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World Challenge Africa 2007

Woldingham School World Challenge 2007

After the tremendous success of our 2005 trip to Peru in 2005, July of this year saw 22 sixth form girls and 4 staff members embark on the second World Challenge expedition to Kenya and Uganda.

31 days of acclimatisation, trekking, community work and rest & relaxation lay in store for the girls who had spent the last two years preparing for the trip, which included February in Buxton (not warm!) and raising the majority of the money through various projects such as concerts, parties, cake sales, sponsored runs and even bag packing!

Nairobi was our first destination. Pitching tents for the first time and in a Capital City was a surreal experience, but it was one we would become used to. The first week saw us travel North West to the rift valley, the first of several unbelievable experiences.

Our first trek was not for the feint hearted. We climbed an extinct volcano called Mount Longonot, which at 2776 metres was only a ‘Baby’ compared to what was in store!

After Longonot we travelled to Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru. Both were expeditions in themselves. In and around the lakes we experienced thousands of Pink Flamingo, Hippopotamus, Zebra, Giraffe, Water Buffalo, Hyena, Lions and even a very rare Leopard!

Kenya was an amazing place, the people were friendly and unlike its image we always felt safe.

After only 8 days we crossed the border to Uganda where our trek was to take place. Mount Elgon is another extinct volcano, although at 4,321 metres, this was a daunting challenge for the team.

After a relaxing day spent in a village at the foot of the mountain (this included a welcome dance from the locals – which had something to do with circumcision!) we set off with two gun carrying guides and 14 local porters for company. Five days later, the majority of the group had made the summit and returned back down the mountain. Unfortunately for a few members of the group including Mr Bentley, the notorious travellers bug got the better of them and they had to make do with climbing to 4,100 metres, still an amazing feet, given that the highest mountain un the UK is only a mere 1,344 metres.

Exhausted and in need of a rest we spent a night back with the local villagers before we set off for the eagerly anticipated project work. We spent eight days at Mutufu School, camping in the grounds and helping to build a new classroom and office for the children and staff.

It was humbling to see just how little the townsfolk had. Classrooms were Spartan, books rare and electricity none existent. However, the days spent at the school were some of the most memorable. The fact that we had to fetch our water from a local well several times a day, we had to cook every meal on trangiers, we slept in our tents, had to work 6 hours a day and we were subject to flash flooding, the school children made it all worth while. They loved to dance, sing us songs and play football and volley ball with us.

The final day involved a celebration. The highlight of this was the Leeds Utd Vs West Ham game with the locals (the records will forever show a famous 1 – 0 Leeds victory). The send off they gave will stay with us for a very long time, although the same cannot be said of the Mutufan people, who listened to our dreadful renditions of ‘Shine Jesus Shine’ or the ‘Lords Prayer’ politely.

From Mutufu we travelled South to Jinja and the source of the Nile. Relative luxury, with our first flush toilets in nearly 4 weeks was only one of the many highlight of our two day stay. White-water rafting down the White Nile was just another life enhancing experience.

We spent the final days of our trip in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, the last few days in our tents before the luxuries that we take for granted back home.

Africa was everything we expected and more. Iodine in our water, parasites eating our toes, mosquitoes, bland food, rain flooded tents, diarrhoea are just a few of the many problems we faced on expedition. However, each and every one of us would gladly go through this and more to experience half of what we did. It is difficult to do justice to the experiences that the girls and the staff had over the month of July.

Without doubt it was the experience of a lifetime…roll on Mexico 2009!!

Matt Bentley