Students from a special needs high school in Thika will benefit from the launch of a mentorship programme designed to develop their leadership skills. The Interact Club was launched at Joytown Secondary school by the Rotary Club of Thika, with the aim of sensitizing the students on the importance of community economic development and environmental conservation. Confirming the launch of the programme, Rotary Club Thika Secretary Mr. David Muli said the club would interact, mentor and guide the students and at the end of each school term, fund a project that would help their school or community. ‘Our club has partnered with the school in other projects before and therefore when the opportunity to launch Interact club that was specifically created for secondary school students arose, we were more than happy to associate with them again,’ Muli said. ‘As you know, Joytown is a school for the physically challenged and we saw the need to provide encouragement and financial support in order for the students to understand that their physical incapabilities should not deter them from excelling in projects at school or even serving their communities,’ he said. He further clarified that their primary area of focus was the environment and as such, a tree planting exercise was observed where the students, teachers and guests planted 80 trees within and around the school compound. ‘We are concerned about climate change and the general impact it will have on the future generations in Kenya. We want to make sure the younger generations appreciate the value of nature and trees and their impact on the well-being of the environment and this is why we encouraged them to plant the trees,’ said Muli. Speaking to KNA, Faith Wanja, a Form 2 student at the school said they were very happy about the club launch. ‘When you walk into the school you now spot many trees planted in the compound and this can be attributed to training conducted here today which will change the outlook of the school in a few months and years to come. We are happy that the club has taken interest in us and we are excited to work on this term’s project with the theme being environmental change for the community,’ said Wanja. The exercise was conducted in line with the government’s pledge to increase tree cover beyond farms and agricultural land and reduce carbon emissions by 32 per cent by 2030.

Source: Kenya News Agency