News « Village Africa

April 2012

New volunteers join the charity in Tanzania – Bettina Blass, Heike Neurohr and Roland Auer from Germany, Rosemary Lemin from Australia and Andrew Cross from the UK. Bethany Taylor from the UK returns for her second visit and Karen Nivala from Australia for her third visit.

March 2012

Buongiorno has decided to continue supporting Village Africa as one of its chosen charities. Caroline Johnston (Director) made a presentation in London to its staff to tell them how the money they so successfully fundraised has been used and Village Africa’s plans. www.buongiorno.com
Stonesfield village in Oxfordshire took up the challenge to raise money for books for Yamba Primary School. Stonesfield Primary School collected money during Book Week when the children dressed up as their favourite book character.
Sheila Maclean (past volunteer) held a very successful Cheese and Wine Party.
Peponi Beach Resort in Pangani, Tanzania donated secondhand clothing, plates and bowls.
A netbook and solar charging system was bought for Village Africa by Felixstowe Academy. This was made possible by the sponsored maths challenge organised by the school and the informal 10 miles sponsored bike ride organised by some of the girls. A big thank you to all the teachers and pupils involved and to Bee Taylor (past volunteer) for giving talks at the school.
Cisco Live Team kindly sent T-shirts to Village Africa. These were distributed to local volunteers and to Village Africa’s managers and drivers.

Kathryn Culkin returns to volunteer at Mibukwe Secondary School for the second time.

Baby Andy – the second baby in Yamba named after Andy Matfield, Village Africa’s Volunteer Liaison Officer. The baby is the son of Teacher Adamu, a teacher at Yamba Primary School.

Baby Sean is named after Village Africa volunteer Sean Campbell. The proud parents are Mathias (the Assistant Catechist in Yamba) and his wife Sophia who is Sheki’s sister.

February volunteers arrive. Emily Curtis will be teaching English and sport at Milingano Primary School and Jessica Broughton and Sean Campbell will be teaching sport and building in Yamba. This is the second visit for both Emily and Jessica.
Secondhand clothing sent by Skynetworldwide. This will be distributed to local volunteers to encourage them to continue helping with development in their community.
Cambridge University students donated to Village Africa. Sidney Sussex College Student Union unanimously voted to support the charity. Thanks to past volunteers Fran Doherty and George Roberts for organising this.
Ten sewing machines and cloth were kindly donated by the Pontesbury-Muheza Link.
Clothing was sent by many donors from the UK. Thanks to Hereford-Muheza Link Society for sharing its container and also to Skynetworldwide for its special parcel rate.

January 2012

Coseley School and Sports College received a talk from Doug Brazenall (past Yamba volunteer).
Secondhand clothing donated by Kipepeo Beach Resort in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Sponsor a Secondary Student Scheme started by Village Africa responding to need. Many families cannot afford or struggle to pay school fees and related costs. To sponsor a student, please contact info@villageafrica.org.uk. Only £20 per month.

It is now possible to donate to Village Africa by text. Use modern technology to help villagers and children in a remote African village.Text VATZ33 followed by the amount you wish to donate to 70070. You can donate £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10. For example, to donate £5 text VATZ33 £5 and send to 70070. All the money you donate goes to Village Africa and your network provider does not charge for the SMS you send to make the donation. For more info, see http://www.justtextgiving.co.uk

Qualified accountant found to help Village Africa 1 or 2 days per year on a voluntary basis.
Mark Matfield joins Village Africa’s Board as Finance Director.
Krystal Lapierre from Canada becomes a Village Africa teaching volunteer for Mibukwe Secondary School in Milingano. Stephen Brazenall and Amy-Lea Gardiner start as Teaching Sport and Building volunteers in Yamba. This is Stephen’s second visit
Village Africa Desk Appeal launched. Village Africa needs to raise £9000 to provide 450 desks for primary schools. £20 buys a desk and the planting of two trees.
There is a severe shortage of desks in the primary schools and many children sit on the floor which can be dusty or muddy depending on the weather. This leads to poor concentration and poor handwriting. Village Africa wants to provide desks to Milingano Primary School, Kweulasi Primary School and Kwembalazi Primary School. The desks will be made by local carpenters in Tanzania, thus providing much needed employment. For every desk, Village Africa will plant one timber tree and one cash crop (eg cloves).
After the huge success of Village Africa’s Ambulance Appeal, we hope supporters will like this appeal and want to help.
Groups donating one desk or more will be listed on our website if they wish and will receive a certificate of thanks.
Please visit Desk Appeal page.

