MAJI SAFI PROJECTS
(Registered charity no. 1106384)
NEWSLETTER - AUTUMN 2007
Linda Greenland & Mike Radford 102 Whitecross Ave Whitchurch Bristol BS14 9JE Tel:-01275 834883
Lots of changes this year, lots of news - but firstly we want to tell sponsors that if you wish to send to your children/family in Kenya for Xmas then please let me have this as soon as possible. Mike and I are travelling Xmas Day, but Miriam, Bekker, & Fidy our trusty “Gang” of Project workers will make sure families get food etc., that you want, but the cards & letters will get to them later.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!! – WE CANNOT TAKE ANY INDIVIDUAL GIFTS, our luggage allowance has been reduced and we use every kilo to take things the projects need that we can’t buy in Kenya. THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING.
If you send a cheque before the children finish school, which is the end of November we can guarantee the families get for Xmas. If it is later they may not get until the New Year, but any time it is appreciated.
XMAS & BIRTHDAYS
Why buy things for your friends and family here in the UK that may never be used? Last year we asked you to think about giving a “different” GIFT for birthdays and Xmas. This was really successful and we have decided to do the same this year. Sponsors can purchase a gift card the same as “Send a Cow” or as Oxfam does.
Ours is very simple:
- £5 a mosquito net to prevent malaria
- £10 feeds 10 children for a month at school
- £12 individual chair for an older student
- £15 buys 5 chickens for a family
- £20 buys a goat
- £25 buys a set of textbooks
- £35 individual desk for older children in class
- £50 buys a clothes bundle (approx 150 items)
Just phone or email me with your request and let me know the name of the person & what you want; the card can be personalised. Inside the card is a message and photo of the item you choose. (Or you can have it blank i f you wish). We are back in the UK on 1st November until we travel on Xmas Day, so I can supply these cards and send them to you.
MAJI SAFI SCHOOL “GREAT NEWS!”
Because of all our continued efforts in the last 8 years to build, and keep the school running, exam results have been amazing. Some of the classes are VERY full (starting to be overcrowded) and we have more children waiting to start in all years. After lengthy meetings with government officials, the local MP Minister Shakombo secured 1.18 million Kenya Shillings (approx £9,000) from the CDF fund (Community Development Fund) to build 3 more classrooms and supply desks and chairs for one class. This is amazing support and we feel very privileged. Future plans are for two streams each class, which means they are looking to build a further 7 classes. The government has also donated land adjacent to the existing school compound, for the extra classes, they are VERY IMPRESSED with our devotion to Kenya children and are showing their appreciation.
I think you will all agree that it gives donors & sponsors encouragement to continue to help further, when we see that the government is also “ doing their bit”.
INSPIRATIONS SCHOOL
In 2006 autumn newsletter I wrote how Carrie was going back to Scotland to
raise money for the much needed Special Needs Classroom, well, true to her
word the money arrived and building started in April.
Also Bristol Breakfast Rotary Club donated to build another classroom, they
also paid for tables & benches and shelving. This class has been built
next to the Special Needs Class, so now all we need are 2 more classrooms and
the school is complete!!
We now need to fund a Special Needs Teacher and one of our Nursery teachers
has started a 2 year diploma in Special Needs. This has been very costly,
but necessary and we hope that we will get support in the next 2 years to
fund this
really important part of our school.
SPECIAL NEEDS CLASSROOM (On left )
+ 1 classroom (on right behind tree)
At Easter Bobby & Ken, Louise, Judy & Jane visited Inspirations and
lots of activities went on. Bobby did workshops with the staff giving them
the training and ideas for the future, she also worked with larger groups
of children producing brilliant activities.
Louise worked on the dance and sports side and the children have some wonderful
memories of the Easter holiday. ALL the teachers attended although the school
was meant to be closed this shows their dedication and enjoyment with our
children and volunteers.
Teachers’ & pupils working on wall mosaic
LOUISE’S ACCOUNT OF HER VISIT
As a teacher at The Venus School of Dance, I’ve been helping raise money for Maji Safi projects for a few years now but never thought I’d actually be able to get over to Kenya and see how much that money helps the people of Inspirations & Maji Safi School.
After Linda & Mike kindly suggested I came to Kenya to teach the children some Dance & PE, I organised and hosted a “New Year Ball” in aid of Maji Safi and raised over £900. This meant I could pay for a PE kit for each of the children at the school as well as buy a Stereo, CD’s, Batteries and lots of Sports/Dance equipment for the children to use.
The staff at school were so welcoming when we arrived and I lost count of the numbers of little hands I shook or the number of songs I had sang to me!! I wasn’t sure how much of the Dance the children would want to do but once we got started, they picked it up so quickly and didn’t want to stop! We played “Dance Games” to get started and I taught them dance moves and routines to traditional British Pop songs which they were always keen to perform to other children or teachers. The teachers at the school didn’t sit and watch, every single one of them joined in with the Dancing (even Mike did!!). Even though the children didn’t understand everything I was saying, it didn’t matter, they would just watch so carefully. By the end of the few weeks, even just playing music on the stereo would start everyone off (including teachers!) Dancing around the room or practicing their Dance Routines they had learnt!
I taught PE sessions; using the equipment we bought which was very enjoyable! Even the simplest of games or races brought a smile to the children’s faces, which was great to see. They split into four different teams and played everything from Relay Races to Chariot Racing. It didn’t matter which team won, all the teams started chanting: “We are the winners” at some point!
