We are a small charity and can only a help small number of people. Donations go directly to the people we try and help. There are no payments to any trustee or local rep and we travel at our own expense.
Starfish
A man was standing on an Indian Ocean beach throwing stranded starfish back into the water. A passer by commented that it was a futile activity as there were so many that it would not make a difference. The man held one up and tossed it into the water saying: “It made a difference to that one!”
Manzi
This young man was the best performer from a Government secondary school in the District in 2017. This despite having no proper Maths or Science teachers for four years. He lived with his grandma in a mud house with no electricity but persevered and went on to Advanced levels and is now at University studying Vet Science. One of my colleagues helped him in secondary school and we had a gift of a laptop to help his advanced studies.
He approached us to help his Grandma and Auntie earn some money to live better. Here, we are talking about than two meals a day rather than one! In the pictures you can see a chicken house being built ready to raise chickens for meat and also for eggs. They will hopefully make a profit and pass on the loan of £225 to another villager to start their own chicken project. This is a first for us and we will see how it progresses. Manzi will use his vet skills to improve methods of rearing and hygiene.
Making money
Shafi had no income and was living in one room with a friend. He came to us with a business idea for a computer games club. With a donated PS2 and games as a starter all he needed was a monitor, which we provided. He charges local boys 200 shillings (7p!) for 20 minutes on the games. And that’s one way to survive in Sub-Saharan Africa!
Mariamu and her mama and little sister
Mariamu and her sister have it hard. Mama works selling sweet corn and goes away for weeks at a time to harvest crops. Mariamu the older daughter comes home from school and then goes out in the dark to grill sweet corn to sell at the bus stand to passing travellers. We used to bring back sweet corn in bulk from our work in rural areas to help them make a bit more profit.
More recently we have been taking donated bras and clothes for them to sell – there are no quality bras available to ordinary women. And after a tornado hit Lindi in 2021 and took the roof off their little shack we responded by organising a friend to repair the roof with metal sheets. The rain was pouring in!
We aim to support Mariamu in vocational training of some sort. She would love to work in Hair and Beauty.
Bicycle Repair Shop
Mr Manyanya was my bicycle repair man who seemingly didn't need any tools, as he was so strong! His toolkit comprised of a hammer and one spanner. In 2019 we took over a Halfords bike tool kit – it became his prize possession and cut down repair time as well as damaged fingers!
Fadhila
Fadhila was a happy girl from our neighbourhood when we met her at age 8. She gradually lost her hearing, most likely as a result of overdosing of malaria medication. When we returned to Lindi in 2018 she had started the local government secondary school where she was ignored by teachers and teased by other members of the community. Our local rep, Ramson, found her a place in a school for the deaf in Njombe on the other side of Tanzania. She has learned signing and will finish secondary school at the end of 2022 a happier and more confident girl. She has been partly sponsored by students from Sackville school in East Grinstead.
Apendae
When Sackville school wanted to sponsor a boy we found Apendae in his last year of primary school. His 96 classmates voted him the most deserving of help!
Sackville raised funds by holding a Christmas fair and a Valentines gift service to provide uniform, books and a 3-month English study course before secondary school. In Tanzania primary education is conducted in Swahili and then they switch to English in secondary – a recipe for failure! He achieved well in his Primary leaving exam and now attends Lindi Secondary school. It’s going to be a difficult path for him but he does not have to worry about basic school requirements.
