College project obtains charity status

Gower College Swansea students (past and present) joined forces with staff and friends last week to celebrate the new official charity status of the Kenya Community Education Project (KCEP).

The KCEP, which was set up at Gower College Swansea in 2003 and is largely run by students, aims to support the Madungu community in developing their education resources and capacity, leading to improvements in their access to education, skills, income and employability. 

Special guests on the night included representatives from Soroptimist International (Swansea) and Swansea Lions Club, both organisations who have kindly donated to the project in the past.

Key speakers included: Gower College Swansea Principal Mark Jones; founder of the KCEP Ann Reid; former student Nina Prells, who has herself visited Madunga Primary School; and Rowen Neville, the current KCEP student president.

"It was a great evening," says event organiser Lisa Pettinger. "We enjoyed wonderful performances from two of our Gorseinon students and our raffle raised £135. Another collection for Pauline (a Kenyan student who is part way through her secondary education) raised an amazing £1,000. The feedback we received was excellent in relation to the achievements of the KCEP and the efforts of the students on the night and over the years."

Next up for the members of the KCEP is a fund-raising 40-mile walk through Cannock Chase in March.

Photos: Nikkila Thomas