January 2024
Operation Imprezza Trustee, Anne England, visits the school
At the beginning of January I made a trip to Imprezza Academy. The first trustee visit since pre COVID, and to greet me at Kisumu airport was an enthusiastic Catherine and Daron and sunshine !
We spent the night at the Sunset hotel prior to our estimated 2-3 hour trip the next day to Buscia county.
I can understand the “estimated” as the roads are not conducive to exact time of arrival when you take road conditions ( mud, dust,washed away bridges, chasms,) ,traffic (including donkeys,horse carts,buses,taxis and pedestrians) and unpredictable mishaps( puntures, accidents) and comfort stops.
I arrived at the beginning of the year when students are returning to the school and enrolling with trunks,mattresses and books- for the lucky ones or enrolling with nothing apart from the clothes on their back and need to be kitted out by the administration with uniform, books , mattress and the basic equipment to start secondary school away from their families in a new setting which could be very strange for them and unfamiliar. The students take about a month to all enroll but quickly become a part of the cohesive whole that is Imprezza and by February the the school is in learning mode and full swing.
The school is like a big family with staff and students looking out for each other and caring for each others well being. Each day is strictly scheduled and very early academically focused. Work begins before sunrise with written exercises in books and formal teacher led lessons begin at 8am until 5pm with a break and a lunch in-between. Studies continue in the evening until about 10pm.
There is an emphasis on physical activities as well as academic and the students play football with devotion, basketball and rounders as well as other ball games and running activities mostly barefooted.
There is a level of joy in the students who feel being at Imprezza is a real privilege. To be able to have the opportunity to have 3 meals a day , a mattress on which to sleep and the opportunity to learn with the prospect of improving their lives. The pupils are ambitious with aspirations of becoming teachers ,doctors, engineers, journalists and pilots . These are real possibilities that they would not be normally able to attain given their impoverished backgrounds and start in life . The majority are street children, orphaned, abandoned or discarded who have been given a key to open a door they never thought would be possible.
I felt humbled and honoured to be a part of these students journeys to a brighter future made possible by operation imprezza contributing to the upkeep of this unique school in such a deprived area of Kenya. Every pound contributed goes towards the basic needs of the school -food,clothing and educational material for the boys and girls. The challenges of the cost of living , the the upkeep and the food mean that we need to be more mindful of our contributions.
I implore you to continue your support to this school.
Thank you, Anne England
