Village Africa Fundraising Event

24th October 2008, 19.30 til midnight. The Barbican Centre, London

TO ORDER TICKETS PLEASE EMAIL: christina_lh@hotmail.com

Special thanks to Stacey Faulkner for sending a large quantity of medical supplies including bandages, wound dressings and neck braces.

Special thanks to Skynet for helping to transport the above items.

Special thanks to Mrs M Elms and David Elms for their kind donations to Village Africa.

Lynda Smith organised a "Name the Panda" competition to raise money for Village Africa. Funds were raised by the patrons and friends of Warwick Gates Community Church in Leamington Spa earlier this year. The Panda is to be sent to the children in Yamba, Tanzania.

	Shopping online There's now a new and easy way for you to help us raise funds for Village Africa - simply by shopping online! Easyfundraising is a shopping directory that features many of your favourite online stores, including Amazon, NEXT, Debenhams, John Lewis, ToysRUs, HMV and over 500 others. All you have to do is use the links on the easyfundraising site whenever you shop online and, at no extra cost to you, we'll receive a free donation of up to 15% from every purchase you make. It really is that simple! It's completely FREE to register and use and you still shop with each retailer in exactly the same way. Many retailers even offer additional discounts and money-saving e-Vouchers when you shop using easyfundraising. If you shop online anyway then why not raise valuable extra funds for us by using this fantastic scheme.  All you need to do is visit http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/villageafrica and when you register, select Village Africa as the charity you wish to support.
	Change your search engine to easysearch.org.uk now... You can now raise funds for Village Africa when you search the web! Use easysearch every time you search online and they'll give 50% of the fees paid by their advertising sponsors to your chosen cause. Easysearch is powered by Yahoo, the world's 2nd largest search engine. It works just like any other search engine, bringing you fast, accurate results every time, but easysearch also gives something back! When you search the web with easysearch you'll generate around a penny for Village Africa with every search you make. It doesn't sound like much, but the pennies soon mount up and each penny goes much further in Tanzania. Make it your homepage now and select Village Africa as the charity you would like to support!  http://www.easysearch.org.uk

Gifts gratefully received from Tanzania and the UK - medical equipment including a child blood pressure cuff, medical books and posters, children's books, school stationery, teaching aids, sports equipment and clothing. A special thank you to Skynet Worldwide.

St Thomas's Church, Salisbury held an extremely successful coffee morning to raise funds. It included the sale of cakes to take home and a raffle. It was organised by one of Village Africa's current volunteers, Miranda Naish.

The children of Cherry Tree Hill Infant School in Chaddesden, Derby have participated in a sponsored walk to raise money for the kindergarten classrooms at Yamba Primary School, Tanzania.  The children walked a lap around the playground carrying a bucket of water - to represent children in Africa who walk to the rivers to fetch water.  Special thanks to St Barnabus Friendship group for collecting loose change. Special thanks to Beki Warwick for running the London Half marathon. Special thanks to everyone who has donated generously to help raise money for the kindergarten classroom.

Following presentations on Village Africa kindly given by Doug and Moe Brazenall, Village Africa would like to give special thanks to:

Dudley Men's Fellowship who meet at Central Methodist Church in Dudley, West Midlands,

Dr.David and Ann Gallimore,

Five Ways Methodist Church, Lower Gornal.

Gifts gratefully received in the UK: hand knitted baby clothes and blankets, children’s and babies toys and blankets, the use of a photocopier.

Special thanks to David and Jeanette Robinson.

Special thanks to Claire Probert and Alex Holden

Special thanks to The Coseley School and Sports College for the photocopying of information packs for the Village Africa pilot child sponsorship scheme.

Gifts gratefully received from Tanzania, Australia and the UK - safety goggles, footballs, toys, clothing, shoes, toiletries, stationery and wool, magnifying glasses, puppets, posters and other teaching aids.

Special thanks to the staff and customers of Kipepeo Beach Resort in Dar es Salaam

Allison Yearsley has decided to give herself the challenge of running an average of one mile per day running up to her wedding to raise money for Village Africa. There will be 130 days, so 130 miles, or the equivalent of almost 5 marathons!

Gifts gratefully received from Tanzania and the UK - building gloves, clothing, school stationery, toys, crochet hooks, wool, washing lines and pegs.

Special thanks to Skynet Worldwide.

Gifts gratefully received from the USA, Ireland and the UK - medical equipment, medical book, tent, camp beds, blankets, bags, digital camera, garden sprinklers, wool, sewing needles and toiletries.

Special thanks to Kids Helping Kids.

Gifts gratefully received from the Netherlands and the UK - spectacles, medical book, DVD player, CD player, mobile phones, wind up torches, sports kits and equipment, clothing, shoes, jewellery, wool, school posters and other teaching aids, school stationery and toys.