Destination Events kindly donated Tshirts to the young people and local volunteers in Yamba. www.destinationevents.com

Secondhand phones were donated by individuals in the UK.
Village Africa Ambulance Appeal target reached! Village Africa will now buy the vehicle to take seriously ill patients (including many babies and children) on the 3 hour drive to hospital. Special thanks to the major sponsors of the Appeal (Helen O’Grady Drama Academy, Southern Ambulance Preservation Society, Cartridge World, Meetings Industry Meeting Needs and St James’s Place Foundation) and all the organisations, groups and individuals who helped. A massive achievement (£40,000) in a short time (18 months) during a world recession.

December 2011

Village Africa video produced by Emma Southey, past Volunteer Liaison Manager.

Village Africa Calendars 2012 now for sale! Only £8. The first calendar, produced last year, was so popular we decided to make another. Please send orders to info@villageafrica.org.uk including the number of calendars you want and your name and address. Payment can be by cheque made payable to ‘Village Africa’ with a donation form or online. You can gift aid using either of these methods if you are a UK taxpayer. Many thanks to everyone who submitted photos for the calendar competition. We hope you like the final product!

Bluefin Resources sponsors a Village Africa nurse for a year in lieu of sending Christmas cards to its clients and candidates. Bluefin Resources is a recruitment company in Sydney, Australia.

Sunbury Manor School held a non school uniform day and raised funds for Village Africa.
Angels made and sold in Sweden to raise funds for the charity. Thanks to Minka and Nurse Mirjam Eriksson.

DoodleJam in Australia holds an online charity auction of art work produced by the villagers in Yamba. Thanks to Karen Nivala (past Yamba teaching volunteer) for organising this.

Clothing and school stationery received from Skynetworldwide.
Francesca Wiltshire (past Summer Camp volunteer) successfully runs the Lisbon Marathon for Village Africa.
Lynncroft Primary School in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire sends giant Christmas cards made by the pupils to Yamba Primary School. This follows a school assembly from their new teacher Joanna Elgar (past Yamba and Milingano teaching volunteer).

Newquay Tretherras School held a book amnesty and a non school uniform day for Village Africa. This is the school where Kathryn Culkin (past secondary school teaching volunteer) works.
Online shoppers raised money for Village Africa as they shopped at Christmas. www.easyfundraising.org.uk
Glaisdale WI donates proceeds from its Christmas raffle. Village Africa is very grateful that this WI has supported the charity once again.

November 2011

Struggling for Christmas gift ideas for family and friends? Buy a Village Africa life changing gift (Trees for planting £8, Health care priorities £10, School essentials £15, Building equipment £20 and Emergency trip to hospital £50). For every gift purchased we will provide a card that you can give to your family member or friend explaining the life changing gift that has been given as an alternative to him/her receiving a gift him/herself. To order Life Changing Gifts you can pay online or by post. This scheme, launched last Christmas, was a big hit! We hope it will do well again this Christmas and throughout the year for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries etc.

Village Africa completes two classrooms for Milingano Primary School, kindly donated by jjFOX (a recruitment company). jjFOX sent out a team of its staff to help with the initial brickwork. jjFOX has now generously funded four classrooms for the school. Village Africa handed over the classrooms to the Chairman of Lushoto District Council.

Baby Andy named after Andy Matfield, Village Africa’s Volunteer Liaison Manager. The baby is the first child of Maiko Paulo, Village Africa’s manager and translator who looks after Simba Club, the child sponsorship scheme. This makes Paulo Mbiu (Village Africa’s builder) a grandfather, Mzee Jango’fua (Village Africa’s watchman) a great grandfather and Hilda Fidelis (Village Africa’s nurse) a great grandmother!

Baby Efi named after current teaching volunteer Efi.

Broadford Primary School (Isle of Skye) received a Village Africa talk from past volunteer Jessica Broughton.

