The Cultural Challenge of the programme focuses around our full immersion into the local community. The whole point of this is for you to understand what the work you’re doing actually means, and who you will be helping. The community will have had very few Western visitors so this is a complete cultural exchange – the villagers will want to show you their trades and crafts, how they care for their animals and how they prepare food. They will want you to get involved, be this making shoes from old tyres (surprisingly comfy!), milking the cows, learning hunting and tracking skills or how to make traditional Maasai jewelery. You’ll have a chance to teach in the local school, sample typical Maasai meals and take part in traditional singing and dancing (which always leads to fits of laughter!).

You will also have the opportunity to be adopted by a family for a night, where you and a teammate can stay in a mud hut and see what it’s really like to live as a Maasai; this is a truly unique opportunity that very few people ever have the chance to experience. On previous programmes this has been considered one of the highlights of the trip, with more than a few funny anecdotes resulting from the language and cultural differences!