:00:03. > :00:13.school in Kenya, inspiring a generation of pupils to pursue
:00:13. > :00:20.
:00:20. > :00:23.their Olympic dreams. The foothills of Mount Eglon, Kenya. It is dawn
:00:23. > :00:33.as pupils walk to school on a well- worn path trodden by hundreds of
:00:33. > :00:35.
:00:35. > :00:45.feet before them. It is a difficult journey for everyone but for some,
:00:45. > :00:54.
:00:54. > :00:56.the school run has led to Olympic medals. This is an area famous for
:00:56. > :01:06.producing the best distance runners in the world including two of
:01:06. > :01:12.
:01:12. > :01:15.Kenya's star athletes, Linet Masai and her brother, Moses. They went
:01:15. > :01:18.to school here, at Bishop Okiring School, a sporting school where the
:01:18. > :01:20.high altitude and harsh conditions give the young athletes a steely
:01:20. > :01:22.determination. Today, teachers and students are making last-minute
:01:22. > :01:32.preparations to welcome some special visitors who have come all
:01:32. > :01:46.
:01:46. > :01:49.the way from England. Their school, Bedford Academy, is twinned with
:01:49. > :01:59.Bishop Okiring School through a BBC and British Council project called
:01:59. > :02:00.
:02:00. > :02:04.World Class. It aims to inspire students from around the world.
:02:04. > :02:10.Emma and I'm from Bedford. Ermal. I'm 18 years old and I love
:02:10. > :02:20.boxing. The schools met for the first time in January, 2011. The
:02:20. > :02:30.
:02:30. > :02:33.head teacher and a 17-year-old student, Egle, visited Bedford. Now
:02:33. > :02:35.these British students are making the return trip to Kenya where they
:02:35. > :02:38.will experience first hand what life is like. After a nine-hour
:02:38. > :02:44.flight, they touched down in Nairobi. For these two students, it
:02:44. > :02:47.is about to open up a whole new perspective on their lives. Bishop
:02:47. > :02:57.Okiring School is located in a remote village at the heart of the
:02:57. > :03:02.
:03:02. > :03:05.Rift Valley. It is only 25 kilometres from the nearest town
:03:05. > :03:15.but the condition of the road means that the bone-shaking journey takes
:03:15. > :03:41.
:03:41. > :03:44.more than two hours. I have never been anywhere like this. Because
:03:44. > :03:54.the roads around here are so bad, the school rarely gets any visitors,
:03:54. > :04:06.
:04:06. > :04:16.which makes their arrival all the more special. (STUDENTS SINGING).
:04:16. > :04:25.
:04:25. > :04:29.For Emma, it is all too much. overwhelmed. Welcome. Being
:04:29. > :04:39.reunited with Egle and receiving a welcome medal puts a smile back on
:04:39. > :04:39.
:04:39. > :04:49.her face. The welcoming ceremony today was amazing. I was so
:04:49. > :04:49.
:04:49. > :04:52.overwhelmed. I started crying. They were so happy to see us, just a
:04:52. > :05:01.couple of people from England coming over here. They were so
:05:01. > :05:05.appreciative that we were actually there. The singing was amazing.
:05:05. > :05:08.Next morning, they are shown around the school. Here we have our
:05:08. > :05:17.timetable. This is our normal routine timetable from Monday to
:05:18. > :05:27.Friday. In the morning we have classes and as an option, some of
:05:28. > :05:34.
:05:34. > :05:36.us can do agriculture and business. Egle is a boarder at the school.
:05:36. > :05:41.Although primary education in Kenya is free, secondary students must
:05:41. > :05:51.pay $200 per year, an impossible demand for most families here. The
:05:51. > :05:56.
:05:56. > :05:59.headmaster does all he can to help. Egle is facing so many challenges.
:06:00. > :06:09.Egle's mother is a single parent and poor and is unable to pay any
:06:10. > :06:13.fees for her daughter. And so we offered to help with the boarding.
:06:13. > :06:23.Egle gives her Emma and Ermal a tour of the dormitory. This is my
:06:23. > :06:25.
