Update from Pat

Fantastic results .. Pats been visiting Brique's organization, LLK, on the stop-over to Nyahururu, Merryland Kindergarten .. and given a van full of jackets to the children & a meal party .. take a look





I'd also like to thank Roland W and the entire high school in Hof, Germany for their generous donations towards the children's food.

Merryland Kindergarten

Pat Jones just arrived in Kenya with 6 suitcases of clothes and toys for the children of Merryland Kindergarten, located in Ndaragwa, Nyandarua district, approx 6 km from Nyahururu town.

Pat is 75 and quite clearly has the heart and bravery of a Superhero!



The Kindergarten started in the year 2005, on the initiative of Lydiah Wangechi Gichane (known as Wangechi, below, left) after losing her husband in an accident. Initially trained as an early childhood teacher, she intended to provide the best development for children between two and seven years. 90% of the parents are casual labourers, earning only 100 KSh per day, which just about covers food, house rent and very basic needs for their families. The area also has a large population of children who need special care like orphans, mentally and physically challenged children and highly neglected children.


Pat & my friend, Danielle, are working hard alongside Wangechi to obtain more space for playgrounds at the nursery & playing and learning materials for the children. They have hopes for improved medical facilities and sponsors to ensure teachers can be paid.

We would all be grateful for any form of help or donation you can make.

Please contact either AVIF or Lydia Wangechi Gichane directly; P.O. Box 595 - 20300, Nyahururu Kenya
Email: wangechilydiah@yahoo.co.uk
Cell phone: +254-722-780529



This is little James, age 4. He is his family’s only child. The family is poor and his mother makes a living selling potatoes at a nearby market but is not in good health. She uses the unsold potatoes to feed James and is unable to adequately meet all of his needs. James has a problem with speech and cannot express himself properly.Yes, he's scared & traumatised but we hope Merryland will allow him to play & learn & smile more. James doesn't yet have a sponsor, if you'd like to help please get in touch.
Asante & salamu x

Solar Aid

This is just a fantastic idea and one we're happy to be associated with. My wish now is to get solar kits to each of our hosts, as well as the ArrowWeb Community Hospital, currently supported as an online-managed NABUUR village.


As written on Solar-Aid's website, here's a few things you might not know:

1. The
   earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world
   uses in a whole year.
   
2. Two billion people in the world
   have no access to electricity.
   
3. Building a small solar charger for a radio can
   cost around £5 and can sell for three times the price in Africa .. Solar Aid help to set up small solar
   businesses so people can earn a living.
4. Most
   rural poor in Africa use kerosene lamps, which are heavily polluting in
   CO2 and bad for their health, but a solar lamp would be cheaper and
   better for the environment.
5. Solar panels are guaranteed typically for 25 years and have a life expectancy of at least 50 years.
6. Africa has the
   lowest fossil energy use of any world region, yet the continent is the
   most vulnerable to climate change. Signs of a changing climate have
   already emerged there: disease and melting glaciers in the mountains,
   rising temperatures in drought-prone areas, and sea-level rise and
   coral bleaching along the coastlines.
7. Respiratory diseases
   caused by toxic smoke from cooking fires kill 1.5 million women and
   children each year. Yet a solar cooker, which is much safer, can be
   easily built from cardboard and waste reflective material.

Visit the website for further info.

Road racing for AVIF

I have a massive thank you to give to Shaun K, a good friend from marshalling motorbike racing, after he RAN a road race of his own. 5 miles in 34 minutes, all in aid of AVIF. Here's the man himself handing over a cheque at Olivers Mount, Scarborough,host to the Cock o'the North Road Racing event.

Massive thanks to the UK weather system too for seriously holding off on all the predicted rain.



[Asante sana]

Safari Options with GDS

Image via Wikipedia

Game Drivers Safaris have uploaded their itinerary for you, should you wish to join them. This is the third consecutive year that GDS have offered a Maasai Mara safari to AVIF Volunteers, ran virtually at cost and our way of saying thank you for your efforts during your time in Kenya. Your safari payment also helps to support the local Maasai Community that we work with in the Maasai Mara.



GDS cater for all & pride themselves on offering a welcoming, diverse experience.



Jacob & Sambarap, 2 of the guides at Sokonoi Camp, with GDS.Technorati Tags: safari, maasai mara, experience, volunteer, AVIF, Game Drivers

Suncookers

In March 2008 Catherine Scott’s documentary film SUNCOOKERS, about Solar Cookers International’s efforts to spread solar cooking and solar water pasteurization in Kenya, won the alternative energy category at the 2008 EarthVision International Environmental Film Festival in Santa Cruz, California.

