Some more generous people!

In recent weeks we have been receiving several kind donations.

We gave a PowerPoint presentation to Colby WI (near Appleby) and were given over £100. (That evening was nearly a disaster - the laptop/projector interface wasn't working - luckily a lady could pop home and get her laptop, then all went well!)

Then last Sunday I was preaching at Newbiggin-on-Lune Methodist Church, and just mentioned the Street Kids in passing; and came home with £60!

Today there was £300 in the post from Appleby Rotary Club (we spoke there a month ago).

And this afternoon we spoke to Flookburgh Mothers' Union, and they not only said nice, appreciative things about our presentation, but gave us donations totalling £100.

All very encouraging!

Fund-raising around Cumbria

A Valentine Ceilidh raised £340 on Saturday 12th February. (A Ceilidh, pronounced "Cailey", is a north-country or Scottish Barn Dance, often with other musical entertainment!)
This one in Orton Market Hall, Cumbria, attracted some 60 people, aged from 9 months to 75 years, who danced away the hours until nearly midnight, with a break for the bring-and-share supper.
Chris Bland called the dances, and the Reunion Band played.
Mary said a few words about the Kasese Street Kids, and several people asked us more about the Project.
Two Mothers' Union groups between them donated over £200, after one at Haverthwaite and one at Stanwix, Carlisle, saw our PowerPoint presentations in the last week or so .
A donation of £250 was sent to us from a local friend - part of a Tax Rebate.
Gift Aid was used for some of the donations received, which will increase their value.
Appleby Rotary Club recently entertained us to dinner at the Tufton Arms, Appleby-in-Westmorland, and we gave them our PowePoint presentation; their Council will decide whether, and how much, they want to support us, and then the membership will be invited to ratify the recommendation. So we may hear their decision next month.
Thank you, everyone!

The new accountant

This is Kisuki Josephat, whom the SKILL Committee have appointed to continue the task of overseeing the building work, after the sad death of Mimi Burbank.

He will prepare a monthly report of income and expenditure, and send it to Emmanuel International UK, to us (Christopher and Mary Jenkin in Cumbria), and to Alan and Cheryl Parrett, the EI "In country reps" in Kampala.

More good news

1. We have just heard that very generous donors have donated £2,500 to the work. We praise God for this couple who have given so much!

2. The girls of the Appleby Guide Company wanted to help, and offered to do an evening "bag-packing" at the checkouts of Morrison's Supermarket in Kendal. Initially Morrison's turned down this request (they have a lot of charity appeals and prefer to concentrate on local ones), which was disappointing; but after we appealed to the Manager to reconsider, he has agreed to give us a Friday evening in May - especially because the local youngsters of the Guides want to help other young people so much less fortunate than themselves. Bless you, Alan-the-Manager!

Making the bricks

Here is Jamali (a street boy aged 15) on top of the brick stack, with Enos (the Project Director) throwing the new bricks up to him.
This is happening at the site of the unfinished SKILL hostel. The soil there has been found to be suitable for bricks.
The way it is done is this:
(a) The soil is moulded into bricks, and these are laid out in the sun to dry.
(b) When dry, they are stacked up into a kiln. Such kilns can be up to 12 feet high.
(c) Banana leaves are then spread on the top.
(d) A fire of sticks is lit in the cavity at the foot of the kiln, and can burn for a day or two.
(e) When the banana leaves catch fire, the bricks are cooked!
It is good that some of the street boys are helping with this work. First, because it gets them into the habit of positive, productive work - so much of their lives is empty and aimless. Second, because involving them with actually building at the SKILL site helps them to "own" the project. The SKILL Centre is theirs! (These bricks are for the veranda, and for building classrooms near the Hostel - it is hoped that when the Hostel in finished, schoolrooms will be built for primary neducation, both for street children and for other local children.)

News from Kasese - January 2011

1. Alan and Cheryl have met Enos and Captain James: there have been discussions about the way forward. The Committee is meeting this month.
2. 400 chickens have been promised by the Government - as a valuable source of income. This was a result of the pledge made by Canon Julius, "big chief" of the Town Council who visited in August.
3. The Centre is to be registered with the District Education Office: so the street children who come will be empowered with education,and other children in the area can come to school there too, paying fees which will help sustainability.
4. Two street boys are now living at the site as guards, and they are also making bricks. Doing this on site saves transport costs.

The Wise Man Returns

Pictured are the Three Wise Men of the Kasese Street Kids project: Alan Parrett (of Emmanuel International), Rev. Captain

James Tumwesigye (of South Rwenzori Diocese, Church of Uganda), and Enos Kyibibi (of Go And Tell Them Children's Ministry, Project Director); this photo was taken in February 2010.

Alan left Uganda in September, but is on his way back, though to be based this time in Kampala with his wife Cheryl. But they plan to travel to Kasese as soon as possible (a day's journey), to see Enos and hopefully Captain James, visit the SKILL site and check on progress.

Further Fund-Raising

• Mary and I did a School Assembly in our village school today; they gave us the proceeds of their Christmas Show, "Children of the World", which raised £121.
• We also heard today that another nearby school hopes to give us a further £100.
• The Appleby Guide Company, whose Captain and some members live in our village, have offered to spend a Friday evening with us "bag-packing" at Morrisons in Kendal (no date fixed yet). This is potentially a very lucrative fund raiser - when members of the village church did it on two occasions for church funds, they raised over £1,000 each time. We suggested that half the proceeds of the Guides' labours should go to their Guide Company funds. But they said, "No - we want it all to go to the Kasese Street Kids." Bless their generous hearts!
• We received another invitation today to speak to a WI group, and they promise us a donation. (We have twelve similar engagements to speak to various kinds of group in 2011.)

What will 2011 bring?

We wish all our KSK supporters, and all our Blog visitors, a joyful and rewarding year in 2011!

We wonder - will we raise enough money this year to complete the SKILL centre in Kasese? (A reminder - SKILL stands for Street Kids Information and Learning for Life.)

Even if it is not totally completed by the end of 2011, will Enos and the team at least be able to invite the street children to come in, so that they have somewhere safe to stay, decent food to eat (not just chicken feet as in © Carol Allen Storey's November 2009 photo, above), and adults to care for them and teach them?

Carol Storey is speaking and showing her evocative photographs of street children at the prestigious London Frontline Club for journalists on January 18th (http://frontlineclub.com). She told us she would certainly mention the SKILL project, and said "Why don't you come?" So we are going down to London from Cumbria to be there, and perhaps answer questions. It will give an opportunity to share the vision of this project with a very different constituency of people from our usual circle of contacts; who knows where it might lead?

Three reminders:

To contact us: email kskjenkin@hotmail.co.uk

To donate to KSK: www.justgiving.com/kasesestreetkids

To shop online at any of hundreds of well known retailers, donating a percentage to Kasese Street Kids at the same time: go to http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk (When you register, say that "Kasese Street Kids" is the cause you want to support.)