Papplewick boys combine adventure with fantastic challenge in Africa in partnership with the Ubunye Foundation

During the Easter Holidays a group of year 7 and 8 boys with a passion for adventure and helping others were taken to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa for the opportunity to help an impoverished community in rural Ciskei region
They were able to push their own boundaries through adventure based learning activities and partnered with the Ubunye Foundation in order to build an ablution block for the Ncedolowethu Early Learning Centre in a village in Ciskei.  The boys managed to raise over £5000 to build composting toilets at the school where children had previously only had a pit latrine.  The Ubunye Foundation is a rural development trust based in the Eastern Cape with a reputation for innovative programmes led by rural communities.

At the beginning of this great opportunity the boys spent two days getting acclimatized at the coast and were lucky enough to do some fishing in the Kleinemonde lagoon and some time at the beach.  On the second day they went to do a site visit to meet the kids that they were fundraising for. A morning was spent meeting and playing games with the children. It was great for them to see the impact that their efforts are making on the lives of the children and staff at Ncedolowethu. The school has no running water and the aim is to continue our partnership and raise money for a rainwater harvesting system next year. 

After leaving the coast 3 nights were spent camping at a wilderness camp on the Assegaai river where they did activities such as; hiking, abseiling, rock climbing, orienteering and bush craft. This was an excellent opportunity for the boys to really experience the African bush and get up close to some of the wildlife.

They were then lucky enough to experience a day safari at the Sibuya private Game reserve where they enjoyed a river cruise, game drive and lunch in the bush. At Sibuya they got to see some of the more dangerous game that they had not seen at Assegaai.  After this they headed inland to the Great Karoo where they stayed for two days and went river rafting in the headwaters of the Great Fish River. The boys stayed in tents next to the river and had some great evenings with huge bonfires under the clear desert sky. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  The trip culminated in a stay at the mountain village of Hogsback where the boys hiked in the foothills through the indigenous forests they had 11 days in-country and covered over 1500km.

Headmaster Tom Bunbury said 'This was an opportunity of a lifetime for a very lucky group of boys to be able to push their own personal boundaries through an adventurous time whilst actually  being given the opportunity to meet the boys and girls they were trying to help and forge friendships- a humbling experience and one which I am quite sure will be etched on their memories for a lifetime, and I am thrilled that the partnership will be continuing into the future for other boys to be able to help out.'


June 2024