Chiswick Calendar volunteer stories – Maxwell Omondi, Riana Development Network

Maxwell Omondi

Chiswick Calendar volunteer stories

Volunteering is the lifeblood of a community like ours. There are so many people with skills and experience to pass on, a bit of time and patience, sometimes the muscle power to do some heavy lifting that will help others out. It can be rewarding and satisfying for the volunteer, with all sorts of spin-off positives, and hopefully useful also for the project they’re working on – at least, that’s the aim!

Trisha Cochrane has been exploring the opportunities for volunteering in Chiswick. Before Christmas she talked to Vicki Belcher, a volunteer at Chiswick House and Gardens.

READ ALSO: Chiswick Calendar volunteer stories – Vicki Belcher, Chiswick House and Gardens

Here she talks to Maxwell Omondi, a volunteer for the Riana Development Network.

Maxwell Omondi, volunteer for the Riana Development Network

Guest blog by Trisha Cochrane

January means a new school term – and at the Dukes Meadows Community Centre there’s a Saturday Supplementary School helping children who need a bit of extra support to achieve their potential.  Run by the Riana Development Network since 2011, volunteers support students and a professional teacher, giving the students top up tuition in maths, English and ICT.

I spoke to Maxwell Omondi who himself benefited from the school, and is now a structural engineer after studying at Imperial College. He has been volunteering there since 2017 and is currently the lead teacher for years five and six.  I found his story really inspiring.

Why volunteer here Maxwell?

“I’m passionate about education, which stems from my time here at the supplementary school.  It really helped with my education and I got good grades.  But it was valuable aside from the additional support in English and maths; it was being surrounded with peers of similar backgrounds and being motivated by friends who also wanted to improve.

“There was a strong focus on learning as well as on developing softer skills which were integrated into the teaching, for example having to present what you learnt.

“I really liked the community aspect, which is different from private tuition.  Later on in life, I really appreciated that and asked myself how can I pay it back – can I be a mentor?”

Riana Development Network football

What makes it energising?

“You get to see cohorts of students develop and progress – and not only in their maths and English.  It’s reminding them that they’re not defined by their educational attainment, but by the other skills they’re developing.  It’s varied and stimulating – and also fun!  I love the conversations with students.  I ask them what they’re learning or about a project they’re proud of and they tell their stories so creatively.

“I try and make the work interactive so that it exercises my creativity as well.  We play games like Countdown and I once used a sudden thunderstorm to teach them some maths principles and equations.  It’s great.”

What personal qualities, skills or experience do you bring or have you developed?

“I studied STEM subjects so I have analytical thinking.  And in my job as an engineer, communication is a very big thing – either visually or verbally.  It also parallels with teaching as there are many ways of finding a solution; my job is to help students work out how they might approach the question – what they need to do and how to get there – rather than giving them the answer.

“I’m also people-oriented and empathetic which is important because you might have students with special educational needs or who don’t have a good grasp of English, or whose personal circumstances have disrupted their education.

“You need patience and understanding.  Volunteering here has helped me to think on my feet and be adaptable, and I think my communication has improved.”

RDN class work

Has volunteering changed the way you see yourself or the community?

“I think so, yes.  I’ve realised the importance of community programmes – they fill a gap that might not be covered by statutory provision.  It’s just two hours a week for me but it’s an important service I’m contributing to.  We can connect different neighbourhoods together through the children who come here.

“I like hearing about the kids’ perspectives on the world, and also understanding why other people volunteer.  For some it’s about developing skills for a career or career transition, or if they are retired/working part time.  Some really care about their local area and want to get involved.”

What other impact have you seen? 

“We make a real difference to the kids.  We can take them from not doing very well at school to being able to pass their GCSEs or get on to a subject course that might have seemed unattainable.  Our goal is not to make everyone A*; it’s can we make a bit of difference?  For example, building confidence so that they can thrive at school.

“It’s also about showing that this community centre is being used.  We offer a food bank during the week with food from the Felix Project.  Some of the kids’ families use that – and the youth programmes and coffee mornings too.”

RDN youth group

What advice do you have for people who might like to volunteer?

“Don’t be afraid to try something new – it doesn’t matter if you haven’t taught before!  It’s about having a willingness to learn and the proactiveness to get involved.  Don’t be put off if you have time constraints as you can discuss your level of commitment.  Maybe you could help behind the scenes with logistics or resource planning, or find a different way to be involved with Riana’s other programmes.

“From a younger person’s perspective, volunteering can help build social skills and community cohesion, which may have been affected by the pandemic.  Soft skills are so important for job-hunting.”

More about the Riana Development Network (RDN)

RDN takes its name from the Riana River in Kenya, drawing on a story about villagers who had to put aside their differences and come together as a community to manage the water when the river was low.  Fostering community is at the heart of their work and they run a number of programmes out of the Dukes Meadow Community Centre, boosting the skills and confidence of those children who need it most.

Apart from the supplementary school, they run a junior and senior youth club, football training for 9–14 year-olds, a coffee morning that offers social, health and personal support, and a food bank.  In 2022 the charity’s work was recognised with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

It has also been recognised locally by The Chiswick Calendar in their annual community awards.

Riana would welcome your support in many different ways.  For more information about volunteering or joining their programmes, see: riana.org.uk .

See where else in Chiswick operates on volunteer help here:

Volunteering in Chiswick