A group of Garden City Collegiate students decided to forgo a typical spring break filled with rest and relaxation and instead got on a plane bound for Africa Monday morning.
Fourteen students from the Garden City high school are flying to Africa to volunteer to help build a school for Kenyan children.
The students say they're looking forward to the hard work.
"It's an amazing experience. You get to go to a different country and see what it's like there and help out people who are less fortunate," said Christian Morton, who departed for Kenya Monday morning.
The students are traveling to the Maasai Mara region of Kenya where they will spend 11 days building a school from the ground up. Students will also get a chance to learn Swahili.
"This was a really special group of kids because they recognized its not just about Africa, it's about making a difference in a community that needs it," said Darlene Andruchuk, a teacher at Garden City Collegiate.
The students will be working alongside the Maasai people and learning the ins and outs of the Maasai culture.
Students will participate in a water walk where they carry heavy buckets of water for two hours to help gain a better understanding of what life is like for the Maasai people.
"I hope I am aware of how lucky we are and I can spread that awareness to my friends and family," said Shayna Pierce, a student in the program.
The trip was coordinated by Free the Children, an organization that works for global change.
-- with a report from CTV's Jillian Taylor
