Our family were lucky enough to host our school’s guest Edward, the Head Teacher from Mitoto Primary School in Kenya on Tuesday evening. We collected Edward from school with the children at 3.30pm and had a coffee together and spoke about basic life in Kenya - sharing information and learning about each other’s cultures.

It was such a privilege to have been given the time with Edward and learn about school life in Kenya. Children at Mitoto travel up to 5km each way to school by foot, bicycle and some by motorbike. We discovered that the learners at Mitoto are divided into 8 different classes, each with mixed age groups and that there was one teacher to approximately 80 - 90 children. Mitoto school has the same number of teachers as our school, but has 900 children rather than 200! Learning about life’s basic difficulties and also that life without technology is often far simpler!

We spoke about life in our family, and how we are so lucky and blessed to have the things and opportunities we do. One of our daughters read a book with Edward about the human body, showing him the different parts of the body with 3D glasses. Hannah then chatted about her love for teaching and the children’s Super Medics course that she has written and taught to the children at school. We shared a meal together, and it was such a pleasure to have a tiny insight into life in Kenya. We now feel that we would love to be more involved and perhaps visit Mitoto. Edward spoke of the relationship that Mitoto have with Plaistow and Kirdford school (over the last 10 years) and how the school have fundraised to provide 4 new classrooms in addition to a cow, which has now had a calf and provides milk to make porridge for those who cannot afford breakfast at home.

Thank you Mrs Jesse for arranging the experience, and for allowing us to invite Edward into our home. It was very special, and we look forward to hearing more about Mitoto, and seeing both Edward and Jayne in school again soon.

Hannah & Matt