See GAPS in action

Information Sessions

The next (and final) info session will be:

Thursday 8th September: 12-1
Arts West G11 (Theatrette 1)

Note: Arts West - Old Ec&Comm Building

Bring your lunch and find out more about GAPS programs!

Volunteer Africa 2011/2012 - Download the current brochure here.

See things like you've never seen them before - volunteer in East Africa with GAPS this year, make a difference and see the real Africa

with projects in partnership with UNICEF Kenya, the Aga Khan Foundation, the University of Melbourne and others

register your interest in the Volunteer Africa program

Learn more

Imutan: a GAPS model village

One of GAPS' major projects is to build and manage a primary school in the remote Masaai tribal region of Imutan in the Rift Valley.

A single school could be a village's pathway to a brighter future. At GAPS we aim to empowerKenya, one village at a time.

GAPS believes that if the Imutan project proves successful, the model can be replicated elsewhere in Kenya and the developing world.

The situation in Imutan

[imutan]

In Imutan, the current cycle of poverty means that:

women must walk up to four hours to collect water for cooking;
women spend the entire day collecting enough firewood to cook just the evening meal;
children suffer from ringworm and malnutrition;
villagers are completely isolated from the outside world in the rainy season – cutting off any access to medical aid;
children and villagers speak almost no English (a severe disadvantage in a country where English is the official language of the government and education system).

Children in the area cannot attend primary school as the nearest school is too far away and their parents are unable to afford the cost of boarding school.

Building a school

Find out more about the Imutan school here

The school will be built using local labour and materials. A team of GAPS volunteers will assist the villagers in the construction of the school.

The running costs of the school will be funded both by the community and through partnerships co-ordinated by GAPS.

Through the partnership, additional teachers will be hired and GAPS will also place volunteers in the community to teach at the school.

Volunteer 'guest fees' will be put in a community development fund which will be used to help develop farming and irrigation projects in the village.

When complete, the school will serve a number of villages and teach over 200 children from years one to seven. It will go a long way towards breaking the cycle of poverty.

You can make a difference in Kenya by entering a partnership, donating or volunteering.