Millie is a secondary school Geography teacher who has a passion for traveling around the world whilst also making a difference in a variety of volunteering projects.
I chose this programme as I had been recommended Travel Teacher and I had always wanted to visit Kenya. I thought this was the perfect opportunity! It combined travel to see Kenya as well as making a difference through working with the orphanage.
The programme cost was affordable, which meant that this was possible on a tight budget. I also liked that the programme wasn't a month long so it was possible around my teaching commitments in the UK.
Travel Teacher organised the whole programme through Hekima Place. The itinerary was designed for the whole group - we were split into three day groups as some days we were in smaller groups and others we worked together. The only thing that we needed to organise ourselves were our international flights to Nairobi.
I would advise people to book their flights well in advance as we got a good deal compared to others who booked their flights closer to the programme.
I would also do some research online about Hekima Place so you know what you are going into - it was good to have an idea about what to expect. The Travel Teachers social media platforms also give a good idea of what happens on the programmes.
Every day had a different itinerary. Most days consisted of morning, afternoon and evening activities. Some days had free time where we spent time getting to know the girls doing various different activities.
An example day included farm duties from 7.30am-12pm, lunch at 12.30pm, sports development activities at 2pm-4pm, dinner at 5.30pm and enrichment in the evening from 6.30pm.
I was worried about going into the unknown and not knowing what to expect from the programme. Normally, when I go away, I like to make sure that I am fully prepared, but this was not possible with the changing nature of the programme to meet the needs of the orphanage.
By pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I now feel much more confident to travel without having everything planned out!
My favourite memory was family day at the orphanage. The local Maasai tribeswomen came and hosted a market on the driveway of the orphanage. The families of some of the girls came to visit them. I spent the day with one of the older girls who didn't have a visitor. She really opened up to me about her life and I felt honoured to be her family for the day. I will never forget the experience that I had at Hekima Place - it was life changing.