The Kenya Project

A holiday of a lifetime for Mark Orchard turned into the opportunity of a lifetime for children in a Kenyan village.

Mark Orchard is the Managing Director of his own company, Clayton Construction, and was on a well-earned break when he met children from the Dabaso Primary School in Watamu, Kenya. He heard that villagers had spent 10 years raising money to buy materials for the school, and saw the pre-dug foundations. When told that it would take many more years to complete the building, Mark's reaction was instinctive: "My lads could help get it done in no time."

Back home, Mark had no trouble enlisting unpaid volunteers Reg Daniels, Dave Rayner, Andy Difford and Chris Fisher to work alongside villagers to finish the project. The team, together with a quarter of a ton of tools, flew to Kenya - with the help of suppliers, who assisted with costs.

Rising at 5am each day, the men worked into the night in temperatures so high that one of them fainted. Working in difficult conditions with unfamiliar materials and no running water or electricity, the team completed the school in an astonishing two weeks. They were ably assisted by local labourers, who Mark paid double-time to increase speed.

In gratitude for their work, Mark and his team were made honorary tribesmen by the local Giriama tribe - a status which has never previously been given to white men. Standing in front of 5,000 tribesmen, the builders were dressed in ceremonial robes, handed tributes baskets of fruit and vegetables and given traditional Swahili names. Mark was named Ngumbad, meaning hero. He was also presented with a hand-carved stick of honour.

All five men, who worked on the project for no payment , have sold the film rights of their story to raise money for a mains water system at the school.