‘Seed4Feed’ and School Uniforms

Following on from my last post, way back in March and before lockdown, I can report on the success of both the Seed Corn Planting Programme, nicknamed ‘Seed4Feed’ and sponsored by The Rotary Club of Callington and of our continuing school uniform programme.

‘Seed4Feed’

I have been very happy to be collaborating with the Callington club as this year, with the Covid crisis, ABCDreams UK has taken a hit financially, as have many other charitable causes! Where normally we can do 3-4 fund-raising events every Summer, this year they have all been cancelled. RC Callington have now sponsored this programme for two years.

School Uniform Programme

In February we were able to issue school uniforms (pictured) to the children on our list, some before lockdown and some just lately after the kids went back to school. With this ABCDreams UK has fulfilled at least some of its promises. The families all remain grateful for the help, even if it’s only a little at a time. Pictured are some of the students, Pastor Lema and the class teacher.

Meantime ABCDreams UK, working also in collaboration with my Rotary Club of Morden, South London, has begun work on a new toilet project. Those of you who have been following will remember that, with volunteer Martha Austin in 2014 we were able to build a toilet block for one of the primary schools in the village. Well now its the turn of the secondary school, Lyasikika Sec.

We had hoped to rebuild/refurbish the toilets at Lyasikika as they were (and still are) in a lamentable state. And students had to walk 100 meters to a stand pipe to wash their hands! Our idea was to phase the project so that a hand-wash facility could be built first, followed by the toilets, either all at once or one at a time. This has now become a just-in-time project. In November last, after some heavy rains, the boys’ toilet collapsed into its own pit!

Now that the handwash facility is done (thanks also to Andy Butcher and the Morden Little League for their donations and voluntary help) we can start on the toilets this year.

With grateful thanks then to RC Callington, RC Morden and RC Moshi here in Tanzania, as well as to the generous donors on my GoFundMe page and also to the Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland Disaster Recovery Trust, we have sufficient means now to complete the project.

It has also been my pleasure to start back into teaching some art at ARI (Agricultural Research Institute) School, one of our favourites. It’s always good to get back with the kids.