AVIF have been promoting solar cooking to all hosts since 2006 and this video is a fantastic way of spreading the word. Asante sana, Catherine & SCI.

To arrange a demonstration of the cookers, please contact us by email.

Suncookers

The advantages of solar cooking are numerous, since they dramatically reduce :

- POVERTY - by educating and empowering communities, creating opportunities for them to earn extra money and even start their own business supplying or baking

- POLLUTION - by introducing more sustainable technologies and clean renewable energies for daily use

- DEFORESTATION - by lessening the need firewood

- DESERTIFICATION / LANDSLIDES - caused by clearing of trees and plants for firewood

- ILLNESSES CAUSED BY INDOOR AIR POLLUTION such as eye and lung diseases - by far more efficient stoves creating NO smoke

- ILLNESSES CAUSED BY CONTAMINATED WATER such as diarrhoea, parasites, cholera - by allowing simple water purification through solar heat

- HIGH FUEL COSTS FOR COOKING - therefore making income available for other foodstuffs or education

- TIME CONSUMING DAILY TASKS such as fetching wood for cooking

Technorati Tags: solar cooking, alternative energy, sustainable development, Kenya, SCI, AVIF

Chain Reaction

Over the past few years I've watched as, Harrogate especially & the corporate world go expo & conference mad. Going to a meeting isn't the same as it was 10 years ago. Nowadays you don a suit, book into a hotel and spend the day wading through stalls and networking with similar-industry people. You share and compare ideas, then go back to your office and try to get a result from the business cards and bags of goodies you acquired. Networking online is a whole lot easier; instant, far less expensive and more personally direct but here's a new idea that caught my attention:



"Chain Reaction is about one talent, experience or idea unlocking another, creating a powerful chain of energy that will build a better world."
Uniquely Chain Reaction will "champion the voice of those under 25 years of age - our future global leaders .. those with power will meet those whose only power is their own actions; world
leaders will work with children; business leaders with micro enterprises."

Thats a Great idea ! Its also backed fully by the UK government.
Chain Reaction is about bringing people together to:

• Connect
  
• Collaborate &
  
• Commit
  

Speakers already committed include Community Links Founder, David Robinson OBE, co-Founder of Comic Relief, Jane Tewson CBE, Tim Smit of The Eden Project & John Bird of The Big Issue.

The inaugural Chain Reaction event is 17th—18th November 2008 on London's South Bank.
For further info and tickets click here. Entry is being ran by Community Links who do not want to exclude anyone from the event. Please contact them if you think you may have difficulty affording the rates, they WILL help. Technorati Tags: chain reaction, network, AVIF, action

Mercy Home Foundation

At the beginning of the year Kenya and the world watched in horror as the violence erupted. Unfortunately there are still victims, especially the children and communities trying to repair their lives. The tourism industry and economy have been damaged and one consequence is a dramatic fall in interest to visit by volunteers. This is totally understandable but the vicious circle MUST be broken in order to get people to come back to a beautiful country full of unquestionably kind people.

The most enigmaticly crazy person in my life, Matt McDonald just emailed to update me on the progress made by the Mercy Home Foundation. Co-Founders; Nick Kempson, Charlie Wright, along with many others set up the foundation after volunteering with AVIF, Summer 2007, staying at the JNMCC (Jehovah Nissi Mercy Childrens Centre).



Nick & Charlie are currently in Kenya visiting various places and delivering various goods, which is fantastic in itself, but Matt's update just makes me realise why AVIF exists. Prior to the Summer Program 2007, Matt's School, Campsmount Technical College, where Matt is a Learning Mentor amongst other roles, contributed hugely to AVIF. The students filled shoeboxes with items like pens, pencils & toothpaste & posted them over. The College, backed by Head, Andy Sprakes, provided materials and equipment for the orphans at JNMCC, which Matt fantasticly carried over to Kenya himself, as do all the AVIF volunteers.


Matt has organised a charity day at a very large primary school, this Friday, and will then be "giving an assembly to over 400 kids ! eeeak" he says! The last week of term at Campsmount College is dedicated to raising funds for the Mercy Home & "its turning out that the whole pyramid of schools want to be involved so its a sustained link".

Wow .. totally unbelievable result from the 2007 Summer Program Volunteers .. you Guys rock ! ...I'd like to wish Nick & Charlie a continued & safe trip with our friends in Kenya.

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