Students and teachers from ACS Cobham International School travelled to Namibia last week to help build facilities for schoolchildren in the south-west African country.

The 22 students, aged between 16 and 17, and two teachers, are taking part in the Namibia Project, a scheme the school started in 1999 so pupils could get involved in charity work.

Over the past 10 years, ACS students and staff have built and refurbished classrooms, installed computers with internet connections, helped teach local children, trained teachers, gathered supplies and undertaken extensive fundraising activities for Namibian schools.

With the help of local sponsors and suppliers, the project has donated over £100,000 worth of goods and equipment since it began.

Teachers from Namibia have also visited ACS Cobham to experience the culture of the area and learn more about international educational methodologies from ACS teachers.

This year’s group, who set off for Namibia on Thursday June 25, have raised over £31,000 and will do voluntary work in two primary and one secondary school in Namibia.

It will also be a learning experience for the ACS students, who oversee the whole project themselves during the 18 months prior to the expedition - taking responsibility for raising money, researching the destination, setting objectives, planning the itinerary and taking turns to lead the team in Namibia.

Kate Sketchley, who was part of the expedition in 2006, said: “We can summarise the material achievements - like painting and furnishing a boarding house, buying uniforms, donating radios and school supplies and paying for teacher training - but each person takes away something different from Namibia.

“It affects everyone in a truly unique way, and part of the experience is seeing just how much the members of the group change because of that. The only way to really know what the Namibia expedition is like is to go and be blown away.”

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