Little did I know that know that what started as my son’s school project on ‘family origins’ would result in us visiting my newly discovered family in South Africa in 2009. This led me and my family on a completely different life journey, culminating in building a fully functioning primary school in a poor region of Kenya in 2011.

​Inspired by my initial adventure, I decided to do a volunteer stint at an orphanage in Kenya and after witnessing the poverty and squalor first hand, I understood the enormous importance placed on education in this developing country.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if we could build a little school in a big slum for say 50 kids”…was the random comment I made to my husband, Chris when we returned to Kenya the following year.   Incredibly, this became the reality for us.

We then literally ‘stumbled’ head first into building and establishing our very own primary school – in a large slum, opening with not 50 children as planned … but 117. Within 18 months the roll had grown to 380+ children and 12 staff.​
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Through my book “I Share My Heart with Africa” I talk about my love for Africa and my beautiful African journey.  And it all began from our small coastal town here in New Zealand.  I share with you our amazing journey; this includes my joys, my immense satisfaction and the overwhelming drive needed to persevere, together with the enormous challenges, battles and frustrations in establishing a project in a slum of Kenya, where communication and culture operate in extremes.

Author:   Denise Carnihan

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