Students for 60K Continue Efforts in Kenya

Over two dozen Northport High School students made the long trip to Kenya during their winter break with the mission of picking up where they left off during an excursion in 2020. During the trip, which is organized by the school’s Students for 60,000 philanthropic club, students visit the Iviani region and work with the community to build a new school for the village children.

The work began in 2020, with students and staff accomplishing just a portion of the final school building. Due to the pandemic, the group was not able to return until this year. Upon arrival, they were thrilled that the local Kenyans had taken it upon themselves to continue the work in their absence, helping them complete the building much quicker. Northport students were then able to work on painting and other tasks to bring the school near completion.

In addition to hard work, students had opportunities to explore the beautiful country by visiting Kilaguni Safari Lodge and Tsavo West National Park, speaking with local adults and children and learning about the nation’s history and traditions.

Club advisor and Northport High School teacher Karen Paquet emphasized that an important part of this process was working alongside the Kenyans and ensuring they were directing the students towards their vision, rather than having the students come in and take over.

Students for 60,000 fundraisers will continue to benefit the village by providing them with school uniforms, supplies and more. A current hardship for the community is a wide scale drought, which has depleted their already scarce water supply. Looking ahead, the group is hoping to support the village in building their own well to provide water, which will be costly and time consuming but incredibly beneficial endeavor.