Special thanks to Thare Machi Education (a UK based charity) for a portable DVD player and a collection of health education DVDs in Kiswahili and English.

Teachers at Nelmes Primary School, Hornchurch kindly raised money for Village Africa by not sending Christmas cards.

Gifts gratefully received from the Netherlands and the UK - wind-up torches, knitting needles, clothing, shoes, noticeboards, calendarsspectacles, children's books and videos, toys, bags, staple guns, a mobile phone and knitting patterns.

British Airways kindly gave extra baggage allowance to Village Africa.

Florence Gauvin raised money for Village Africa by having a swear box in her office, collecting small change left in colleagues drawers and kindly donating the extra money she is paid to be a safety warden.

Special thanks to Florence and the bankers of Merrill Lynch International.

Thanks to Helen O'Grady Drama Academy for use of a computer and printer in the UK.  www.helenogrady.co.uk

Instead of sending Christmas cards, money was donated to Village Africa by a friend of Allison Yearsley (who has twice volunteered for Village Africa).

University of Exeter students raised money for Village Africa whilst dressed as reindeers in Guildford shopping area.  The University Rag Week International Committee is sending a 12 strong expedition to Yamba in August 2008.  The students have a range of fundraising activities lined up.

Gifts gratefully received from the UK - jewellery, clothing and school posters.

The Rotary Club of Tanga kindly donated 50 mosquito nets.  These special nets which do not need treating for five years were distributed at a Village Africa seminar on malaria.  They were given to Village Africa staff and local volunteers who have been improving the access road to Yamba. 

Tina Freeman, a valued Village Africa volunteer, organised a fantastic African night to raise money for Village Africa.  The night included African drumming and African food and was a huge success.

Special thanks to Hinkey Island Hotel for donating the venue free of charge and donating the raffle prize of a meal for two.

Special thanks to the Tanzanian Embassy for donating 2 beautiful khangas.

 

 

Gifts gratefully received from Tanzania and the UK - school stationery, clothing and shoes. Special thanks to Peponi Beach Resort in Pangani. Special thanks to Skynet, the international courier company.

Nether Green Junior School in Sheffield raised money at their Autumn Fayre for Village Africa.  Pupils were keen to participate, as their teacher, Melanie Hurt, was still a volunteer teacher in Milingano Primary School.

Gifts gratefully received from the UK - children's clothing, books and toys.

Nether Green Junior School in Sheffield raised money for their teacher, Miss Melanie Hurt, to be part of Village Africa's teaching programme.  They did this by sponsoring her to take part in a sports day and by organising a cake stall.

Upminster Ladies Tangent kindly gave a donation to Village Africa.

Gifts gratefully received from Tanzania and the UK - blankets and sweaters , school posters, school stationery, clothing, shoes, children's books, toys, wool, first aid
equipment and roll mats, toys, games, fancy dress costumes, jewellery, make-up and sports equipment.

Special thanks to Ardleigh Green Junior School and its pupils.

Special thanks to Kipepeo Beach Resort in Dar es Salaam.

Special thanks to Godolphin School.
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Village Africa is very much looking forward to receiving Doug and Moe Brazenall as teaching volunteers in September 2007. They have done a great job of getting friends and contacts involved in raising money for the charity including holding three car boot sales with items for sale donated by friends and neighbours.  A special thank you to:

• Midlands Counties Athletic Association Alexander Stadium, Birmingham for t-shirts and sweatshirts
• Coseley School and Sports College for school stationery and skipping ropes
• HSBC Worcester Branch
• Zicam Integrated Security of Dudley for covering the cost of flying out the donated clothing.
• Wolverhampton Wanderers FC & its supporters for large quantity of Wolves shirts.
• Premier Skills Soccer Coaching (Tony Parkes & Andy McKnight) for 6 x brand new leather footballs.
• Faye (Aged 6), Laura (13) Louise (15) and school friends for raising money from a sponsored run.

Kate Drew is a teacher who is volunteering with Village Africa for three months, starting in early September 2007. She encouraged 90 school children at Ardleigh Green Junior School, where she taught, to take part in a Sponsored Circuit Challenge. They managed to raise a very large amount of money. They all had a great deal of fun in the process, which involved completing 15 circuit stations twice. Kate also joined in the fitness fun and asked friends and family to sponsor her. We are very grateful to Kate and all the children and their sponsors for their enormous enthusiasm and dedication.

 

 

Gifts gratefully received from the Netherlands and the UK - spectacles, clothing, jewellery, memory stick, knitting needles and patterns, toys and a polaroid camera and blankets.  Special thanks to Martins Wood Primary School, Stevenage, Hertfordshire  Also many thanks once again to Skynet and its employees for their latest gifts and transportation.

Thanks to Clavering Primary School for the most generous donation.

