Through your donations of bikes, equipment and money our Gryphons Abroad team have been able to set up a bike hub in South Africa. This will allow children who cannot attend school as they live too far away the chance to own a bike which will give them a way to travel to and from school safely.

Rosie Victoria Kerr
Our first day in Myankanya High School was a very different experience to the days spent in Gratton School. The school was in a beautiful setting with 360 degree views of the Nkandla region but was much less developed than Gratton and the students spoke less English. This provided us with added challenge which was interesting and allowed us to see a different side to South African education. We were working with the children initiating a cycling programme.

Sponsorship and fundraising has allowed us to provide the school with 14 bikes to set up a bike hub. Today we worked on bike maintenance and initial riding skills, all in all a good and productive day!

Shona Macleod

This day began in the rural area of Nkandla with views quite different from Gratton School. The pitch we used to teach our cycling programme were sandy and half covered by cows, nevertheless we had such a great time. The excitement of the children to get going and their determined attitude made the day one of the most exciting and challenging. Their English skills were much less developed than Gratton meaning demonstrations were our main form of teaching, which is tough to do without a clear explanation. GA Bikes 2Nonetheless, the children got stuck in and by the end of the day we had children scattered all around the field; some having full control of the bike whilst others had managed to grasp balancing whilst on the bike. Overall a really fun day that developed our teaching skills as well as communication and interaction skills due to some of the difficulties we faced.

 

Sian Jones
GA bike 3It’s not every day that you’re lucky enough to take in breathtaking views and teach those who aren’t as fortunate as ourselves to ride bikes. The children of Myankanya High School put our leadership skills to the test, with limited English and an uncertainty around their skill level, we were unsure how well they would do.
Some were naturals and some had no idea, we came together as a team and ended the day with lots of laughs and the children had a great time. It was amazing to see how determined and interested the children were, and how they would listen to each word we said with huge enthusiasm. The day overall was great and a huge contrast to our first week, but equally just as good.

 

Find out more about the project and apply to be part of the team for next year on the Gryphons Abroad Webpage.