 |
Update Summer 2003 Information for sponsors, donors and friends From Paul Temple, |
| So many exciting things have been happening during the past few months and I'd like to bring you up to date. LONDON MARATHON Thank you all so very much for your generous sponsorship and donations when my daughter Anna and I ran in the London Marathon back in April. We completed the course together, still smiling, and were delighted to raise £1200. Our aim was to raise sufficient funds to pay for two of the villagers to visit us. We achieved our target and have now made arrangements for Joseph Simsokwe and Joseph Tago to spend two weeks with us in Sept /Oct. Joseph Simsokwe is the village agricultural officer and advises the villagers on all agricultural matters. Joseph Tago is a farmer and builder. They arrive on Sept 23 and return on Oct 6. We have organised a programme for their stay, including visits to farms, an agricultural show, our sponsored walk and the opportunity to meet sponsors and organisations who support our project. Hopefully their visit will bring our communities still closer together and give us the opportunity to learn from each other. I have arranged two open meetings to give everyone the opportunity to meet our friends and to show you the latest pictures etc from the village. The first is on Monday 29 Sept 6pm in the Scout Hall, Wrington and the second is on Friday 3 Oct 7.30pm at Corpus Christi Hall, Walliscote Road in Weston. We would be pleased to see you and any friends you would like to bring along at either or both of these meetings. SPONSORED WALK SMALL BUSINESS CO-OPERATIVE SCHEME WESTON MERCURY VISIT TO LUHIMBA JUNE/JULY When the school opened in Feb 2002 there were 80 students. Now there are 386 on roll. It is a fairly even mix of boys and girls and the majority board. As numbers have increased we are now in desperate need of more sponsors. If you know of anyone who might be interested please pass on the enclosed form to them. The school relies almost entirely on the funds we send them. Our sponsorship and donations cover teachers' salaries, buildings, books and equipment. It is just such a wonderful feeling to think that because of what you have done, all these young people are getting such a good start in life for the first time. Current plans for the school include completing a dormitory for the girls -this should be finished by October, the building of three more classrooms, another teacher's house and to extend the cultivated land around the school for produce to feed the students. Also, with the help of two Rotary Clubs, we hope to install a ring well with storage tanks and a solar power system to run the pumps and provide some lighting for the school, There is also a need for text books. At a meeting with the staff we discussed teachers' salaries and agreed to increase their pay by 10% bringing them into line with teachers at government schools (about £35 per month). All the teachers are dedicated happy people who love their jobs. Although the demands are great it is all achievable. It is very heartening to see how things are progressing due to the partnership between the villagers and all of you who make our project possible. Without you none of it would happen. If you'd like to see it all for yourself and feel you'd like to visit Luhimba, please contact me. Asante sana. Paul Temple Thank you for your interest in the Walk for Luhimba. I hope you will be able to take part and find sponsors . We will meet at 2pm on Sunday 28 September at the Dolphin in Uphill for a 2.30 start . The route will take us over the hill past the old church, down the other side to the nature walk, back out to the road via the entrance to the boatyard, then over the stile, across the flat grassland on to the beach near the yacht club. Then we will go along the beach You can then decide how far you would like to walk -the Sea Life Centre, the Grand Pier, or all the way to Knightstone, around Marine Lake and back to the Dolphin along the prom/ beach. Back at the Dolphin, light refreshments will be provided. If you know of anyone else who would like to join us, please pass on a form to them. Every penny raised will go towards the building of an extra classroom for the new secondary school. The school depends almost entirely on our support and it gives the children of this poverty-stricken village the chance to receive secondary education for first time ever . Please complete and e-mail the reply information below for us to have an idea of numbers . Thank you. Paul Temple e-mail: luhimba@aol.com WALK FOR LUHIMBA I wish to take part in the Walk for Luhimba on Sunday 28 September 2003. Name: |
|