Lottie Paine, a student at Plumpton College, is raising funds for an life-changing trip to work in a school in Kenya in June 2025, along with 30 other students and staff.
Lottie was born in Rye, attended Playden Primary School and Claverham Community College before starting at Plumpton College in Lewes in September 2024 studying for her level 3 animal management qualification.
Plumpton College works with African Adventures, a charity which organises volunteer trips to work in schools in Kenya, Zanibar and Ghana. Plumpton College have a partnership school, Nanning’oi Primary School in Nakuru, Kenya, which was built by the charity ChildFund to help rescue girls from early marriages and provide education for vulnerable girls.
During the two-week trip, students on African Adventures can chose to become involved in helping to construct and maintain school buildings, or work in the classroom supporting teachers. Lottie has chosen to work in the classroom. “I want to spend as much time with the students as possible. At secondary school I was a sports leader and so am keen to organise games and teach the girls dances – things that they will enjoy and may not ordinarily have the chance to do.”
Lottie needs to raise £2500 to cover the cost of the trip but hopes to raise more. “I am taking one suitcase of donated clothes and also plan to use extra money raised to take washable and re-usable sanitary products for the girls as the cost of these and disposable ones are high.”
Lottie is most looking forward to getting to know what life is like for people in Kenya and sees this as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “It will be so interesting to spend time in school and to understand how people live and to talk to people about our lives too.”
Lottie’s first fundraiser is a pamper evening on Saturday, January 25 at 6pm at the Tilling Green Community Centre with stalls and mini treatments with beauty therapists such as hand, foot and back massages, nail polishing and even tarot card readings on offer. The price is £5 which includes a glass of Prosecco on arrival. So far, 30 tickets have been sold online, and Lottie is hoping for more people on the day. Tickets can be booked here.
There are further fundraising events planned: a golf day at the London Beach Hotel in Tenterden on April 26, and a Chocolate Bingo night at Rye Rugby Club.
Rye News hopes to hear more about Lottie’s fundraising events and also about how she gets on in Kenya.
Donations can be made at Lottie’s gofundme page here.
Image Credits: Lea Paine .