Oxford University students voted Village Africa as one of the five most deserving causes and gave a grant from the Somerville JCR Charities Battels Fund. Thanks to Flo Avery (past Milingano teaching volunteer) for nominating us and for all the students who voted for Village Africa.
Village Africa’s senior managers visit Malindi village in Lushoto District to see development projects. They are accompanied by Milingano Ward Development Committee. Malindi is the home village of the Chairman of Lushoto District Council.
Phil Eastham wins two awards for his work in the UK and Tanzania (Warrington Sports Volunteer of the Year 2011 and Cheshire Sports Volunteer of the Year Award 2011). ‘Philipo’ has volunteered in the UK to promote and develop football for girls and boys and has fundraised for Village Africa and volunteered for the charity in Tanzania by teaching sport and building.
Secondhand clothing received from business contacts in Tanga.
Card making party held by Tina Freeman (past Yamba teaching volunteer – Tina taught English, computing and knitting).
Mzee Jango’fua (Village Africa’s Watchman) married Hilda Shemzigwa (Village Africa’s Nurse).

October 2011

Village Africa launches its ‘Like Challenge’ encouraging supporters and all their friends and family to ‘like’ its new Facebook page www.facebook.com/villageafrica. The Challenge is to reach 1000 Facebook supporters.
Kids Helping Kids in the US provides funding for five school toilets and three water tanks for Kwembalazi Primary School, a brand new school. It is hoped work will commence in late Nov/early Dec. This will be the third project funded by KHK and built by Village Africa.
Dictionaries distributed in Yamba Primary School.

Table Quiz held in Dublin to raise money. Organised by Lydia McCormack and Tim Ryan (past Yamba volunteers).
John Shekuamba (Village Africa’s Assistant Director) married Salome Charles (Village Africa’s former Translator).

Phil Eastham visits Milingano and Yamba for his third time. He has been busy promoting Village Africa through a skydive and has collected large quantities of children’s clothes and football kit for the villagers. Thanks to all the football clubs and the children’s nursery who donated clothing.

September 2011

Village Africa starts a Match a Job Scheme (£20 a month or one off donation). It hopes to continue employing nurses, ambulance drivers, builders, carpenters, managers, watchmen and cooks. Sadly VA has had to reduce its workforce due to the world recession, inflation and a sharp increase in immigration fees.
The charity has revised its volunteer placements and is now offering:
Teaching 4, 8 or 12 week plus
Building 2 week plus
Coaching sports 2 week plus
Other short-term roles 2 week plus.
http://www.podvolunteer.org/Tanzania/volunteer-tanzania.html

Village Africa teaching volunteers start in the local schools: Kathryn in Mibukwe Secondary School, Emily in Milingano Primary School and Efi and Linsey in Yamba Primary School. They will teach English for three months. Kathryn is also teaching Maths and Emily is also teaching netball.
An appeal is made for mobile phones (new or secondhand) for VA staff.
Mosquito nets are distributed to Form IV students at Mibukwe Secondary School. The nets were kindly donated by Glaisdale WI in the UK. A seminar on malaria was given by Village Africa’s nurse, Hilda, on the same day. The seminar was designed with the help of Mirjam, a nurse from Sweden who visited the project.
Textbooks and dictionaries are given to Milingano Primary School. Thanks to past teaching volunteer Amanda from the US and Vince Mayfield who fundraised as part of Kwanzaa, a celebration of African heritage. The money was presented to Amanda at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.
Lucinda and Adam join the project as Teaching Sport and Building volunteers. Lucinda is teaching netball; Adam is teaching football at Milingano Primary School and they are building four toilets for Milingano Dispensary.

Pencils and pens are distributed at Kweulasi Primary School.
The small house rented for VA Driver John Samweli and his wife VA nurse Mama Ade is renovated.
Salome passes her primary teacher training exams and is waiting for her first posting. Salome was VA’s translator and then was sponsored for teacher training through VA.
Two past volunteers sell their car and donate the proceeds to Village Africa.
VA driver, Edmundi, gets the all clear from the national hospital following a cancer scare re his face. VA pays medical costs for its permanent staff including drivers.
Jen and Rob completed a 700 mile tandem cycle ride from London to Berlin to raise money for Village Africa. They set off on 15th September.