Poundbury Rotarians Bridge the Gap to Mount Kenya in Volunteer Mission

In the cold depths of February, while Dorset was wrapped in winter grey, two members of the Rotary Club of Dorchester Poundbury were stepping off a plane into the 28°C heat of Kenya. Their mission? To deliver hands-on support, hope, and vital resources to rural communities in the foothills of Mount Kenya, working in partnership with the Weymouth-based charity, the Dorset Murugi Community Partnership (Murugi Community Trust).

The trip this year of the 24 strong volunteer group marked the latest chapter in a 27-year friendship between Dorset and the Murugi community. Since 1999, local volunteers have quietly changed thousands of lives by focusing on three simple priorities: education, healthcare, and poverty relief. The group this year included six teachers from Dorset schools with twinning arrangements with local schools.

"Every penny raised in Dorset goes directly to these children and their community. Seeing the impact first hand is both humbling and deeply motivating."

During the intensive two-week trip, the volunteer group worked on a number of projects and connected with local families and friends they had met from previous trips. Dorset Rotary clubs have done a succession of projects in schools in collaboration with the charity. The Rotarians checked up on these and also made contact with a new Rotary club being established in the area to discuss possible future projects.

Key achievements from the February 2026 trip included:

· Sponsoring needy chidren at school: The team visited a dozen local schools, checking in on over 450 children sponsored by people in Dorset and further afield. While Kenyan primary education is technically free, families must pay into school feeding programs; if they cannot pay, children of families, often single parent, living in poverty, and orphans, go hungry and forces them out of school. The sponsorship program, paid to the school, ensures these children are fed, can remain in the classroom and get a life-changing education.

· Washable Sanitary Wear: The volunteers distributed custom, reusable sanitary wear kits to young girls and coached them on how to use them. Without these basic items, girls regularly miss up to a week of school every month, severely impacting their education.

· Baragu Health Centre: The team visited the medical facility which was built entirely from scratch by the partnership over the last two decades and is now adopted by the local health authority. The group decorated a new maternity unit which has been funded by the charity, in preparation for its offical opening by the County Government Minister of Health which occurred during the trip. The unit provides affordable maternity services for local women, reducing the incidence of infant and maternal death and disabilities.

· Connecting with Tech: The volunteers brought donated laptops and mobile phones for local schools, helping to bridge the digital divide for these students. The group also gave photography lessons in one school.

· Sewing skills. One of the Rotarians gave lessons to young people on how to use a sewing machine.

To help sustain these initiatives, the volunteers returned home with a large collection of colouful Kenyan-made bags, beadwork, and jewelry, purchased directly from local traders. These unique items are being sold at Dorset events during the year, with 100% of the proceeds going right back into funding the Murugi projects.

How to Support: If you are interested in sponsoring a child, donating old working laptops, or learning more about the Dorset Murugi partnership, please contact the Murugi Community Partnership murugicommunitytrust@gmail.com. The Rotary Club of Dorchester Poundbury meets weekly on Friday mornings at The Engine Room Restaurant, Poundbury. Poundbury Rotary does projects to support our community here and communities abroad. If you are interested in joining, please email poundburyrotaryclub@gmail.com.