By recording 77% survival rates after 2 years of joining Phase II of the Schools’ Green Initiative Challenge, Mashamba Primary School got a chance to visit Olkaria geothermal power plant on 16 August.
Peter Karuria, Olkaria’s safety officer engages the students during the tour. Pic.|E. Nyamasyo
This was part of their reward for emerging position 2 in the tree growing competition implemented by KenGen Foundation in partnership with Bamburi Cement and Better Globe Forestry.
Accompanied by the Embu CSO David Kithaka, their head teacher John Muringo,
and green teachers Josphat Kyule and Martha Mwangangi, the students and were all eager to catch every word from Peter Karuria, Olkaria’s safety officer, amid the din from the power house, as he explained the process of geothermal power production. This was the group’s first visit to a KenGen power plant.
Enjoying the warm waters of Olkaria Spa.
READ MORE: Exciting Mombasa Tour for GIC Phase II Winners
Mashamba Primary School is one in 120 schools that participated in Phase II of the GIC from 2016 – 2018. Located in Embu County, one of the driest areas in the country, the schools employed several innovative tree nursery management techniques to ensure the seedlings survival. Apart from mulching and drip irrigation, the students also adopted individual trees and nurtured them to maturity.
After lunch, the students couldn’t wait to take a dip in the spa, surprised at the warmth of the water, their excited laughter echoing across the pool.
On a game drive at Hell’s Gate National Park thereafter, the GIC champions marvelled at herds of buffalo and zebra, and found the warthog quite a comical creature that they couldn’t stop talking about!
Early morning camp breakfast at Fisherman’s Camp, Naivasha
Apart from educational trips, the GIC rewards for the top three performing schools also include scholarships, water tanks, gift vouchers and certificates. The GIC is unique in that it incentivizes young minds to be proactive in environmental conservation through tree planting. The project also incorporates the setting up of communal woodlots through a Farmer’s Outreach program, managed by project partner Better Globe Forestry.
The students spent the night camping at Fisherman’s Camp, a first time experience for all of them including the teachers that will forever remain etched in their memories.
Check out the slideshow for more pics.
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–Ernest Nyamasyo, Communication Officer