Wambua

Wambua was three years old when he was found sitting beside his mother’s body.  No one knows why she was killed, but Wambua and his younger sister became two more orphans living in the Kibera slum in Nairobi.

After their neighbours had buried their mother, they took in the children and gave them a home – a 5m by 5m room, with mud walls and four iron sheets for a roof.  There is no running water, no electricity, no bathroom.  The toilet for the family of eight is a polythene bag in the corner.

Their rent is $20 a month – hard to find when you have no job, and six children to feed.  The little they make is shared with their own three children and three orphans.

Through their care, Wambua can now speak, read and write in Swahili and in English.  He completed primary school and through his good grades, received an offer of a secondary school place.

And that’s where we were able to help.  A family in the UK now sponsor Wambua through secondary school.  He works hard and loves football.  He’s a regular teenager.  And he can complete his education.

(Wambua is Swahili for born during the rains)

Our friends in Kibera

On Friday 14th October we ran our first Red Rubber Ball workshop in Kenya, for teachers and youth leaders from the Kibera slums.  Our hope was to share with them the techniques and exercises we use, so they develop their skills as they encourage those in Kibera to raise the aspirations and achievements of children and young people.

The workshop equipped the teachers and youth leaders to run a programme with groups in their community.

The workshop was a fantastic experience, with 12 teachers and youth leaders taking part, together with two local facilitators.  I had been cautious when asked to run the workshop, wondering how young people with so little and living in abject poverty would respond. I needn’t have worried.  They readily identified and shared their passions, their hopes and aspirations.  Their dreams are the same as young people anywhere in the world – to be a poet, a fashion designer, a teacher, an engineer, a dancer.  They also had many aspirations to help others from the slums – to open an orphanage, to run a kindergarten, to become a social worker, to run a construction company to improve housing.

For each of them the key to their success is education.  Without exception, completing their secondary or university education is the next and vital step.  It’s great to see them value their education so highly.  Moses, who helped facilitate the workshop, is part way through his teaching diploma.  He works to raise enough money then studies for a term.  He works, saves and takes another term.

The group were incredibly community minded.  Their aspirations were not geared towards enriching themselves or acquiring material things, but to improving the lives of those around them.  They are a truly inspirational group.

Our workshop set out to inspire and encourage.  In turn we became inspired.

Save money and support your favourite charity

For a number of years we’ve bought our gas and electric from Utility Warehouse – for one good reason – they’ve consistently been the cheapest we could find. From time to time other companies have called at our door and quoted me their prices. Each time I’ve checked and each time Utility Warehouse has been the lowest. So I was delighted when they said that anyone who buys their gas, electric or telephone from Utility Warehouse can support the Red Rubber Ball Foundation. How? By simply paying your bill! Not only do you save money by having the lowest tariff available but Utility Warehouse will make a contribution to our funds based on the value of every bill you pay. So if you’d like to save money and raise money at the same time, please contact me on neil@redrubberball.co.uk.

Farming Project, Butare

The farming project is a partnership between The Red Rubber Ball Foundation and Kogelo Tours who have provided the land, around six miles from Mundeku village in Kenya’s Western province.

Work has been underway now for around six months on the farming
project with major progress being made.   Efforts are being focused on 2 acres of land, with the remaining four  acres currently planted with sugar cane, to be developed in 2012.

Around half of the area has been cleared and planted with fruit trees and vegetables.  There are two plots of maize; these provide two crops each year, with one crop having already been sold to buy windows for the new house.  In addition there are now 34 banana trees which will begin to produce fruit next year.

Elsewhere there are pawpaw, cassava and passion fruit; kale, which provides part of the staple diet; and avocados, which will have produce in 3 years.  Small amounts of food are being made available to the local orphan children and this will be increased as more is produced.

The borehole for water was dug down to 52 metres and is served by a hand pump.  This is used by local villagers, each evening, as well as providing irrigation to the farm.

A vital part of the project which is already being witnessed is in education.  Local councillors, church leaders and villagers have visited to learn skills and better farming techniques from Wycliffe the project manager.  This will help them to farm their own land more productively, so they get a better yield from their bananas and other crops.

A recent development has been the construction of a small house.  This is built of mud around a wooden frame, with the walls shortly to be rendered with cement.  The roof is tin, recycled from an old cowshed.  The floor is dung, compacted to
form a hard surface.  The house has two rooms, a living room and a bedroom for James the farm worker.  It will allow him to live on site and make the project more secure.  There is also space to keep the equipment.

The Red Rubber Ball Foundation has committed to support the project for three years, at which point the farm will be wholly self-sufficient.

So what of the future?

• The next step is to complete the planting of more fruit trees and vegetables.
•  A small water tower will be then be added to help with irrigation and a new cow shed constructed to provide cover for several cows.  These will graze on the common grass areas and provide milk and calves for sale.
• For 2012 it is hoped to build a greenhouse (covered with polythene) to grow tomatoes, which again become a cash crop leading to sustainability.

The Obama Story & Education

On my visit to Kenya in January, I was fortunate to meet Grandma Sarah Obama, “granny” to President Obama.  I was honoured to meet her and other members of the family at their home near Kendu Bay.  I was welcomed warmly and it brought into focus the impact that education can have – for this was the home of the President’s father, Barack senior.

 The family live a humble life in modest surroundings, yet within two generations Barack Obama became President of the USA, said to be the most powerful man in the world.  It is an astonishing story – achieved not through family wealth but through education.

As a capable student, Barack senior was given a scholarship in economics to study in Hawaii, on a programme providing educational opportunities to  outstanding Kenyan students.  The same scheme helped Sidney Poiter and Harry Belafonte.

