Watoto Spring Fair

Categories: Diary

Bring your friends to
WATOTO SPRING FAIR
Tuesday 9th March 9am-7pm
Wednesday 10th March 9am-4pm

at The Tithe Barn, Ditcham,
Petersfield, GU31 5RQ
£3 admission - (includes coffee and yummy cake and, in the evening, a glass of wine)

There will be the unusual and unique, the exquisite and exotic, stunning jewellery, vintage furniture and clothing, the latest must-have lifestyle products from London, local artists and artisans – 39 stalls of fabulous products you won’t find on the High Street!

Update October 2008 (based on a report from Bruce)

Categories: Diary

We have come a long way. The new buildings are very smart and have attracted much interest. The neighbourhood around has built up considerably. It is all for the good and helps to address in a small way the tremendous hardships many of these folk live under.

As to be expected we are now being approached by neighbours to see if we could possibly help them as well. There is a primary school, about 400m from the orphanage. The headmistress came to visit last month seeking aid. Her school had 519 children before “the clashes” at the beginning of the year but currently has 744, more girls than boys. The teachers are funded by the Government and there is no problem there. Classroom accommodation is their worry. There are three stone classrooms (very rough and ready), 18x25 feet each, which house Standards 1 – 3. Standards 4 – 8 are in 10 wooden rooms including a very small staffroom. Classes’ 1, 2 and 3 run two shifts each, ne group learning 8:30 to 11:00 and the second lot 11:30 – 3:00. When weather allows further teaching is done under the trees. The compound is bug, several acres donated by the County Council, and space outside is not a problem. When visited the children were all delightfully polite and seemed well disciplined.

Class sizes vary from 90 in Standard 4 down to 43 in standard 8 (now sitting their exams). This is the schools third year of Standard 8. The school was started in the old degazetted airstrip hanger for the children from the “slums” round Njoro. Primary education is free and although teachers are funded by the state there is no help for the buildings, stationary, food, etc. The schools are not supposed to turn children away. In practice, the better, more popular schools, have first choice of who they accept, obviously choosing those with better Nursery school reports to ensure that they get themselves good exam results and so maintain their image. The rest end up at the newest school, in this case the local primary.

The headmistress is looking funds to build more classrooms so that they could split the groups of children where there were more than 50 in a class. She said even two more rooms, would make all the difference. Other similar requests have come in from local schools for classrooms and more urgently for new toilet facilities. The secondary school’s form 3 classroom urgently needs a roof, which we have provided corrugated sheeting for and they have put in place. They certainly work on faith and the seat of their pants!

Perhaps the time has come for us to help some of the others in their surrounding neighbourhood. Our help is needed and that whatever we do it will be so much appreciated and the funds will not be wasted.
We have added 2 new dorms incorporating a library/senior study room, small store, matron’s flat and three indoor toilets for the girls. Additional funds will be used to prepare the facilities for another intake of 20 children at Christmas.

The Faith Holy Orphanage: Christmas visit

Categories: Diary

The Faith Holy Orphanage: Christmas visit
(by Jonah Harris - age 14)

This Year I spent Christmas in Kenya, that’s a sentence you don’t hear often, and probably one you won’t hear for a while. While I was there getting into the spirit of Christmas with the seasonal jolliness and traditional excess, me and my family did something that was quite in keeping with the true sense of Christmas, on Christmas eve we rode down from Menengai farm to Kenana and met with Bruce Nightingale who discovered the faith holy orphanage and without him you probably wouldn’t be reading this. From there we travelled to Njoro and the Orphanage. As we passed through Njoro we encountered countless children all with huge smiles and all asking the same thing, “How are you?” in a sense these children have even less than the children in the orphanage, yes they may have parents but they aren’t supported by a charity and hundreds of people willing to make someone else’s life better. But these children were still so happy to see us, and as Bruce says, a smile costs nothing.

The orphanage has taken shape into a small community in its own right with their own crops trees and even flower beds. The buildings are strong and solid and their quality of life has improved a lot.

Again as soon as we got out of the car we were greeted with singing and dancing and were made to feel welcome the children were then gathered into a central room and the books were dispensed, in the space of only a few minutes they were all intently searching through the books. It was then our turn to be amazed as we were led around the premises the kitchen had stainless steel work surfaces a huge fire and chimney and new pots, pans, plates and cutlery. Our sense of amazement did not diminish as we proceeded outside to see the newly built water tanks linked to the orphanage gutter system. They now have a living space for their askari so the orphanage has 24 hour security.

All this new development comes with another set of problems, now the orphans have gone from the poorest people in the community to the people with the most, it is worried that feelings of jealousy may arise. So now it’s not just about giving the orphans the best opportunities but about raising up the whole community without conflict.

When we left we were hailed with a new bout of singing and dancing, as we drove away with waving and goodbyes. Later in our holiday we had planned to re-visit the orphanage but this was supposed to be after the disaster that was the election, the election went well it was the aftermath that cost lives and at that time Njoro had become embroiled in it too so we left Kenya with that first impression of the orphanage fixed in our heads.

One thing that strikes me now is these children, who have so little smile about, wave and talk to us as if we are old friends but here back at home we don’t, we don’t greet people in the street we don’t even smile, and sometimes I don’t think some of us, especially me, appreciate what we have and what we don’t have to go through. But a smile costs nothing.

Watoto Trust Newsletter July 2007

Categories: Diary

It’s a while since I wrote – apologies.

Things have been going well at the Faith Holy Orphanage Centre. The new buildings have worked and have been in use for 7 months now. There have been good rains recently and the maize, beans, peas and potatoes in the orphanage land are looking promising.

