Dear Friends of Makeni, here is the 2015_1st_Quarter_Newsletter.
We are pleased to report that progress is being made on construction of another school laboratory, following new government requirements for upgraded facilities in secondary schools. Our friends in the Netherlands have come forwards once again to help us fund this. The good news was brought by Jan Kars, treasurer of the Friends of Makeni, who was visiting with wife Yvonne and friends Kerst and Griet. (A related report can be seen in the previous post.)
A view of the lab under construction can be seen here.
We also have a report from Joe Silwenga on socio-economic development in the settlement villages, where we are seeing increasing use of irrigation, the building of permanent houses, farmers buying their own vehicles and the installation of solar power.
It is good to see this kind of progress. However, many of our farmers are still reliant on outside help in these matters, and so it was fantastic that eight borehole repairs were undertaken by Jan and Yvonne Kars, together with Kerst and Griet Koopmans and MEC staff, as well as settlers in the villages.
Nine hand pumps were repaired and installed, and tools and repair kits purchased, for use in Chisamba, Kalwelwe and Mwomboshi settlement villages.
The executive chairman, Fr Andrew Mukuyamba, has encouraged settlers to embrace a culture of preventive maintenance and self-reliance to prevent severe water shortages from reoccurring.
Staff have also visited local chiefs Liteta and Chamuka to discuss matters in settlement villages, including the squatter problem in Chisamba. Their royal highnesses appreciate the work of MEC in stimulating rural development and have pledged again to help whenever possible.
We are pleased to report another visit by Barclays Bank, who once again visited our children at St Nicholas Village, this tie donating a number of educational materials and toiletries, and also plants and trees, which were planted around the orphanage. All had a tasty lunch. The Barclays team also gave talks on financial prudence and have helped some of our children see mathematics in a different
Here you can see some of the trees planted outside the orphanage grounds.
MEC’s HIV/AIDS project continues to work in the community, and is engaged on a programme of work scheduled to run through August 2015 at a cost of K150,000, with financial support from the NGOCC.
Five rural communities and schools have been visited in Mwomboshi, Kalwelwe, Chisamba, Shikatende and Munyati. The aim is to build capacity to advocate against early marriage and teenage pregnancy, which lead to high drop-out rates in schools and other social problems.
As part of this outreach and sensitisation, twenty bicycles were distributed to working groups in Kalwelwe and Chisamba communities.
There is more on all these stories in the attached newsletter.