Pupils at Homerton’s Kingsmead Primary have been busy as bees with their Hackney Buzzline twinning with Kampala’s New Brain School.
They made insect face masks which were sent to the Ugandan capital in a cultural exchange, while the Kampala youngsters made gifts for the Kingsmead children made from banana fibres.
Hackney Buzzline has given the children a fresh interest in the natural world.
“I get to take care of pollinating insects,” Year 6 Kingsmead pupil Mia Cameron enthused. “It’s nice to study bees close up and see how beautiful they are.”
A buzzline is a ‘pollinator corridor’ commitment to develop green infrastructure to enrich habitats for all pollinators to increase biodiversity.
Kingsmead Headteacher Evelyn Deeney said: “The children have benefited so much already to be part of the Hackney Buzzline, learning about the role that pollinating insects play. It harnesses enthusiasm that children share on different sides of the globe for helping pollinating insects and protecting the environment.”
Gerry Tissier, from the EcoActive grassroots organisation that created the buzzline project, travelled to Uganda for the twinning and to start the Kampala Buzzline.
He said: “The two schools may be separated by 4,000 miles but are united in their commitment to protect the natural world. Children on the Hackney and Kampala buzzlines are learning to love and look after bees, butterflies and other pollinators in their neighbourhoods.”
The collaboration evolved when Uganda youth leader and environmentalist Hannington Sserwanga saw a post on the internet about the Hackney Buzzline and Kingsmead School. He contacted Gerry and the two schools got the children involved in environment activities, raising global awareness for diversity in future generations in different parts of the world.
The Kampala school’s director Fred Ntensibe said: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. This journey has started. Our schools have become one family.”
The two schools have started joint classroom projects, exchange visits, staff collaboration and even twin fundraising for eco projects.
