Category 2011

Oct 18 2011

Roof repair

The Kindu Trust works to support disadvantaged  families and their children throughout the Gonder area.  The role of the charity is to help families carve out a sustainable future for themselves and their communities, however there are numerous challenges to this goal.  Lack of infrastructure, little employment opportunities and food insecurity are perhaps the most obvious challenges that The Kindu Trust works to alleviate.  But there are other problems that families face on a day to day basis that may in fact hinder progress in other areas of support; basic maintenance and sanitation are perfect examples of such problems.

The Kindu Trust provides families with 250bir a month, on average 74% of this is spent on food leaving little else to address other critical needs that the family may be facing. There is rarely, if ever, any surplus to save for the next month and so ongoing problems that may require a lump sum of money to solve are rarely addressed. However last month a sponsor of one of our families inquired as to whether there was anything extra she could do to help her beneficiaries in addition to the child sponsorship scheme.
Well, the team in Ethiopia quickly dispatched a sponsorship coordinator to meet the family and see what could be done to ease some of the day to day problems they encountered. The family regarded the state of the roof which was in urgent need of repair as their greatest concern.

The message was relayed back to sponsor  as well as an estimate as to how much it would cost and the money was duly sent not long after.  The roof was repaired and waterproofed within the month! One of the long standing problems facing this families had been solved.  See the photos below to view the roof before, during and after repairs.

The leaky roof before repairs

At work on the new roof

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to donate to a family in Ethiopia then visit our gift catalogue here  http://www.kindugifts.org/kindugifts/Home.html  there are plenty of vital items that will help to ease the lives of families living in some of the hardest conditions.

The new roof

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Oct 11 2011

Books in the post

The Kindu Trust places  a high value on the education of its beneficiaries, as a result the charity offers supplementary education to the children at the Kindu Klub. Here the children can attend extra classes in English, Maths and Science. This can help a child get a head start that may not have been possible in their circumstances, furthermore this tutoring helps build a better future for the children and their communities.

One of the main challenges in providing this service however is the shortage of books available to educational centres such as the Kindu Klub. Good quality text books, Ethiopian and English dictionaries, informative texts, advisory material and novels are always being sought after by The Kindu Trust. With these materials The Kindu Klub can continue to help those most in need within the education system.
Just think, those books sat around the house that have been read once and will never be read again or those old text books collecting dust on the book shelf can be sent to a community in Ethiopia where they can used many times over.

We are pleased then by the arrival of a shipment of books donated to The Kindu Trust by ‘Books abroad’! There was an impressive array of material from chemistry text books through to past editions of the National Geographic.

A shipment of books newly arrived in Gondar

Here is some feedback from Kassahun Demisse our general manager in Gondar!

It’s my pleasure to confirm the receipt of three parcels of different kinds of books. Thank you so much for sending those books to our organization, The Kindu Trust-Ethiopia. As our project is a Sponsorship in the Community Project, we are running different projects which can help and support our beneficiaries and their families in a number of ways. Among these small projects, the Kindu Club is one of them.

The Kindu Club is established to help our children to have access for supplementary education and to create a proper place where they can study their lessons, do their home works, read fictions and develop their reading skills, get reference books and sometimes practice physical exercises as they lack these facilities at home. Therefore, the books which we already received from you and perhaps the others which will follow next are and will be very helpful for running our Kindu Club programme as we expect it to be.

I, on behalf of The Kindu Trust-Ethiopia team, am very grateful for your donation

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Sincerely  yours

Kassahun Demissie

General Manager

If you want to know more about how you can donate books or other items to The Kindu Trust then follow the link
http://www.kindutrust.org/donate.htm or for any other inquiries don’t hesitate to contact us at kindu@kindutrust.org

For more information about ‘Books abroad’ please visit their website here  http://www.booksabroad.org.uk/

Oct 4 2011

Volunteering

As an international development charity The Kindu Trust takes on a number of volunteers in Ethiopia every year.  These are a valuable asset, performing a variety of roles for the trust including researching and assessment, teaching, designing activities for the Youth Club, visiting families and even doing a bit of decorating if they have the time!

Volunteering presents a chance to work closely with the Ethiopian communities that the charity supports, and to share their knowledge with these communities. The flow of information is two way, with our families helping the volunteer to understand firsthand what life is like for poor people in Ethiopia

“Being a part of a team that is fundamentally orientated to the welfare of others less fortunate has been a rewarding experience” Peter Keeling

“My experience in Ethiopia has been life changing” Jessica Hopf

Jessica at work on the new sign for the Kindu shop

Volunteering will change your perspective of the world and enable you to make a real difference, as well as teaching you a variety of new skills and providing a critical insight into how small charities function at home and overseas. Not only is this particularly valuable on a CV but it may open up new doors to any aspect of international development, from medical care to social work, logistics to sustainable technology.

