New Book – Decision Street

PROOF AND PRACTICE IN KENYA – FROM SURVIVAL TO ABUNDANCE

By Brett Girven, Principal, The Arbor School

THE LANDSCAPES OF KENYA ARE VAST, AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE THERE IS A CANOPY OF GREY-GREEN ACACIA THORN TREES AND SCRUB. ABOVE, THE BLUE IS VIVID AND JUXTAPOSED WITH THE CUMULUS CLOUDS WHICH SEEM FIXED TO THE CANVAS LIKE A FAKE SCENE CREATED FOR A SCHOOL PLAY. AWAY FROM THE SUMMER HAZE OF DUBAI WHERE MY VISION OF THE HORIZON IS ALWAYS SEPIA-TONED, EVERYTHING SEEMS UNBELIEVABLY CLEAR, WITH THE COLOUR SATURATION TUNED TO MAXIMUM. THE NIGHTTIME QUIET AT KIVULI CAMP IS ALMOST PAINFUL. I FEEL MYSELF NEEDING TO FILL THE VOID WITH SOMETHING - TALK, MUSIC, ACTION...IT TAKES A FULL DAY TO APPRECIATE HOW TO SIT WITH THE SILENCE. KIVULI ENCOURAGES INTROSPECTION.

 Meeting some of the local students who have received free uniform through the Arbor - Kapes partnership  Brett taking part in a lesson

 A typical classroom in Kenya with approx. 90 students per class, sharing desks but looking and feeling smart

FROM DUBAI TO KENYA

Arbor School is a sustainable school based in the United Arab Emirates, in the urgent and fast-paced city of Dubai. As an ‘Ecological School grounded in the British Curriculum’, we take sustainability seriously and believe that the route to a future where there is enough for all, forever, requires a transformational learning experience which engages head, heart and mind. As a part of the drive to contribute to a culture of sustainability, Arbor took the decision to partner with Kapes for the production of a sustainable school uniform just as the global Covid-19 pandemic gripped the world. The decision had many moving parts but in hindsight was a ‘no-brainer’, a partnership where both parties are tightly aligned in terms of purpose and passion. Not only would Kapes provide uniforms produced in the most sustainable way possible, with the founder standing behind his commitment to source organic and sustainably grown raw materials, but Kapes also ensured they were produced by workers receiving fair pay and fair work conditions, with a preplanned circular flow of resources as used uniforms would enter a carefully designed pre-loved sales cycle. The icing on the cake was the philanthropic element. For each uniform set Arbor, students purchase, a child in need SOMEWHERE in the world would receive a uniform which allowed them to go to school well clothed. school Principal well versed in pedagogy and impact cycles, I quickly had to school myself on the organic cotton picking challenges faced under Covid restrictions, and procurement times for organic cloth from India. Topics I can confidently say my teacher training did not prepare me for. Fast forward a year, and Matthew Benjamin, the founder and CEO of Kapes emailed and asked, “Would you like to come and visit the school where your students are providing uniforms to children in need?” Needless to say…next stop Kenya. Whilst I could dwell on the incredible experience of visiting Kirigu Primary school in Nairobi, where smiling students proudly wore their new uniforms without which they would be excluded from attending school, the more transformational experience occurred at a much quieter and less-heralded partner of Kapes, approximately five hours on a quietly rocking train to the East. of Kenya, a collection of thatched huts that range from dormitory to family huts to outdoor classrooms. Comfy and homely but not glamorous. Baboons bark beyond the fence, and whilst stories of bull elephants rampaging towards the camp exist, these are fading into distant memory like the hillocks which fade into the creeping darkness. The camp is well maintained, and the rangers patrol the perimeter. Stoic, smiling men, shining with purpose, and radiating confidence. This is their garden. Rukinga Ranch forms a part of the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor between Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks, and in association with Wildlife Works, has been going through a communitybased conservation effort to conserve and preserve the natural environment. Wildlife Works is situated on the Rukinga Ranch, but its impact can be felt far beyond the ranch as it reaches out into the community of this area. The local Kenyan staff are the teachers, the scientists, the chefs and the experts. Ms Rahel gently detailed the soap making process - the hard science of acids, bases and neutralization supplemented by the aromatic sensuous sounding cinnamon, lime and jojoba. Mr George is a gardener, mad scientist and passionate conservator rolled into one. He keeps the audience enthralled despite the heat, mixing Kiswahili with English, his knowledge of place and community mixed with the heart-science of companion planting and permaculture. Messieurs Bernard, Daniel and Alan all brought their passion to our visit, illustrating at each step how their part of the picture bought sustainability, enterprise and community to the fore. A trilogy of powerful forces for sustainable change.

The story of Kivuli, Rukinga and Wildlife Works is told in all the small enterprises taking place at their headquarters, with a garment factory; a greenhouse and nursery; a seamstress academy and various supporting workshops and offices. In reality, this is a much more important story, for which these separate enterprises are only minor part actors to the main player - conservation. Or more precisely, community-based conservation. The garment factory provides work for the local community, so they may feed their families and don’t need to hunt for bushmeat or burn forest for

For each uniform set Arbor, students purchase, a child in need SOMEWHERE in the world would receive a uniform which allowed them to go to school well clothed