:06:25. > :06:31.bed. Does anyone else live in here? No, these are my books and my
:06:31. > :06:38.belongings. But in Kenyan society, many families prefer to educate
:06:38. > :06:41.boys rather than girls. Some families also follow the practice
:06:41. > :06:51.of female genital mutilation and early marriages for girls as young
:06:51. > :07:01.
:07:01. > :07:03.as 12. Add in the cost and the odds are stacked against a girl.
:07:03. > :07:07.Education is so important simply because for example, in our
:07:07. > :07:17.situation at home, we lack basic needs. But an educated person can
:07:17. > :07:21.
:07:21. > :07:30.get employed. Is female genital mutilation an issue around here?
:07:30. > :07:40.Right now in Kenya, there are families that are still doing that.
:07:40. > :08:02.
:08:02. > :08:08.But my family, they don't. It is early morning and Ermal joins Isaac
:08:08. > :08:18.on his journey to school. He lives a few huts away from his parents.
:08:18. > :08:24.
:08:24. > :08:28.Welcome to my house. Come in, I will show you around. Have a seat.
:08:29. > :08:34.This is where I live, this is where I sleep and this is where I do my
:08:34. > :08:43.homework. Do you eat breakfast before you go to school? No.
:08:43. > :08:53.lunch is your first meal? Yes. old were you when you first had a
:08:53. > :09:01.
:09:01. > :09:04.pair of shoes? I was 15 years-old. En route, they meet up with
:09:04. > :09:08.schoolmates, David and Nelly, who live 10 and 15 kilometres away from
:09:08. > :09:18.school. There is only one way to get there on time and that is to
:09:18. > :09:32.
:09:32. > :09:42.run. 2.5 hours after David and Nelly left home this morning, they
:09:42. > :09:53.
:09:53. > :10:00.arrive at school. First period is 1.5 hours of double English.
:10:00. > :10:02.take everything for granted. Like transport and everything we've got
:10:03. > :10:12.because these guys don't have transport or anything and people
:10:13. > :10:13.
:10:13. > :10:22.like me, I drive to school. It's, like, kind of stupid in a way
:10:22. > :10:28.because these guys have to get up and run. We even take classrooms
:10:28. > :10:35.for granted. For these guys, they have a simple table and chair. And
:10:35. > :10:38.we have got computers and everything we could possibly need.
:10:38. > :10:48.Until we actually see the life, the way these guys live, that is when
:10:48. > :10:52.
:10:52. > :10:57.you realise how lucky we are. 1pm, there is only one thing on
:10:57. > :11:07.everybody's mind - lunch. School lunches are cooked on an open fire
:11:07. > :11:07.
:11:07. > :11:10.in a small kitchen. Every day, it is the same menu. With the drought
:11:10. > :11:14.that is affecting East Africa, food prices have risen throughout the
:11:14. > :11:24.country. For many of these students, school lunch is the first and often
:11:24. > :11:27.
:11:27. > :11:35.The kitchen was so smoky, I don't know how people managed to stay in
:11:35. > :11:45.their and cook. The smoke gets in your eyes, up your nose. You can
:11:45. > :11:51.
:11:51. > :11:58.taste it. Very tasty. You look at it and you don't think it is, but
:11:58. > :12:04.it's very tasty. I did not think I was going to eat it but I am happy
:12:04. > :12:07.that I am. There are 150 students at Bishop Okiring School. Four
:12:07. > :12:11.years ago, it was a different picture when the school found
:12:11. > :12:21.itself at the centre of a violent land dispute. What happened during
:12:21. > :12:25.
:12:25. > :12:28.the fight in 2007? There were conflicts in Mount Elgon. The
:12:28. > :12:31.students came from the two clans and students from one clan were
:12:31. > :12:41.chased away from the school and students from another clan would
:12:41. > :12:43.
:12:43. > :12:53.attack the school, killing one student. Most of the school
:12:53. > :13:05.
:13:05. > :13:11.property was vandalised. When he became headmaster it in 20th nine
:13:11. > :13:21.there were just a handful of pupils lead. For now, stability has
:13:21. > :13:22.