Our volunteers with the Ethiopian team in Gondar

The Kindu trust relies on the valuable feedback that we get from our volunteers, enabling us to assess our impact on the ground, which is vital in the continued provision of services to the levels which are required.

“I believe that the information provided through our impact assessment will go some way to helping The Kindu Trust improve its services to beneficiaries” Peter Keeling

Volunteering offers opportunities to all those involved

Time today is a precious commodity, valued by individuals and organisations alike, so when volunteers donate their time it makes a real impact on the lives of all those involved.

“At first it seemed like a daunting experience and yet when we started our program we realised that we were happy as it gave us the opportunity to get to know the children and to teach them what they asked to learn” Jessica Hopf

Sep 27 2011

Income generating project- Jewellery

In addition to our sponsorship  scheme The Kindu Trust has been helping to support families in income generating projects. The core aims of these projects are

  • To provide skills for employment
  • Income generation
  • To provide financial security and independence
  • Sustainable development

Terefu Melesa at work rolling the magazines

The project we are currently running is a innovative jewellery making venture wherein the team in Ethiopia are employing two women, both of whom are relatives of our beneficiaries , to make beads out of recycled magazines.
These old magazines are cut into strips which then rolled up and varnished several times over the course of a week to create the intricate beads of various colours. The patterns visible on the beads are the result of the compressed pages,  they are are made into necklaces, earrings and bracelets. 

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Income generating projects pay a base rate to the employees and also commissions from the sales of the beads. This provides the women not only with financial security but also independence, enabling them to  provide for their families as well as themselves.
These pieces will soon be available to buy online, so watch this space!
Sep 20 2011

Uniforms

Lack of school materials and uniforms is a common reason for children dropping out of school in Ethiopia. Although school uniforms are required, children are not prevented from attending school without a uniform but may be stigmatised and have reduced self confidence causing undue stress.

This year, Kindu Trust is providing all beneficiaries with school supplies and school uniforms.  Each student will receive one new uniform, pens and 5 to 10 notebooks according to their grade. For our beneficiaries, this will be an opportunity for them to attend school in uniform with proper school supplies, like other school children.

Providing uniforms is a challenge in both coordination and information gathering. Uniforms vary by style, colour, and fabric quality, based on school and grade.  In Gondar, there are more than 20 kindergartens, 54 primary schools, and 10 secondary schools. Generally, the uniforms are dresses for girls, which are worn over other clothes, and trousers and shirts for boys. Private schools have ready-made uniforms, such as brightly coloured sweaters, and these are purchased directly from the schools.

When preparing uniforms, The Kindu Trust had to verify the school and grade of each beneficiary, obtain the uniform criteria from each school, and record each child’s height before giving the order to the tailor.

Uniform distribution is also dependent on national exams. Each year, grades 8 and 10 must pass a national exam to continuing learning in the government schools. Results from these exams are released at different times around the country and staff at The Kindu Trust office had to wait to hear the results for our beneficiaries before the uniforms could be fitted.

 

Uniform and school supply distribution is an important step for The Kindu Trust to make our care and support services more comprehensive and holistic. With your help The Kindu Trust is able to offer this program and others for beneficiaries each year.

Sep 20 2011

The Kindu Trust Monopoly Walk

Last week The Kindu Trust organised a sponsored Monopoly Walk to raise money for our work in Ethiopia.

Preparing to set off

The task was immense, to walk to and photograph every street and station 0n the London Monopoly board.

The walk took the participants round some of London’s most famous landmarks including Nelsons Column, Oxford Circus, Hyde Park, Kings Cross Station and Fleet Street.

They could take any route they fancied providing that they documented their journey through the heart of London so we could share it here. The weather was patchy as was some peoples sense  of direction. But everyone made it round and the walk was a great success.

 

Ronnie makes it to Vine Street

Twenty eight people participated throughout the day which was a great turn out, and they have raised an incredible £1585… and counting!

The first prize went to Stefan Cook and Veronica Gee who completed the walk in a speedy 6 hours under the team name ‘The Self Flagellation Society’ (pretty apt as Stefan was walking barefoot for the entire route). They were welcomed with tea, cake, and music after a long day on the road. Thanks to all those that took part and stay posted for further fundraising events with The Kindu Trust.

Taking a break at Pall Mall