We Really need your help!

We have now set up a Yimby page where you can support us online. We appreciate all you kindness and support!
https://www.justgiving.com/yimby/SRSKenya#/ 

The Project so far:

In February 2015, eight children from Barut will be going on a once in a life time journey to join us here in Dubai. These children represent eight different Kenyan tribes and will be joining us in SRS for one week. The children will be sponsored by a local family and experience the Arabic way of life as they are welcomed into  local homes. They will also be experiencing our unique British and Arabic curriculum in our fantastic new surroundings. 

We also want to provide opportunities for these children to experience UAE culture and customs in after school events and activities and are seeking anyone who feels they would like to contribute ideas or support.

 If you think this is you please contact Mr Gary at gary.m@srs.ae or leave a comment here on our blog. 

Barut Primary School

Barut Primary School is located in Nakuru, Kenya. The school is on the out skirts of the fourth largest city in the country and is surrounded by countryside and neighboring slums.
The school community represents 10 local tribes with children from various backgrounds and social statuses.
Barut Primary is a Government funded school, however the school has to supplement its income by raising animals on the    school site to cover expenses. Class sizes at Barut are approximately 65 children per class with one teacher to provide them with the best education they possibly can.
Children learn in a very basic way with no modern teaching techniques or access to modern technology.

Meet The Team!

My name is Gary McNally; I’m in my third school year at SRS as a Learning Mentor. This is a trip that I feel very passionately about and as part of my responsibility within Global Links at SRS, I have been given the opportunity to help plan it. I’m looking forward to working closely with fellow members of SRS staff in order to raise the necessary funds for the trip. I hope that by taking part in the project I will get the chance to experience another culture up close and learn from my experiences. I’m looking forward to seeing the Kenyan school system first hand and learning from their experiences in such a contrasting school from ours. Over the past few months I have also built up a relationship with a teacher in Barut Primary, named Zach. We have been working closely whilst trying to set up both this project and our Kenyan student visit. I’m looking forward to meeting and working alongside him.  Zach also has the aim to make his school more internationally aware and we can hopefully share ideas on this in order to build and grow the Global Links program at SRS. 

My name is Lindsey Coleman and I am originally from
Aberdeen in the North East of Scotland. I am in my second year working at SRS in the Science department and am currently KS3 co-ordinator. As soon as I heard about the Kenyan link through Gary, I immediately thought it was an amazing idea with huge potential to benefit students both in Kenya and Dubai. I am most looking forward to meeting the students in Kenya and learning about all aspects of their life.  Through this project I also hope to get to work closely with the teachers at the school so that I can learn more about how education works there.

I am Mr. Mohammed Hassan, I teach material sociology at 
SRS, where I have been honored to work for five years. I am proud of our educational institution where we place top priorities in community work and volunteering- not only within the UAE, but also abroad - so the idea of this Kenyan project emphasis on the importance of faith in the school and that humanitarian work and sharing the job is an integral part of the vision and mission of the school. I am very glad that I became a member of this project and will make every effort with my team of teachers from the school in order to make it a success together and make it a tangible reality and we hope to create smiles for our Kenyan students, I hope this will be a real success and I am happy to be part of a journey which will all be proud of. 

Hi, My name is Kellie Hoult and I have been living and working in the United Arab Emirates for the past year and a half. I'm originally from England, United Kingdom. I'm fond of travelling around all continents in the world but I have never been fortunate enough to make it to Eastern Africa, until now! It is an honor to be part of the Global Links team here at The School of Research Science; who are dedicated in sharing the schools core values internationally. I hope that by taking part in the exchange I will gain a real insight into the life and education of some of Kenya's children and a real feel for the community in Nakuru. I thoroughly look forward to meeting and working with all staff, pupils and parents at Barut Primary School during our stay. My key role for this project is fundraising for the charity so please keep checking the blog for any up and coming events/news.

My name is Padraig Porter and I am from county Donegal in Ireland. I am a Year 5 teacher in the School of Research Science and I also have responsibility for P.E in primary as well as after school activities as part of our ‘Learning without Boundaries’ (LWB) programme. I am really excited to have been given the opportunity to be part of such a fantastic trip. Having visited a local Masai Mara school in Kenya on holiday last February, I look forward to sharing my experience and knowledge with the Kenyan people as well as learning from their culture and resourcefulness. I am sure this project will be very beneficial both for the teachers of SRS and the Barut School, both parties will learn from each other and share ideas and practice.

Hi, My name is Victoria McNally and I am from Ireland. I have been teaching in SRS and living in Dubai for three years now. I am a year 4 teacher and have also taught in our Early Years department. I am also our school Charity Coordinator for KS2. I feel very blessed to be part of this project and have volunteered for various projects like this over many years, working in Romania with Habitat for Humanity and also community projects for peace both in Northern Ireland and Palestine. 
I am looking forward to travelling to Kenya not only to discover new cultures and customs but to also develop my knowledge of the Kenyan Education system. I am excited to share my educational skills with the Kenyan teachers and children to make their journey in learning meaningful and long lasting and to provide them with some skills to grow and live in our diverse world today. I am also looking forward to working with the wider Kenyan community to help make their life a little easier during my short stay. I appreciate all your support to help make this project a success. 

Hello, my name is Bobbie Carter, and I am from Brisbane, Australia. I have been living in Dubai for the past year and a half, and work as a Science Teacher at SRS.  Experiencing different cultures and becoming immersed within a community are passions of mine. I have been fortunate enough to of recently travelled to other parts of Eastern Africa, giving me a taste of what to expect during my stay in Kenya. It will be a privilege to volunteer my time and energy to helping those within the Kenyan community, especially the children. I am enthusiastic, dedicated and determined to make this project a success. 

Jambo! My name is Siobhan and I am from Ireland. I lived in London before moving to Dubai 2 years ago. This is my third year in SRS and I am currently teaching Year 6. I have taken part in volunteer projects before, working for Hope Community Resources in Alaska and have also done volunteer camps with autistic children and adults in London. My previous volunteer experiences were really rewarding, however, volunteering to teach in Africa has always been something which I have wanted to do. When Gary mentioned the opportunity of working with the SRS Global Links team it didn’t take much to persuade me!

I travelled to Kenya last year and it was one of the most wonderful places I have been to. We have a really great SRS team and I am looking forward to heading back with all of them to visit Nakura. I think it is a fantastic project and I am really excited about working and learning from the teachers and children in Barut Primary School. I know with everyone’s hard work, dedication and some fun the project will be a great success!

My name is Aimee Wilcox and I am in my second year of teaching at The School of Research Science. Before I moved to the United Arab Emirates I lived and grew up in Hertfordshire, England. I am in my eighth year of teaching and much of this time has been spent working with children with Special Educational Needs, as this is where my heart lies. I am currently the Special Needs Co-ordinator at SRS, which is a job that I love. I am keen to learn about the Education system in Kenya and how the needs of different learners are met. I look forward to exchanging ideas to develop teaching and learning across our school communities, so that we can all develop as creative professionals throughout this project. During my University teaching degree I went on a similar school community placement to the Gambia; this was an amazing experience and another reason why I am really keen to take part in this exciting project. I am really looking forward to fundraising for our project as a team, collaborating with Barut School and meeting all the wonderful children and staff!