Newsletters

Arusha Children's Trust

NEWSLETTER #3   FEBRUARY 2002

To all friends, supporters and donors.

The Arusha Children's Trust started 2002 with a major achievement. The Maasai village community centre opened on the 14th January with seventy-four kindergarten children aged between four and six. Forty-five women have enrolled for various activities. More details further on. If you did not read newsletters #1 and #2, here is a short history of the trust.

The trust aims to help children in the Arusha and Rift Valley regions of Northern Tanzania primarily with education, health and environmental awareness. It aims to achieve this by improving and building new facilities, providing school furniture, educational materials and sports equipment and by taking a mobile film unit into schools and communities to show health and wildlife videos which have been translated into Swahili, the national language of Tanzania. The trust is non-religious and non-political. It respects the cultures and traditions of the indigenous people.

It is a recognised NGO, i.e. Non-Government Organisation working in Tanzania. The trust operates with the support of Tropical/ Wilderness Trails, a safari company in Arusha and the support of volunteers in Tanzania, UK and Guernsey, Channel Islands.

The trust is registered in Guernsey, Channel Islands and in Tanzania. It is funded from donations and fundraising activities both in Tanzania and abroad.

DONATIONS AND FUNDRAISING

The Robertson Duo

In July 2001 the trust received £350 from Bruce and Dorothy Robertson raised at a "Swinging 60's and 70's night" held in Newcastle. This money went to the community centre building. Bruce and Dorothy have been fundraising for the centre since the project started in July 2000 and are continuing to support the centre with more great ideas for fundraising.

Kilimanjaro climb raises the roof!

On September the 9th 2001, a group of seven women, two from UK, four from Australia and one from Tanzania set off up Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain. Their climb was organised by Tropical/Wilderness Trails and the route they chose would take seven days.

The previous day they had visited the community centre that is currently being built by the Arusha Children's Trust.The climb was to be a fundraiser for the centre, which was at the stage of putting on the roof.

Excellent weather, a very professional support team of guides and porters and a lot of grim determination helped the climb! Almost the entire group suffered from altitude sickness but that did not dampen their will to succeed or to enjoy the amazing scenery and the diverse eco-systems en route. They reached the summit on the 14th of September.

The trust representative in Arusha, Ishbel Brydon, who was in the group, received a total of 1150 US dollars from the others. This money went to the community centre.

Since then during October 2001 the roof was completed.

Many thanks go to Julia Aisbitt, Jill Goldspink, Teresa Zamora, Vicki Rushton, Lindi Harman and Katrina Hindmarsh.

Lindi Harman raises £1615 in UK

On her return to the UK following her successful Kilimanjaro climb, Lindi decided it was time to tell her friends and relatives about her wonderful achievement!

Several of them had already agreed to sponsor her and she also contacted her friends and associates involved with Save the Children. Everyone proved to be very generous and so Lindi raised a grand total of 1615 pounds for the community centre.

The Community Centre Opens 14th January 2002!

The community centre in the Maasai village of Olmuringiringa near Arusha opened on the 14th January 2002 with seventy-four kindergarten children aged between four and six. The project started in July 2000 with the first funds from Bruce and Dorothy Robertson in the UK. Since then more funds from UK and Australia have helped to complete the building and to buy furniture and educational materials.

Two weeks later the number of children increased to one hundred and four! Three very enthusiastic teachers are working with the children teaching them the basics of number, reading and writing. They also enjoy singing (in Swahili and English) and outdoor games.

Forty-five mothers from the village are attending writing classes and Maasai jewellery-making classes. This is a very welcome break for Maasai women who normally lead exceptionally busy and demanding lives. Guest speakers have been invited to give talks on health matters and other issues.

Very special thanks and congratulations go to the director of the project, Ole Supeet, who has worked hard to organise all the workmen and the building materials. Mike Brydon designed the centre. The whole community thanks all the donors for making their dream come true.

Emma's 10-kilometre run

In July 2001 Emma Richardson put on her running shoes to raise money for the community centre. She ran round the streets of London and along the Thames embankment with hundreds of other enthusiastic fundraisers and managed to complete the course. Emma has raised 104 pounds for the centre.

The Wildlife Awareness Foundation and The African Environmental Film Foundation

In October 2001 the trust received a set of forty wildlife textbooks from The Wildlife Awareness Foundation. The WWF Tanzania Environmental Education Programme writes them in Swahili for primary school children. The books have been given to two primary schools in the Arusha region. The trust received two videos from the African Environmental Film Foundation. The AEFF makes educational films on environmental issues.

Helping other projects

In July 2001 The Arusha Children's Trust donated four wildlife videos in Swahili to the Village Education Project near Kilimanjaro for their teachers' resource centre.

On going projects Bulati Primary School in the Rift Valley

This school is situated in a very dry remote part of the Rift Valley and has received sponsorship money, educational materials and sports equipment from Robert Gunn, from America. When the head teacher is able to make it into Arusha he will receive funds for classroom repairs. With the money donated to the trust a computer and printer have been bought.

Mobile Film Unit

The trust has begun to operate its mobile film unit in local schools with the help of the Wildlife Awareness Foundation. Thanks to the Penwith One Percenters, UK, and the Ravi Gulati family Foundation, USA, the trust has been able to buy video equipment and a generator to get the show on the road. Transport and logistics are being provided by Tropical/Wilderness Trails. The students have enjoyed a break from their normal studies to enjoy wildlife films about their own country in Swahili.

The trust is targeting schools in which the students have never been to wildlife parks.

BROCHURES AND DONATIONS

Please send for a brochure, which outlines our aims. Comments, points of view and fundraising ideas are very welcome. If you would like to make a donation to the Arusha Children's Trust please send a cheque to:

The Trust is registered in Guernsey by Carey Langlois Advocates & Notaries Public.
Registration. No. in Tanzania 10665.