Thanks to Pontesbury-Muheza Link

Tina Freeman has produced a short journal of her time teaching in Yamba and is selling it to raise money for Village Africa.

The container sent from the UK has safely arrived in Tanga and 73 boxes are being transported to Yamba and Milingano.  Many thanks to all who donated, collected, packed and paid shipping on the following items: clothes, shoes, books, stationery, toys, games, walking sticks, crutches, sewing machines, typewriters, tools, spectacles and sleeping bags.

Gifts gratefully received from Italy, Tanzania and the UK - clothing, bags, toiletries, first aid equipment, jewellery, knitting needles and wool, an electronic notepad, memory stick, walking sticks, spectacles, teaching aids, umbrellas.

Village Africa is looking forward to receiving the expedition from Goldolphin School in July.  The girls have done an absolutely wonderful job fundraising for Village Africa prior to their departure including holding a fashion show.  Village Africa would like to thank everyone involved in all the fundraising events.   

FASHION SHOW REVIEW

Clothes were strewn across every chair; every surface; every inch of carpet.  In the months leading up to the final weekend in April, Jerred House became unrecognisable – transformed into a haven of glitter, buttons, ribbons and clothes rails: all in preparation for the charity fashion show – ‘Morphing Fashion’ - in aid of Village Africa and Salisbury Hospice.  Indeed the weekend itself saw the transformation of almost 50 Godolphin girls, from identifiable students into creatures of the unknown.  Pupils and staff throughout the school pulled together to produce this fantastic event, notably Miss Findley, Miss Stone, and Ffion Thomas.  Although careful planning took place prior to the event, the show was organised and choreographed in forty-eight hours – a stressful, yet exhilarating time constraint.  Sixth Form choreographers lives were made somewhat more complicated by the absence of certain girls as they were ferried to and from Sloanes hair salon in town.  As the start time drew nearer, girls began to quieten down, full of anticipation and excitement for the afternoon ahead; the audience took their seats and the lights were dimmed.  The show began.  The performance proved to be a vibrant mixture of the arts: theatre, dance and fashion – an event previously unseen by Godolphin.  None of this could have been possible without the sponsorship provided by Volvo, Sloanes, Desperately Sensible, Barber Thorne Creative and the Wessex Group; nor could it have happened without clothes kindly loaned by Hourglass, Pam Fisher (Godolphin costume mistress), Rose Kennard (Salisbury Antiques Market) and numerous parents.  After the show had finished and the last girl had stepped out of her outfit, students were left with an overwhelming sense of sadness and nostalgia; despite exhaustion beyond even the most vivid imaginations, it was evident that any girl would have done it all over again.  It is fair to say that this had been no ‘quiet weekend in’ at the Godolphin School. 

Kate Ballantine Dykes

Gazette

Gifts gratefully received from UK and Tanzania: clothing, shoes, school stationery, knitting and crochet needles, wool, bags, first aid equipment, football, toys, biscuits, digital camera, mini photo printer, video recorder, jewellery.

Imperial College students have done a fantastic job of raising money for Village Africa during their RAG week.  Not only have they raised a large amount of money; they have also offered to sponsor the Doctor’s salary for a year.

This money was raised during “Sports Wednesday” and “The Invasion into London”. Village Africa would like to thank every single person involved in helping to raise these funds.

Gifts gratefully received from the Australia, Tanzania and the UK - children's videos, toys, clothing and jewellery.

The Baker family and friends in Hertfordshire are knitting squares to make blankets.

Gifts gratefully received from the UK - clothing, shoes, bags, teaching aids, school stationery, toys, jewellery, toiletries, books and first aid equipment.  Special thanks to Skynet for generously donating and transporting clothes and shoes. 

Village Africa wishes to thank the “Women of Wilden” for organising a Victorian fundraising evening.  The evening was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Tina Freeman is raising money to help Village Africa celebrate its first birthday in May 07 after receiving inspiration from a generous donor. To celebrate, Village Africa will be providing pupils of Yamba Primary School with a true Tanzanian feast including rice, bananas (plantain), cow and/or goat, vegetables, fruit and juice or sodas. Many pupils do not eat lunch and this will be a very welcome and nutritious celebration meal.  Any surplus monies raised will be put into Village Africa’s general funds to help alleviate poverty.

Gifts gratefully received from Ireland and the UK - school stationery, football, clothing.

Gifts gratefully received from Canada, Australia, Tanzania and the UK - clothing, batteries, torches, bags, school stationery, teaching aids, books, toys, first aid equipment, spectacles, jewellery, science equipment for Yamba Primary School, jewellery, clothing,surgical gloves, laptop, printer, jewellery, medical equipment, spectacles from Canada, clothes from UK. - special thanks to Deer Park North Primary School, Melbourne, Australia, James and Isabelle Carter, Geelong, Australia and Weydon Secondary School, Surrey for science equipment.