Dol Dol primary school, Kenya
Kenya and Ivory Coast
In 2002 senior partner at Leigh Day, Martyn Day, successfully obtained a payout of £4.5m for Masai and Samburu tribespeople in Kenya who were killed or injured by unexploded munitions left near their grazing grounds by the British army. The firm has also acted on behalf of people pursuing clinical negligence and personal injury cases in Africa. Leigh Day maintains its link with Africa through its office in South Africa, and by making regular contributions to educational charities. Russell Levy, a clinical negligence partner with the firm and originally from South Africa, took the opportunity in 2007 of a visit to Kenya to visit one of these projects.
Dol Dol Primary School
In 2006 the firm decided that it would like to extend its charitable work to other parts of Africa and started to work with Peter Kilesi, a community worker to identify a suitable project. Dol Dol primary school is in the Laikipia District, about 200 km north of Nairobi in Kenya. The school has over 600 pupils, with boarding places for 120. Since 2003 primary education has been free to all in Kenya, but in practice many children are still denied a place at school because of the cost of uniforms, books, stationery and food. The position of the many children orphaned by HIV/AIDS is even more precarious as, although they often have extended families to act as guardians, they are usually last in line for any spending on education that is available. In the Masai community these children often end up herding grazing livestock. We subsequently were delighted to bring in the Africa Educational Trust to assist with the administration of the project.
There are about 200 orphans in the Laikipia District, 100 of whom are HIV/AIDS orphans. From September 2006 Leigh Day have sponsored 32 of these orphans so that they can finish their primary education. All the orphans board at the school to ensure that they receive daily meals and are able to finish their homework (many Maasai homes do not have enough light for studying) and are able to join in with all aspects of school life. Many of the students have received a very disjointed education, so 14 year-olds may sit alongside six-year olds and be achieving at the same levels because the older child has had to take time out of school to herd cattle.
Dol Dol students
Russell and his son Max visited Dol Dol primary school in 2007 and were immensely impressed by the dedicated and skilled staff at the school. The head of the school, Yoakim S Kuraru, showed Russell around the school, and the visitors were treated to a special traditional welcoming ceremony including dance and poetry by the students. The overwhelming impression was of a group of students who valued their education beyond measure. The firm is proud of its record of supporting education in Africa and in particular of its annual commitment to a growing number of students which is especially useful to charities. In total the firm has donated more than £100,000 to help African children reach their full potential. Leigh Day will continue to offer financial help to primary school children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and is now considering how to extend this help to those children who have finished the first level of education in Kenya.
Russell said on his return to the UK:
"HIV/AIDS and poverty are the biggest problems facing Africans. The life story of each of the orphans we support is heart-rending. It was truly moving and inspiring to see how successful this project is. We will do all we can to work with our partners in Africa to continue and expand our educational projects. Rather than making individual donations we are convinced that long-term commitment is necessary. We are helped tremendously by the great dedication and skill of our colleagues at Dol Dol Primary School, project co-ordinator Peter Kilesi and the other trustees including Head Teacher, Yoakim S Kuraru, as well as the Canon Collins Trust, the University of Western Cape and the Africa Educational Trust”.