Many now believe as I do, that education offers the best hope of a route out of poverty.  Indeed President Obama himself has said “We must make sure that people who have the grades, the desire and the will, but not the money, can still get the best education possible.”

Neil offers Grandma Sarah a traditional gift

His story is an example of how education can lift young people out of poverty, and perhaps provide hope to young people in the UK
and elsewhere to raise their aspirations.

I am delighted that through our links with the Obama family we  have been able to provide a bursary to a young boy called Tony to receive a secondary education.  He’s a capable student who lives near to Kendu Bay, now doing well at school, who would otherwise not have had that chance.

Through the bursaries (and other youth programmes we’re developing) we can’t guarantee a Presidency – but we can offer hope and opportunity; to encourage those young people to chase their red rubber ball.

Fantastic Fundraisers

Many thanks to the fantastic fundraisers at Community Building Services (CBS) Limited who took part in the London to Brighton bike ride to raise money for our farming project at Shiatsala. 

 The team of Tammy Curry, Wayne Matthews and Nirmal Flora stuck together through umpteen climate changes and got there exhausted but in one piece.

 Thanks to them and their support team of Richard De Boer, Norman Watts and Suzy Jackson they’ve raised over £330.

 This will enable us to buy a pump and allow us to irrigate the land; it’s a vital piece of equipment so thank you to all who supported them.

 CBS is part of Affinity Sutton, one of the largest housing groups in the UK, and provides a comprehensive range of high quality building and maintenance services, delivered by a professional team of directly employed trade operatives.

You can find our more about them at www.cbsrepairs.com

 

Bursaries

“We are too poor to afford an education”

 That’s the stark reality for many children around the world and what we have come across in Kenya.

 So we’ve decided to do something about it.  We have set up a number of bursaries to ensure that children can continue their education – and thereby escape the poverty trap.

 In Kenya we found that whilst children attend primary school until they are 12 or 13, some then lose the opportunity to move onto secondary school and miss the chance to better themselves and improve the lot of their families.

 This is simply because they are poor.

 Whilst school fees are modest by Western standards, they are often unaffordable for impoverished families.  The income for many Kenyan families is just enough for them to survive, sometimes hardly enough.  The children are needed in their families to work and help provide food. 

 This is made worse if a child has lost one or both parents to malaria, AIDS or other serious complaints.  Education becomes a “luxury” they can’t afford.

 We firmly believe that education is the key to overcoming poverty and want to offer more children the “luxury” of an education. 

 Your support therefore can be life changing.

 Would you be interested in offering a bursary that will allow another child to attend secondary school?  For as little as £20 a month, we will identify a child who will not be in school otherwise.  Your bursary will cover their school fees, plus a uniform and books, PLUS accommodation and food for a year.

 All we ask is that you support your chosen child for the four years through secondary school.

 Where possible, we are working with schools which are close to the child’s home village.  Though nearby, families prefer that the children board as they can devote all of their time to their studies.  Moreover by receiving all meals at school, it eases the burden on the family.  There are other benefits too – the school may well have access to electricity so the children can do their homework after dark.  At home it’s often the light of a kerosene lamp at best.

 All school fees are paid by The Red Rubber Ball Foundation to the secondary school directly.  This ensures that everything is transparent and that you can be confident your money is going to the right place.

 We also visit each of the schools ourselves (I will be there myself in September) to get an update on each child’s progress.  We won’t saddle them with any additional expectations, but will make sure you know how the child is progressing.

 We also encourage the child to write to you and you are welcome to write back.  For example, you might wish to let them know a little more about your family, what you enjoy doing etc and send a photo.  We encourage the child to do the same.

 These bursaries give children a wonderful opportunity to continue their education and escape the poverty trap.

 Would you be interested in supporting a child?

 For more information visit our website www.redrubberball.co.uk/foundation

 or to register your interest in sponsoring a child contact us on 01707 395850, or foundation@redrubberball.co.uk

 

How a bunch of flowers helps kids in Africa

I recently sent some flowers to some good friends of ours to celebrate the arrival of their new baby boy.  Now there’s nothing remarkable in this in this day and age, even for a Yorkshire bloke.  Internet shopping as it is, I didn’t need to go anywhere near a florists.  Needless to say, our friends were delighted and the flowers (and baby) looked lovely.

So why is this worthy of note?  Well what was remarkable was that several days later I was informed that the charity I support, The Red Rubber Ball Foundation, had received a contribution, in this case worth 3% of my purchase.

Now, this money is very welcome.  It helps ensure that the Foundation can continue the project to convert barren land in Kenya into a working productive farm to feed a group of orphan children.  So my flowers became two gifts – to our friends and to those African children.  And the best bit, it didn’t cost me anymore.

The charity benefits from a purchase I was making anyway.

So how is this possible?

Well I registered with The Giving Machine and simply clicked on their website www.thegivingmachine.co.uk  when I was ready to shop on-line.

All the retailers featured, donate a % of your purchases to your nominated charities.  It’s that simple.  All you need to do is register; nominate your chosen charities and shop.  What a great way to give.

So please do think about shopping this way.

And what’s happening in Kenya right now?  Well it’s raining!  But the land has been fenced off and perimeter trees planted.  We have maize growing and are planting bananas and other fruit trees.  And when the rain stops later this month, then drilling will begin on the bore hole.

About The RedRubberBall Foundation

The Red Rubber Ball Foundation is a registered charity (number 1140443) set up to help young and disadvantaged people in the UK and overseas develop their capabilities. We do this by donating our own time, money and energy raise funds to support individuals and community groups.

All the money raised goes directly to the projects undertaken.

The charity is overseen by independent Trustees who review activities and ensure that all funds are used for the purpose intended.