THE ARUSHA CHILDREN'S TRUST
NEWSLETTER #9 OCTOBER 2008
P.O. BOX 223, ARUSHA, TANZANIA, EAST AFRICA
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From the Editor
Welcome to our ninth annual newsletter.
2008 has been another busy, productive year for The Arusha Children's Trust.
Thank You. A big thank you goes to all our friends, supporters and donors in Tanzania and all over the world.
What were the new projects this year?
-
A new classroom for Olmuringiringa village primary school.
- Desks for the new classroom.
- Work started on teachers' houses...
- Teachers attend Early Childhood Certificate courses.
What fundraising events took place?
- Natalie Price entered the annual Kilimanjaro marathon.
- Earthdance 2008 at Masai Camp, Arusha.
Who supports ACT?
- Thanks to Tropical /Wilderness Trails safari companies, Arusha, for transport, fuel and services.
- Thanks to Robert Gray, New Zealand, for the website.
- Thanks to The Adventure Company, UK for support through their responsible tourism program.
- ACT is managed and run by unpaid volunteers.
Community Centre News
The community centre in Olmuringiringa village north of Arusha hosts a kindergarten for Maasai children aged 4 to 6. Over 100 children attend school from 8 till 12 Monday to Friday. They enjoy hot porridge at break time.
Next month(November) 84 six year olds will graduate, having completed two years in the kindergarten and will be ready to go to the feeder primary schools in the area. Most of the children will go to Olmuringiringa Primary nearby.
This will be the largest graduation since the centre opened in 2002.
One of the teachers, Janeth Lootha, has completed a six month certificate course in Early Childhood Education this year. Another teacher Suzana Ngalesoni starts the same course at Sinon College this month.
The centre hosts women's groups and other community-based programs for workshops and sharing knowledge.
Sibusiso, the foundation for mentally handicapped children in the Arusha area, visits the centre monthly to give valuable support to the disadvantaged children and their families via their outreach program.
The community centre welcomes visitors and the children are always ready to greet them with songs and happy smiles.
In May and June this year primary classes from The International School of Moshi, Arusha Campus, visited the centre as part of their 'People Helping People' social studies unit.
The eight and nine year olds played with the children, sang to them and donated toys and books.
Thanks to all the people who have visited the centre this year and donated toys and educational equipment.
ACT appreciates the dedication of the teachers and the director who make this centre an important focal point in the community.
New Classroom and Desks
ACT received donations from John Collard and friends, East Kilbride, Scotland, (£3,000 GBP) and Tourcan Vacations, Canada, ($1000) which have been used to build a new classroom for Olmuringiringa Primary School. The classroom will be completed this month. The Tourcan clients visited the school and saw at first hand the desperate need for more classrooms in the school which has 1155 pupils and only 9 rooms. The head teacher, Mr. Ole Supeet, was very happy to see the building begin and organized the making of 10 new desks which the Canadian visitors had also funded.
Another Canadian visitor Gail Cope decided to match this and organized her friends and family to donate an additional 12 desks.
ACT will continue to support the school. The next project is to complete a house for two teachers before starting another classroom.
Fund-raising in Tanzania
At the end of 2007 Natalie Price, UK, started serious training for the annual Kilimanjaro Marathon to be held in Moshi, northern Tanzania, on 2nd March 2008.
Natalie decided to go for the half marathon and to donate sponsor money to ACT.
However, unfortunately for Natalie, she was diagnosed with bad malaria just two days before the event.
Her friend Emma Mallaba, a guide on Kilimanjaro, stepped in to take her place and he successfully completed the half marathon in her place.
Many thanks to Emma for all his efforts and for raising 350 pounds for ACT!
Earthdance 2008 in Arusha
On September 13th Masai Camp hosted its 5th annual Earthdance which is a global dance and music festival for peace and humanitarian causes. This year Tanzania was one of over 60 countries participating.
ACT has benefited from this fundraiser in the past and used the money for its educational projects in Arusha. This year the money will go to the building project.
Earthdance organizers and ACT thank everybody who participated in the event and made it a success.
Over 500 people enjoyed an exciting evening of live acts from 4 different bands, including Bob Jully, The Bluu Bloods, Matonya and Tanzania's top selling artist, Lady Jaydee.
Special thanks go to Ian Robertson and Karl Hoffman of Tanelec Ltd for their generous donation of $3000 USD to fund the event.
ACT and the organizers also thank the following companies and people for their valuable support and services.
Masai Camp, Tropical Trails, KK Security, Alliance Francaise, Arusha Times, Kiwieke Art and Design, Via Via, Karama Lodge, Tanzanian Breweries, Coca Cola, Bluu Bloods, Karibu Fair, Afreaka, William Mabelle and The Arusha Hotel.
Sponsorship News
ACT is sponsoring destitute families to send their children to school by providing uniforms, books and shoes.
With the help of a donation from Camilla and Graham Mason, Katy Walker and Ellie Whittaker, ACT is sponsoring a former street boy, John Njuguna, in his first year of secondary school. ACT came to know about John through the 'Children for Children's Future' organization which helps street children in Arusha.
John was an orphan who, at 11 years old, had never been to school.
After 4 years of primary education he had caught up, passed his exams and secured a place in secondary.
ACT will continue to sponsor John throughout his secondary education.
What is ACT?
The Arusha Children's Trust, ACT, is an NGO which was started in 1999 to support underprivileged children in northern Tanzania.
What does it do?
ACT provides educational equipment, classroom furniture and sports equipment. It builds new classrooms and sponsors individual children.
It manages a community centre/kindergarten, pays the teachers' salaries and sends them on training courses. It provides porridge for the kindergarten children.
How can you help?
$10 USD/ £5.60 GBP buys 55 exercise books.
$15 USD/ £8.50 GBP buys a bag of cement.
$20 USD/ £11.20 GBP buys 20kg of maize flour.
$40 USD/ £22.50 GBP buys a desk.
$65 USD/ £36.50 GBP buys a month's porridge supplies for the kindergarten.
Donations can be made through PayPal by going to the website:
Or by cheque/ money transfer to The Arusha Children's Trust at the following bank address:
The Bank of Scotland,
43, Comely Bank Road,
Edinburgh.
EH4 1AF
United Kingdom.
Sterling Acc No 06002520
Branch Sort Code: 80-11-05
Account Name: The Arusha Children's Trust.