I
had a whole school of kids came to look at a white man up
close! Normally they just see them driving through
on the way to or from a game park. Apart from
their undue
apprehension they were polite, no shouting as is usual at
the coast - give me money give me sweets
etc
There was no one offering
their sister for sex, and that and the price of land is why we
dream of building a safe place for children who have suffered
trauma, illness etc to go to recover. Yes they rubbed my arm to
see if the white rubbed off but I think they were having a joke
at my expense!
Back at the coast it was
necessary to rent a small apartment. One room with a
cooking area separate and a toilet with a water supply nearby.
Equipping it with bedding and utensils, a water butt to allow
water to be treated with Waterguard, a small 2 ring
camping gas cooker. This left no change from
£1000.
As well as all this the
school fees and transport costs for the kids all were paid for
six months in advance, to pay more would be foolhardy as a lot
can happen in 6 months and schools have been known to close
without warning and funds are
gone.
I
overspent my own personal budget by £2000 to meet all the
missing donations and simply cannot
do this again.
If we could only raise £1500
by October 2010 we can assure the kids we have safety and
accommodation for the next 6
months.
A dream would be the donation
of a 4x4 vehicle for collecting children in “the bush”, for
educational/hospital trips and especially collecting
proffered donations of food from
Meru.
In
conclusion without
more support we cannot progress and face the very real
possibility that we will be unable even to look after the
kids we have, let alone help any more. Sadly
Africa is no longer a ”fashionable” cause for donations.
The reports and stigma of corruption amongst politicians
is partly to blame - but then our western politicians
should possibly check the mirror before condemning the
Third World!
WHY MUST WE WAIT FOR A MAJOR
DISASTER BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING!
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