:13:22. > :13:32.returned. Eclair and her friends challenge and made to a 100 metres
:13:32. > :13:42.sprint. What is your dream? My dream is to be in England. Do you
:13:42. > :13:44.
:13:44. > :13:51.think you can make it? Yes. sure in 100 metres I can win gold.
:13:51. > :13:57.I didn't come last! Environmental conditions here make it hard enough
:13:57. > :14:05.when you are able bodied. For Alex who had polio as a child, getting
:14:05. > :14:09.around is even more of a challenge. The school's all-inclusive policy
:14:09. > :14:13.is driving ahead to give students like Alex every chance to get
:14:13. > :14:23.involved. When they are playing, I ask them to assist me with the ball,
:14:23. > :14:31.
:14:31. > :14:34.They are visiting home. She is the youngest of nine brothers and
:14:34. > :14:41.sisters. The only one to have attended secondary school. She is
:14:41. > :14:44.challenging the norm. Her mother supported daughter's choices.
:14:44. > :14:50.nine children are suffering. If I had gone to school myself, my
:14:50. > :14:54.situation would have been better. Now we are very poor. I want her to
:14:54. > :15:01.go to school so she can earn a living. I would like her to become
:15:01. > :15:08.a doctor so she can treat my bad guys. The family do all the cooking
:15:08. > :15:16.inside the mud hut. This is a type of maize and is a staple of the
:15:16. > :15:26.diet in this part of Kenya. Can I help? You can bring water and
:15:26. > :15:55.
:15:55. > :16:01.collect firewood. Fetching water is The nearest water source is 1km
:16:01. > :16:03.away. It is the rainy season in this part of Kenya. Rainwater is
:16:04. > :16:13.channelled through to a watering hole which serves the local
:16:14. > :16:39.
:16:39. > :16:42.community. Follow my steps. It is The women's lives revolve around
:16:42. > :16:52.subsistence farming, growing maize, cabbages, beans and a few animals
:16:52. > :16:54.
:16:54. > :17:03.It is a harsh existence living hand to mouth on the land. Those who set
:17:03. > :17:13.their sights higher have to move to The pupils dream of winning Olympic
:17:13. > :17:18.
:17:18. > :17:28.medals as their ticket to a Her family is so amazing down there.
:17:28. > :17:42.
:17:42. > :17:52.This is the last day at Bishop Okiring School. Eat if I set a
:17:52. > :17:52.
:17:52. > :18:54.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 61 seconds
:18:54. > :19:04.boxing lesson. It draws a real The students treat Emma and Ermal
:19:04. > :19:42.
:19:42. > :19:51.So Emma, we've loved having you. Except the small gift. - mac accept.
:19:51. > :19:57.Clap for Emma. Clap hard. On behalf of our school, please accept this.
:19:57. > :20:07.Thank you so much for coming. very surprised how welcome you made
:20:07. > :20:08.
:20:08. > :20:13.me feel. You have all got inspiring stories to tell me. You have
:20:13. > :20:23.inspired me to be better than I am. If you work hard, one day you will
:20:23. > :20:32.
:20:32. > :20:42.I had a cute to give you. You can use it in your lessons. Wow!.
:20:42. > :20:54.
:20:54. > :21:04.day you can come back and give me a Emma and Ermal seal their
:21:04. > :21:09.
:21:09. > :21:19.friendships by planting a few saplings. Clochard, Emma. - baked
:21:19. > :21:19.
:21:19. > :21:24.pushcart. -- push hard. When I walked into the ceremony and they
:21:24. > :21:27.gave me my medal, I was in tears. I was so overwhelmed. Her English has
:21:27. > :21:37.improved so much she has worked so hard. She actually can do what she
:21:37. > :21:42.
:21:42. > :21:45.wants to do in the future now. Isaac is a very determined person.
:21:45. > :21:49.He wants to achieve. He wants to be a businessman. He likes athletics.
:21:49. > :21:55.I think he has more chance of succeeding in athletics. I hope he