I’ve tried to help charities in the past but seeing how the money I
raised went directly to help the children’s lives is so much better;
and seeing how much both the staff and children appreciate every little
thing you do for them made it so special. Linda and Mike do such an amazing
job making these peoples lives more educated and worth while and I’m
very grateful to have been part of such an amazing Charity. Seeing how much
the money helped the children in Kenya, I decided when I was there that I
would definitely organize another “Charity Ball”, this year a
Christmas one which is booked for Sat Dec 8th (tickets £10
including Live Band, Auction, buffet etc)
I’m hoping this time It’ll help raise even more money and make
life at Inspiration School even more wonderful. For tickets or donation to
the auction please phone me on my mobile Louise:- 07754 039059
BOBBY & KEN's VISIT
I know how you all enjoy Bobby’s account of
their visits and she has offered to write about this visit to put in our
next newsletter.
Right: New tables and chairs bought this year and used in the spare classroom for the children to do group work
GENERAL NEWS
We’ve helped local village people in many ways, rebuilding/repairing houses/roofs; digging & building much needed toilets; buying goats & chickens; pots/pans/cookers; beds/mattresses; clothes; also help to start small business to help many to become “self sufficient” Lots of things happen that I don’t have chance to mention.
Many donors/sponsors support us in these “extra” projects and I would like to pass on thanks from everyone in Kenya that has been helped.
Above are “typical” bathrooms without toilets, we are replacing many like these with proper toilets. In the next newsletter you will see some we have built!!
GREAT NEWS – FUTURE VISITORS!!
We have just heard that Mr Josephat and Bekker may be able to visit the UK next year. There is a scheme where teachers are funded from both Ashton Park School and Inspirations School. All being well & we get through the Red Tape of Visas etc we hope to have them here from middle of February until mid March. I will be arranging a get together for sponsors and donors to meet them, but the ideal opportunity will be at our annual Barn Dance on March 1st at Ashton Park School.
IMPORTANT PERSONAL/CHARITY NEWS
You are all aware that Mike and I had a “year out” between Sept 2006 - Sept 2007. In March I was told my librarian post at school was redundant. It came at the right time, because of health problems I knew that I couldn’t manage a full time job and the charity, which is a full time job now and takes up more hours than the “paid” job did. On average I work for the charity around 50 – 60 hours a week, whether in the UK or Kenya.
Our trustees have agreed that administration costs will now be paid out of charity funds. For the last 8½ years Mike and I have funded all printing; every stamp, envelope etc. It has also been agreed that some of our expenses will be found for travelling to Kenya.
This will not come from sponsorship money; but taken partly from extra fund-raising and part from Gift Aid.
It was a difficult time for us, I had a problem with accepting any money at all, but after 8 years the charity has grown and grown, so has the paperwork, & the amount of work that needs to be done in Kenya has increased tenfold.
The bottom line is: - either the charity had 100% of Mike and I and about 95% of
money raised go to Kenya.
Or 0% of Mike and I and 0% going to help our children.
If anyone has any questions about this decision then please feel free to phone me and I’ll explain everything.
Sadly, Wilbroda one of our nursery teachers at Maji Safi died 3 hours after giving birth to a little girl she called Linda, she already had 4 children aged 8 to 15 years and said this baby was a gift and because we had given her the gift of training and a job that she would name the baby after me. We now support the family and buy tins of baby milk for little Linda until she is old enough to go onto solids.
This was a very sad loss and she will be greatly missed as she was a real character and had a wonderful sense of humour.
EDUCATION IS THE KEY!!
In 2006 - nine of our sponsored children finished Standard 8. Five of them finished their final exam KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) with very high marks and continued to Secondary school. The remaining students attended technical college - courses for Sewing, Hairdressing, Typing, Languages, and Electrical. We also funded other high achievers that were not sponsored to go to Secondary, this came from the Bursary Fund.
We cannot guarantee any child to go on to further education as the cost of this is very high, unless the sponsor wishes to fund their child. Secondary School is approx £25/£30 a month, and the training courses around £20/£25 monthly. The bursary fund and Gift Aid is at present “topping up” the fees given by sponsors.
When sponsors first take on a child we only talk about Primary Education, this finishes when the child is approx 15/16 years old, unlike our UK Primary Education; and this is where it gets confusing.
In fact the level of work in Standard 8 Primary (Kenya) is equivalent to Year 9/10 in our Secondary Schools here in the UK. Many of you reading this will remember when you could leave school at 15 years to go into manual trades; this is similar to what happens in Kenya.
ALL children leaving with their KCPE certificate (which is what they need to find any employment in Kenya) have been given the gift of education, because we built the 2 schools and had great financial support.
So please don’t be disappointed if your child does not go to Secondary, this is a great commitment and many children fall out as the workload is very high.
IMPORTANT DATES
16th November 2007 - Bristol Breakfast Rotary Club Ceilidh night at Ashton Park School. We get support every year from this Rotary club so we are helping with this event, all our sponsors enjoy our yearly event and ask for more Barn dances so here is the opportunity! For tickets please 'phone Mike Gleave on 01275 472 403
8th December 2007 - Louise’s “Charity Ball” Dance/Supper with live 60’s/70’s band ALL PROCEEDS TO MAJI SAFI PROJECTS *Please if you have something to Auction please phone Louise or me (Linda)
1st March 2008 - Yearly Barn Dance Ashton Park School - ALL PROCEEDS TO
MAJI SAFI PROJECTS. For tickets email or
phone me, if I am in Kenya then 'phone Dave Byett 01934 835 435 or Bobby 01761 490 627
You must all try and come and meet Mr Josephat and Bekker
ONCE AGAIN A HUGE BIG THANKS to Andy Kybert – M-D of The Woodside Press Ltd – Bristol for printing the newsletter.
