Watoto Trust Newsletter August 2006

Categories: Diary

Exciting news! The new building on the orphanage land is happening. In last month’s newsletter, I mentioned that money was raised at Kembu Campsite in a World Cup auction. Most of this money paid for the building plans to be drawn up and approved. Bruce has been interviewing the builder recommended by the church and has looked at buildings constructed by him in the Njoro area. They were mostly churches but included classrooms and water tanks. Bruce liked what he saw. Final quotations for labour and materials are being worked on. As you can see from the attached photograph, the foundations are all mapped out and are being worked on as this reaches you.

With a bit of luck, all will be finished by the end of October and the children can move from their cramped compound to their beautiful and spacious new home. The building plans, drawn up by the Chief Engineer of Nakuru County Council, have been approved and received County Council planning permission. This initial phase will be one building, approximately 100’ x 20’, a dormitory at each end with a living room-cum-nursery school etc in the middle with a kitchen incorporated behind. There will be an open verandah down the length of the front of the building. Bruce expects this to cost about Kshs 1.4 million (11 thousand pounds). A small ablutions block and toilets will be built concurrently but separately, as there is no running water. A stone water tank will also be constructed to catch all the rainwater, but this will be part of Phase 2. Of course, all of this is happening thanks to the overwhelmingly generous contributions made by you over the past year and is so much appreciated, not only by the children, but by the whole community, who see this as a huge step forward.

On a lighter side, the sheer mechanics of building where there is no water, electricity and no access road certainly tests one’s ingenuity. The water, for instance, will all come by donkey cart on a rough track from a river 3km away. Each cart carries 2 x 200 litres of water and will cost around 1 pound per trip. On average, 5-6 trips will be made each day and the water needs to be in place each morning before work commences, so a very early start is needed for the donkeys! The donkey drivers are delighted to have the work, which will last for much of the 3 months and will give them more than twice their usual income.

Seven of the boys have had to move out of the Orphanage at night, as they have grown out of the space available there and we simply can’t buy more beds until there is somewhere to put them. The boys are too big now to sleep several to a bed and are farmed out on neighbours for the time being. Thank goodness that there is a strong light at the end of their tunnel. Throughout all, Pastor Reuben and his wife Grace remain tremendously keen and enthusiastic. Reuben does all the running around that Bruce’s legs are too old to do……!

Unfortunately, the drought continues in our area and the crops are withering. We really need rain if they are to mature into food. Thankfully, we have not yet planted all the trees at the new site, as they surely would not have survived this dry year.

Special mention should go to Chloe Green, who has raised 100 pounds by making and selling cards. She would like the money be used to send the children to Nakuru Game Park. At the tender age of 9 she must surely be an inspiration to us all. How exciting for the children to see the wealth of wildlife that is right on their doorstep but which they would otherwise never have had the opportunity to experience. Well done, Chloe!

The Canadian bank account is now up and running, please contact me if you would like more details. In Australia, Jane Scragg is still working on setting up an account there. Thanks Ivo and Jane.

Please keep the interest up and ideas for fundraising going and do let us know of any upcoming events. Also, do forward this newsletter to anyone not on the mailing list who may be interested and drop me a line if you would like to be added to the mailing list. Your efforts are so much appreciated by everyone involved, most of all the children themselves.