Day 20 - Over 2,000 Students!!!

Today we had a workshop with Form 3 students at a high school in Kibera. After our last few workshops containing several hundred younger children, it was a nice surprise to have only 100 slightly older and more relaxed students. We decided due to the lesser numbers that we could do three different workshops and let the students decide what one they wanted to do. We gave them the choice of a civil, mechanical or electrical engineering workshop, and they spit into somewhat even groups.

I took the civil engineering as usual and took my group into a different room to do the straw towers workshop. They were quite quiet and laid back but very thoughtful and considerate about what they were doing, changing their ideas and altering their designs when they saw their classmates towers getting taller than theirs, getting quite competitive. Since they were a bit more reserved than the younger children we have become used to, I was worried that they might not have enjoyed the workshop too much, so I was pleasantly surprised when we asked for a show of hands how many were now interested in pursuing a career in engineering and almost every hand shot up. It was good getting a chance to talk to older children who are closer to choosing their future careers, and they asked some good questions about their options apart from straight to university for engineering.

With the hundred pupils reached from today, that took our total number up to 2,070 - double our original target!! With still five schools planned before we leave, we are optimistic we will reach 2,500 before we fly home. This is all thanks to the efforts of Diana and the University of Nairobi team who contacted all the schools and made the plans to visit them. We are sure they will do an excellent job of continuing on the work with these schools, many of which have stated they would be happy to have us back and continue working with the project.

After another long day, we did some shopping and headed home for dinner and some TV before bed, hoping to get an early night before another school day tomorrow!

- Ruby