IMPREZZA Academy Cultural Workshop - Busia
Objectives
The IMPREZZA visit aimed to bring cultural learning to children from highly vulnerable households while understanding the school's most urgent support needs. Unlike the earlier Busia school rounds, this was a focused visit to one institution where education, shelter, food, and child protection are closely connected.
What Happened
On 2 August 2025, Path to Russia visited IMPREZZA Academy in Matayos Constituency, Busia. The academy was founded by Hon. Catherine Omanyo and began as a children's home before growing into a primary school for children from socially vulnerable backgrounds. Today it serves 260 learners, many from low-income families.
Sixty-eight children aged 10 to 14 took part in the workshop. The session introduced Russian greetings, the Cyrillic alphabet, cultural facts about Russia, and a hands-on activity where students made personalized bracelets with their names written in Cyrillic.
Key Moments
The students asked lively questions about Russian culture, including time zones and the distance between cities such as Moscow and Yakutsk. They also noticed similarities and differences between Kiswahili and Russian, turning the lesson into a two-way conversation rather than a one-direction presentation.
The school leadership described the role IMPREZZA plays in the lives of its learners. For many pupils, the academy is not only a classroom; it is the main source of a reliable meal, emotional support, and safety. Director Rose Omanyo showed strong commitment to whole-child support despite limited resources.
Why It Mattered
The visit identified three areas where targeted help could make an immediate difference. First, the feeding programme is critical because many students receive their only full meal at school. Second, the academy needs farming tools and training to make better use of its rocky land and build a more sustainable food base. Third, basic learning materials and sports equipment, especially footballs, would improve both classroom quality and healthy recreation.
IMPREZZA showed how cultural exchange can affirm children who are often overlooked. When learners feel seen, heard, and invited into a wider world, their confidence grows. For Path to Russia, the visit turned a Russian language lesson into a practical roadmap for supporting one of Busia's most vulnerable school communities.