Each child has his or her own little plot of land this year in which to plant what he or she likes – mostly beans, peas and carrots; it’s a start in their working the soil themselves, experimenting and learning as they go.

90 fast growing eucalyptus trees have been planted by the children in the top corner of their land. Each child knows which tree was planted by him/her and will watch them grow with a personal interest in how they do. These trees will provide building materials and firewood in about 10 years time. Mango, loquat, avocado and macadamia nut trees have also been planted as well as lots of flowers to give colour. Reuben and Grace have been working hard.

Holmesdale Infant School in Surrey, UK held a Christmas book appeal, collecting donations for the orphanage. The generous response was absolutely overwhelming. So many books were given that there were enough to share around other schools and orphanages in the Njoro area and are being much appreciated. Well done, and thank you to all the donors at Holmesdale and to Alison Wadey, whose idea it was. Thanks also to Danny Nightingale, who got all the crates of books here to Kenya for us free of charge. No mean feat!

Katie Wilson and her House at Chapter House School in York raised 230 pounds at a bring and buy sale. Thank you and well done.

Ivo and Lynda Nightingale, their daughter Marguerite and friends in Canada gave us $1000 in January. Jane Scragg in Australia keeps sending donations she has collected there. Roger and Diana Polhill sent a cheque in February and Chris and Claire Coull and Wendy Briggs also made generous contributions. Thank you one and all.

Sarah Green and her family have been tireless in their pursuit of funds to help the children and have had such success that the small light at the end of a long tunnel of hope for these youngsters has blossomed into a bright ray of sunshine. Food for them is no longer a problem. They are well fed, housed and clothed. Secondary school education for each child is now a distinct probability rather than a distant dream. A big thank you to the Greens!

A few children have left the orphanage as relatives have either felt that they can now support them or have moved to other parts of Kenya. Bed space is available and Pastor Reuben has been given the go ahead to take more children in their place. He says he has a long waiting list of applicants. The orphanage has a good name in the district especially with the Primary Schools where the children are doing so well in their classes. All the textbooks your money has bought for them are paying dividends in academic results.

It is unduly cold and wet at the moment. The children walk to and from school, often in the rain. Colds have proliferated and five children had to go to the doctor. So this week, Reuben bought anoraks for everyone, which I hope will help. Rain brings its blessing, but also its problems.

Kasey Nichol from Atlanta in the States has spent her summer vacation from University to stay in Njoro and has made several visits to the orphanage getting to know the children, teaching and playing with them. She has updated the individual portfolio of each child with a nice picture of each. Thank you Kasey, the kids loved you!

Watoto Trust Newsletter February 2007

Categories: Diary

The New Year has got off to a super start for the orphans. Three of the older girls and one boy have started as day scholars in a secondary school in Njoro.

The success of the book collection is soon to pay off, as they will hopefully arrive any day now. We plan to get bookcases made in order to store them all. Alison and Mike Wadey, who were behind the big book collection, are visiting Kenya in early February.

The children have been enjoying lots of visitors over the past couple of months. In December Sarah Green (one of the founders of Watoto Trust UK) came to visit with her family. It was particularly special for them all to see how far the orphanage has come since the early days and to spend some time with the children in their new home. The orphans thoroughly enjoyed being taught board games such as Snakes and Ladders and Junior Scrabble by the Green children, who all made great little teachers!

Chris and Claire Coull made the most of their luggage allowance and brought clothes and sports equipment from Doha. Two weeks later, Ian and Diana Coull came and brought more goodies.

The children are currently enjoying the company of Will Culliford, a gap year student who is here on the farm for a few weeks. He has spent some quality time with the children. As January is the beginning of the school year, some children were waiting for a school place and Will stepped in by doing a few lessons, playing games and chatting to the orphans. (Thankfully, each child now has a place.)

Will has funded a new pair of sturdy black school shoes for each child. He ventured to the mitumba (market) and managed to find brand new shoes for everyone. He has bought himself a trusty ‘black mamba’ bicycle to get to and from Njoro, which he will donate to the orphanage at the end of his stay. Well done Will for enduring the bumpy roads on a most uncomfortable contraption!!

Tim Westlake has spent the last few days visiting the orphanage. He and his family have been great supporters of the orphanage over the last 20 months. So too has St. Denys Church in Cardiff who have raised over two and a half thousand pounds now- a tremendous help!

Now the children are looking forward to seeing Ivo Nightingale once again, who is visiting from Canada later this week.

Wendy Briggs organized a ‘mufti’ day at Park House School in Doha and held a tea party, raising 918 US Dollars.

Ian and Diana Coull held a carol singing/lunch in France, raising 400 Euros.

Marguerite Masterson has been very busy making and selling beaded bracelets in Canada. Two of her students are also getting involved. Rebecca Gannon, a 12-year-old student is helping to make the bracelets and is very keen to join Marguerite on a visit to Kenya one day and spend some time with the orphans.

Jessica VanStaalduinen made beaded snowflake ornaments as Christmas presents and gave them to friends and family members in the name of the Faith Holy Orphanage.

Jane Scragg, Jan Brown, Lesley and David Porah and also Jane’s Tai Chi group sent a generous donation from Australia before Christmas. Well done to them, and thanks.

The result of all this financial help is the lovely buildings that have been put up, the rainwater tanks, the Pastor’s house, and all the land too. The children have now been in residence in their new surroundings for six weeks and it is hard to visualize how they had managed so well in their previous cramped and limited conditions. Thank you one and all for your help. Our next project has to be worthwhile education of these children to give them the chance to fulfil their dreams and to take their places as equal citizens of this their beautiful country.

I wanted to include this lovely photo of Bruce with the children taken last weekend. He plays a crucial role in the Faith Holy Orphanage, giving so much of his time yet rarely gets a mention.