TWO members of Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) have traveled to Kenya to deliver clothing donated by Usk Primary School students.

Training lead John McConnachie and social worker Grace Bridgewater have been in the Western Kenyan village of Uyoma as part of the charity Msingi Wa Tumai which Mrs Bridgewater founded.

While there, the pair delivered child protection training and the clothes the Usk Primary School students brought on the last day of school year.

Their work will be a great help to the village, and it’s school Gagra Primary which was founded by Mrs Bridgewater’s father.

The school has 800 children, three quarter of whom are AIDS orphans. Of the 800 who attend the school, 500 are girls.

In total there are 2,000 orphans in the village, many as a direct effect of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Mr McConnachie spoke of how it felt for people of Monmouthshire to be able to contribute to this cause. He said: “I was proud of being from Monmouthshire before I arrived in Kenya but to personally deliver clothing donated from Usk Primary School with my colleague Grace Bridgewater has made me feel even more proud of the people from our wonderfully kind county.

“To see 600 children arrive at the school in Uyoma was the most overwhelming experience for me.”

It was that chance to personally deliver the donations to the children and see how they lived that really hit home with Mr McConnachie. He said: “They are so grateful and very happy to look their best at school as they value education highly. They are smart in appearance and learning.

“To see these people delighted to receive a polo shirt or a dress when they have no access to clean running water or anything luxurious such as electricity is something that will stay with me forever.”

To find out more about the Msingi Wa Tumaini charity visit www.mwtumaini.org