Christmas with Sky and AVIF Bring your family together with the best line up of movies all in stunning High Definition. When new customers subscribe to Sky+ HD via the webshop AVIF will receive £120! If you are thinking of joining Sky please do so via our webshop so we can receive this huge donation. Why join Sky+ HD? Join Sky+ HD with Sky Movies in HD and receive a FREE Sky+ HD box (£30 set-up). New customers will receive £50 to spend at M&S when they join Sky TV too!   Don’t forget there is £120 for AVIF for every new customer that subscribes to Sky+ HD via the webshop. The offer unwrapped Sky+HD Box is FREE when you take Sky TV with Sky Movies and the HD Pack for 12 months This package comes with FREE broadband and calls Enjoy a £50 M&S voucher when you join online* AVIF will receive £120 when new customers subscribe to Sky+ HD Don't Forget Support AVIF this Christmas when you buy online, simply start shopping at www.buy.at/AVIF or use any of the links in this email. *Only available for new customers with their viewing card enabled by 17 January 2009. One voucher per household and only available when you join online. Visit www.buy.at/AVIF for more great offers from over 150 top retailers.
	Forward this mail on to help AVIF raise funds. Please forward this mail on if you think that you know people who would like to receive it. Responsible emailing Remember if someone receives this mail from you, then tells you they don't want to receive a similar one again you must not send them future messages. If you are considering forwarding it on you must do so only to people who you consider would like to receive it and to whom the content is relevant. If you have a formally-managed list you must only send it to those who have expressed that they wish to receive such mail from you. Purchases made through www.buy.at/AVIF are made according to the information and terms provided by the company making the sale to you. Further details on using the buy.at shop are provided on the site.

Please help us to help Ingrids Angels

The Ingrids Education Centre has been leasing the land it stands on for the last 3 years and now the owner has put it up for sale. In this time the Centre, under the guiding hand of Douglas "Wesley Snipes" Onkware has been caring for over 100 children in the Matopeni slum area of Nairobi.

This summer AVIF volunteers assisted greatly, helping the buy and install a permanent water tank as well as teaching and spending time at the Centre. We've all secured the plot with a deposit but the agreement with the owner is that the remaining amount is to be paid by end of December 2009.

Securing this plot also secures the futures of 116 needy children from the slum area, keeping them from working in the neighbouring quarry but instead providing them with at least one meal a day and a chance of an education. The money currently being spent on rent at the Centre will then help towards the purchase of food and materials for the children, as well as saving towards more permanent classrooms.

There is a simple fast way to help, by donating via the JustGiving page,
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. If you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Please help us secure the childrens education now!

Mount Kenya with Mary Kariuki

MOUNT KENYA, alt 5,199m (Batian), is the highest mountain in Kenya, and 2nd only to Kilimanjaro for the entire African continent.



My good friend Mary "Mumbi" Kariuki of StandOut Adventures is planning to take us up to one of its 3 peaks, early 2010.

Lenana via the Sirimon Route is a non-technical trail that allows all trekkers to enjoy a magnificent view of east africa without any climbing skills. The other two routes, Naro Moru route and Chogoria Route are more suitable for climbers familiar with rock climbing, belaying and rope techniques.

Day 1 : Sirimon Park Gate to Old Moses Camp - 9km, approx. 3/4 hours hiking through the beautiful rain forest to Old Moses Camp at alt. 3,300m.
Day 2 : Shipton's Camp - 16km, approx. 7/8 hours hike through the Liki Valley via Mackinder's Valley to Shipton's Camp at alt. 4,200m where you enjoy an incredible view of the north faces of Nelion and Batian peaks.
Day 3 : Peak Circuit for Acclimatazation - 4 hours - ascending to a steep ridge through Kami Hut, Hausberg Tarn and Two Tarns Lake through some of the most spectacular sceneries. Return to Shipton's Camp.
Day 4 : Point Lenana at alt. 4,985m and back to Old Moses - 4 hours starting at 2.30am to arrive for sunrise. From here you can admire Kilimanjaro's highest peaks, Kibo and Mawenzi visible from the south, the Indian Ocean from the east and Mt. Elgon from the west. Descent back to Shipton's camp for breakfast. Old Moses for dinner.

Mary and her climbing team are native Kenyans who grew up close to Mt Kenya. All are very knowledgable about protecting the ecosystem. As with Mt Kilimanjaro, the glaciers of Mt Kenya are retreating rapidly due to climate change and low snowfall.

Mt Kenya benefits from equatorial climate. A typical day is a sunny crystal clear morning with temperatures around 25°C in low altitude and around 10°C as you slowly climb. Fog and clouds are commonly generated by mid day but at dawn, the ground surface is cooler and clouds leave the peaks uncovered. Temperature can drop down to -10°C during the night.

The mountain has two rainy seasons from late March till June and from October to December. The best climbing season is December – March and July – September.
Contact Mary for a quote at info@standoutadventures.com or +254 722 562449
Technorati Tags: mt kenya, kenya, mountain, mary kariuki, climbing

The Road to Hell by Michael Maren

Shaking up the inertia, as he does so well, I first blogged about Michael a few years ago.



A former food monitor for the United States Agency for International Development, Michael provokes debate about Aid in Afica. One such discussion comes from AVIF volunteer, Alec, recently returned from 5 weeks in Kenya, mainly rural and Mike, a Board Member for AVIF's CIC, KO2.

M: That is a great article. Some of the poorest Asian countries seem to have
been able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps with relatively
little aid - Cambodia is going to be an interesting case in point when
I visit again eight years on. Corruption on a grand scale but people
who were incredibly, remarkably inventive at making the best of what... Read more

A: Good article and well put Mike. My own feeling is that withdrawing all aids
to Africa at this late in the day may not be the solution. Perhaps
everyone from both sides needs to stop seeing just $ signs and change
their perspective on what they regards to as aid, and welcome the idea
of just providing and receiving education as a mean of aid......

The discussion continues on FaceBook here ...

Technorati Tags: michael maren, aid for africa, poverty, greed, corruption, kenya

Mercy Home Storyboard from Eleanors volunteering in Kenya

Eleanor has wonderfully uploaded a story board with great explanation, onto Facebook.
You may need to add her to read it, starting here.
That concludes this years volunteering, Asante Sana to all involved.

Technorati Tags: volunteer, kenya, AVIF, mercy home