First of all I would like to thank you all for your continuing support as sponsors and donors. A special thanks too to all of you who took part in our sponsored 'Walk for Luhimba' last September which raised just over £1200, and to all of you who made such generous donations -over the Christmas period. All this has enabled us to complete the building of three classrooms and finish the girls' hostel at the secondary school.

The visit by the two Josephs last October was very successful. Although there was a delay in their arrival we arranged a full programme of activities for them. I'm pleased that many of you had the opportunity to meet them and they went home to Luhimba full of happy memories. Their report on the visit is on a separate page .

Five of us made a very productive and enjoyable visit to the village last October, 2003. I was accompanied by Helen Sweet, one of our trustees, Rowena Speirs, who did an excellent job of writing the reports in the Weston Mercury for a year before she moved on to another- newspaper, Joanna Dyer, who was visiting the village for the second time, and Roz Dyer, Joanna's mother (now known as Mama Rosie) who has now become one of our trustees. Villagers welcomed us with open arms and it was a really unforgettable experience.

I will be visiting the village at least twice this year -Jayne Williams, one of our sponsors will be returning with me next month and I will be going again in July. If any of you would be interested in coming along in the future, please let me know.

We have recently set up a working party to help with fundraising events etc. We will meet on a monthly basis on a Thursday evening to plan activities and if any of you would like to join us. please let me know. Amongst other activities we plan to run some market stalls to raise money for the project and to give out information. If any of you have any items we could sell, please let me know and we can arrange to collect them from you. Such things as books, CDs, tapes, toys, bric-a-brac etc, in fact anything that you think we could sell! We are also going to bring back carvings, jewellery , batiks, baskets, kangas etc from Tanzania to sell.

My son George and I will be climbing Kilimanjaro in July to celebrate my 60th birthday and we would like to raise some funds for the village through sponsorship. Enclosed is a form, and if you know of anyone who would like to sponsor us we would be very grateful. But I do stress I don't expect any of our current sponsors to give anything because you do enough already.

Support for the school has been fantastic. In addition to your sponsorship and donations, -several schools, churches and organisations have contributed in different ways. for example, the Rotary Clubs of Weston-super-Mare and Melton Mowbray have applied for grants from -Rotary International to provide the school with a ring well with pumps and storage tanks and a solar power system. Pete Clarke, one of our sponsors, recently ran in the Tough Ten Challenge in Weston, completing the gruelling 10 mile course in just over 70 minutes, and raising around -£250 for the project. Weston Homemakers Club adopted our project as one of their nominated charities last year and in January presented me with a cheque for £1500. Thanks too, to the many organisations which have been sponsoring students over the past few years. Your continuing support is so much appreciated.

Many thanks once again to the Weston Mercury for their continuing support. It is overwhelmlng how much their reports have raised awareness of the project throughout the area and as a -result the people of Luhimba have benefited directly.

Mr Mbelle, the head of the school, left in November and a new head has been appointed. I Will meet him during my next visit .

Amongst our other plans we hope to get the small business scheme off the ground this year. This scheme will give small groups the opportunity to borrow money on an interest-free basis to set up or expand their business. When the money is repaid it will then be allocated to another group. The scheme will be run by a committee in the village. This is something that the villagers have requested and about which they are very enthusiastic.

I think that's about all for now. Thank you once again for your support. Without that our project would not exist. It really is a wonderful feeling to know that what you are helping us achieve is having such a positive and immediate impact on this delightful community in a very poor country.

Best wishes,

Paul Temple