Why? Where? How?

Education Exchange is a small, family run charity that has been in existence since 2003. We work in the Taita district of southern Kenya, close to the border with Tanzania in the town of Wundanyi (population 4000) and the surrounding villages. It is a very beautiful, rural and off the beaten track part of Kenya, up in the Taita hills. In partnership with local organisations, we support education and training, health and the relief of poverty.

Rural Kenya is an unpredictable environment, always at the mercy of both economic and climate pressures. People live hard and insecure lives and in our small way we are making a difference to a growing number of the local population, many of them vulnerable. We are committed to helping people climb out of poverty, enjoy financial stability and provide all that they need to lead secure lives.

We currently have around 50 supporters, some of whom donate monthly, some give one-off amounts, some help in practical ways by running fundraising events. We always need more supporters – so if you are interested in the story told by this website, please get in touch.

How did it all start?

In 1993, Ellie Shorten spent nine months in Zimbabwe with The Right Hand Trust

What she did made such an impression upon her brother Tim Shorten that in 1997 he spent his gap year working in Kenya, also with The Right Hand Trust. Tim worked at the primary school in Mbauro, a tiny village just outside Wundanyi. This was an intense and formative experience for Tim, and led him to a career in international development.

Upon his return to the UK Tim wanted to improve the educational opportunities of the young Kenyans he met in Mbauro and the surrounding area. So he raised funds and returned to Mbauro in 1998 to start a typing school with the aim of improving the employment prospects of youngsters whose parents had not been able to pay for their secondary education.

In 2003 Tim decided to found Education Exchange with a view to raise funds to extend the vocational training opportunities offered in the area. Since that time we have raised over £75,000 and every penny has gone to poor and needy people in the projects we support.

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