Teaching in Kenya isn’t as scary as you might think!

Before leaving for my project I had no plans to really be involved that much in the classroom as I probably had the same thoughts as many people - I'm not experienced enough to teach a large class of children in England, let alone in Kenya and would I actually be of any benefit to the children and school as a whole? I wanted to help on the sports field and with renovating classrooms, not be in them.

Well I can honestly say not only was it the single handedly most rewarding experience I had on my travels it also was so warming to see the appreciation and the smiles on the children's faces everyday when they saw me heading for their classroom. I won't deny there were difficult times, such as when the language barrier became a problem but that encourages you to be more creative with your teaching style and think of ways that will allow the children to understand you better. I found during the time I was in the school the children were always a pleasure to teach, at first they could be a little shy but it didn't take them long to come out their shell and feel comfortable in your presence. They were also always extremely respectful and viewed you as an authoritative figure just like their regular teachers.

I would say to everyone who goes volunteering with Africa & Asia Venture to give a teaching a try. We will all get nervous and a little scared but once the first lesson is done your confidence grows and grows. I would definitely say it has given me more confidence as a person, and what better way to improve your ability of talking in front of large groups of people than teaching a class of 64 Kenyan primary school children!

Lloyd Mackenzie's placement in Kenya was arranged with Africa & Asia Venture