conditions the local people were living in, they always had smiles on their faces.
“Some adults don’t learn what we’ve learnt, or see what we’ve seen, and I’m so pleased we went. We saw a lot of wildlife, including monkeys, elephants, giraffes and lots of insects.”
Ron Dearing UTC Principal Sarah Pashley said: “This was an incredible opportunity for Isabella and Ethan and an experience they will remember forever.
“We’re proud of them for stepping outside their comfort zones and taking on such a challenge, including fundraising, being away from home for four weeks and learning vital life skills.”