To all friends, supporters and donors.

The Arusha Children’s Trust thanks everyone who has contributed their time, effort and money over the last few months.

Apologies for the lateness of this issue but I’ve taken up teaching again. I also wanted to wait until our exciting new website was up and running so I could tell you all about it!

If you wish to contact me for further information, please do so on

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ishbel Brydon, 

Representative in Arusha.

 

Our New Website

Many thanks go to John Crispin in Canada for the website design and production.

John volunteered his services after hearing about his sister’s trip to Tanzania with Tropical/Wilderness Trails, the safari company in Arusha, which supports the trust.

Dona, her husband Ric and his daughter visited the Community Centre built by the trust and decided they wanted to help.

Visit the website and you’ll find some very colourful, informative pages!

 

Donations and Fundraising

In July 2002 the trust received 500 US $ from Dona Reel and Ric Careless in Canada. This donation was made in honour of Dona’s mother who sadly passed away in June 2002. Dona said that her mother would have been very supportive of the work of the trust. Dona requested that the money be used to pay the kindergarten teachers and buy educational  supplies.

Another donation was received in July 2002 from Robert Gunn in California. Robert has been a very keen supporter of the trust and a primary school in Tanzania. Robert sent a donation of 3716 US $
which he requested to be used for the kindergarten teachers’ salaries and to provide a hot breakfast for the children.

Bruce and Dorothy Robertson in UK have been fundraising for the Community Centre since July 2000 and last year they organized a Hawaiian night. They raised 230 pounds for the centre.They are hoping to come out to visit the centre at some point. Karibuni! (Swahili for welcome).

In January 2003 Karen Careless in Canada donated 50US $ to the Community Centre for porridge for the children. Karen is a teacher in British Columbia and her students drew pictures of life in B.C. for the children here in Arusha.

In April Wendy Marsh from Texas donated 50US $ which will be used for educational materials for the school.

Wallsend Jubilee Primary in England raised 500 pounds for the kindergarten in June 2002. The children and teachers worked very hard to raise this amount and the money has been used to buy classroom furniture, chalkboards, books, other educational materials and to build a small kitchen.

More videos have been donated by the African Environmental Film Foundation to add to our video library. The AEFF produces videos on conservation, natural resources and environmental awareness.

Tropical/Wilderness Trails continues to provide office services and transport for the trust and recently made some playground equipment for the kindergarten.

 

Community Centre News

The Community centre has been operating since January 2002.

The kindergarten with eighty plus children between the ages of four and six continues to develop and is a central focus for the surrounding villages. There is no other kindergarten provision in the area and the parents welcome and support the idea. Regular meetings are held to inform the parents about the programme and to encourage them to contribute a small sum of money towards the upkeep of the school.

Donations have enabled us to provide the children with a daily hot meal of porridge and milk. This helps to get them going in the morning!

Visitors to the centre are frequent and welcome. Other NGOs (Non-governmental organizations) in Arusha have enjoyed seeing the programme in action. The three teachers in the school are enthusiastic and energetic. They will have opportunities in the future to develop their skills through more training.

The centre has hosted workshops for HIV/AIDS awareness. These have been run by the Global Service Corps, an American NGO, working in Arusha.  The Global Service Corps trains volunteers of all ages from all over the globe who then go out into secondary schools and villages to teach AIDS awareness. Interpreters are needed, as the volunteers don’t have time to master Kiswahili in their short stay in Tanzania. The community has supported and attended these workshops and several members of the community have also received training in AIDS awareness.

The director of the centre, Ole Supeet, was aware that there were some mentally disabled children in the area who needed access to regular care and treatment. 

It was for this reason that clinics have been organized with a Dutch funded NGO called Sibusiso, which runs special programmes for mentally disabled children in a centre near Arusha.Sibusiso means blessing.

The mothers receive basic training in how to care for their children and learn simple exercises to do at home. Already improvements have been made. This much needed outreach programme has motivated the parents and the community leaders to create a positive attitude to mentally disabled children in society.The women in the surrounding villages continue to meet in the centre on Saturdays to make Maasai jewellery and to discuss important issues.

 

Fund raising Event in Arusha

On the 27th April 2003 an Holistic Happening is being hosted by Karama lodge in Arusha, sponsored by Tropical/Wilderness Trails. This event will raise money for the trust. Visiting experts will lead sessions of yoga, meditation, reflexology and massage free of charge.

 

Networking with other NGOs

An interesting and very worthwhile aspect of being involved in charity work in Arusha is networking with other charities and NGOs. Meeting and talking with people from other organizations puts things into perspective and we can all learn from each other. We can combine skills, share ideas and help to solve common problems.

It’ s always interesting to see what other people are doing!

 

 

 
How can you help?

We are always looking for new ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to comment on any aspect of this newsletter.

In order for our projects to continue we need to rely on donations and fundraising from abroad and from the community in Arusha.

For example

• 40US $ can supply the kindergarten with porridge and milk for one month.
• 15 US $ can buy two classroom tables.
• 12US $ can buy two benches.

At the moment our teachers receive a very modest salary. We would like to increase their salaries with your help.

If you would like to make a donation to The Arusha Children’s Trust please send a cheque to:

The Bank of Scotland,
43, Comely Bank Road,
Edinburgh,
EH4 1AF
United Kingdom.

The Arusha Children’s Trust A/C

The trust is registered in Guernsey by Carey Langlois Advocates & Notaries Public.

Registration No. in Tanzania 10665.