For the third year in a row, a group of Chapin Upper School students began their spring break by boarding a plane headed to Nairobi, Kenya, for ten days of global education. This year’s cohort was led by Upper School English Teacher Amber Bryant and Head of Lower School Physical Education Alex Holowach, who co-taught a semester-long FOCUS course leading up to their departure.
For over a decade, Chapin has had the privilege of partnering with Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) which describes itself as a “grassroots movement that catalyzes large-scale transformation in urban slums by providing critical services for all, community advocacy platforms, and education and leadership development for women and girls.”
Prior to their visit, the students used their FOCUS course class time to examine SHOFCO’s community development model; the economic, historical, and political context of Kenya; impacts of globalization; and the challenges of building partnerships and communities, big and small.
Our students’ initial days in Kenya were full of joyful and enriching experiences. They began by touring the SHOFCO facilities, including the water plant and library, and visiting our sister schools—Kibera School for Girls (KSG) and Mathare School for Girls (MSG).
At KSG, our students were greeted with a “wonderous assembly” with cards, dancing, music and the Kenyan National Anthem. Our students enjoyed sitting in classes, eating lunch with KSG girls and distributing pen pal letters from Chapin Middle Schoolers.
The students followed a similar schedule the next day at MSG. They toured the health clinic before receiving a warm welcome from MSG’s student government. They attended another assembly during which the Chapin kids were called up one by one to be honored with lanyards with their names on them which they later described as feeling “like the Oscars.” Our students observed MSG’s STEM Lab, art classes and safe house, where students can stay should complications arise at home. MSG students also swapped handwritten cards for our MS students.
Each day of the trip, 2-3 Chapin students were designated as the group leaders tasked with taking photos/videos, writing the day’s blog post, conducting the morning’s “AMP” (Analyze, Manage, Prepare) session as well as “ANCHOR” (Appreciate, News, Concerns, Healthcare, Oh, that’s cool!, and Reflection) in the afternoon.
Over the next two days, our students engaged in a special project: constructing outdoor classrooms on the rooftops of KSG and MSG. Prior to Chapin’s arrival, Good Natured Learning, an organization that aims to bring nature-based education to all schools (they currently operated in Kenya and the U.S.), conducted a workshop with SHOFCO teachers to learn about their dream outdoor classrooms.
Our students helped to bring these dreams to life in collaboration with local Kenyan artist Mr. Dudu and several other organizations including BuildHer, a technical training facility for female fundis (builders) and Harvesting for Good, a sustainability-focused non-profit.
The US students split into three stations: building tool cabinets and painting tree stumps with acrylic paint; shoveling soil and planting various fruits and vegetables for a rooftop shamba (garden); and adding to a mosaic—designed by Mr. Dudu—featuring a vivid design of trees and animals with a blackboard at its center.
“We planted a variety of crops such as beet root, a mango tree, chili, marigold, and so much more! Each group session concluded with the planting of a tree,” our students said.
“It’s rare to see the impact immediately,” shared Chapin Teacher Sarah Bellantoni, who is currently on sabbatical in Kenya helping to open SHOFCO’s third school, and has been instrumental in our ever-growing partnership. “This was something tangible.”
“We were so proud to see our shared accomplishments knowing the impact they will make,” our students remarked. “Even though we are highly disappointed that we won’t be here to see our plants grow or the mosaic blackboard in use, we know they will flourish all thanks to the amazing work and great teamwork of everyone involved.”
During their final days in Africa, the Chapin cohort embarked on a four-hour drive to Mount Kenya with their SHOFCO student friends. There, they saw a host of amazing animals like zebras, giraffes, antelopes and leopards. They also enjoyed visiting the rhino conservancy, where they met a blind rhino named Baraka, which means blessing in Swahili. After this exciting expedition, our students bid farewell to their new friends, marking the end of their time together with “tears, pictures and more tears.”
On their final evening abroad, our students described engaging in “meaningful activities and conversations" with their teachers, saying they were “radiating with gratitude.”
“I think I speak for all when I say that our experience is one that will take a lifetime to process, and what a gift that is and will be in the years to come,” Ms. Bryant said. “The quality of the shared hope and joy we witnessed in the Chapin, KSG, and MSG students was unbelievably concentrated—it had its own physics, its own gravity, its own magic.”
In their note to the community, Ms. Bryant and Ms. Holowach noted, “The 15 Upper School students who made up this year’s Global Program cohort were delighted to share all of the commemorations of our schools’ ongoing relationship, which has resulted in countless friendships, professional growth in all disciplines, nurtured and sustained cross-cultural partnerships, more learning than we could possibly quantify, new outdoor classrooms, and a few entertaining TikTok dance-offs.”
“It was a joyful experience to carry Chapin’s love with us from NYC to Kenya,” they continued. “We appreciate how many of our colleagues and students continue to help tend the seeds Chapin and SHOFCO planted together over a decade ago.” May our partnership continue to blossom so beautifully!
