The Past Week at The Kindu Trust in Numbers

110 children came to the Kindu Klub and Playgroup

110 children received a hot meal

70 children used the Kindu Library

44 babies and toddlers took baths and showers at Playgroup

22 children participated in Friday Football

15 home visits were done by the Kindu Sponsorship Team

9 families received medical support

Setting up Shop with a Start-up Donation!

Stock at the new shop!

Kedire Walle is a 12 year old boy who lives in Gondar with his mother, step-father and step-sister. He plays football in his spare time and is in school at Grade 6 where his favourite subject is maths and he says he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. Kedire’s mother, Asefu, moved from rural areas to Gondar by herself following the death of her parents and worked hard to support herself and Kedire for 6 years. Then she met Kedire’s step-father and they had a daughter named Zemzem. Kedire’s step father works as a guard at a local school and his mother was raising the children but she wanted to work from home so that she could also support the family.

Last month Kedire’s sponsor generously donated a small business loan for Kedire to set up a shop from her home and within weeks of receiving the money she had set up the shop and stocked it with fruit, vegetables, soap and general groceries! Asefu already knew that her home was in a good location to set up a shop and she was keen to use the start up money to support her family and improve Kedire and his sister’s wellbeing.

Kedire and his mother work and study at the shop

The Kindu Trust’s sponsorship department in the UK and Ethiopia was involved in this whole process. It’s very important to us that when money is donated it is used in an effective and sustainable way, therefore our Project Manager was able to arrange for Kedire’s mother, along with a few other mothers who had received small business donations, to attend business management training at the local microfinance office. At the training Asefu will learn about budgeting, profits and bookkeeping skills as well as marketing. Now, she will be equipped with the resources she needs to manage her finances and support her family!

If you want to support someone in need in Gondar, an unrestricted donation, is the best way to contribute to The Kindu Trust, as our staff in the field are able to identify those families most in need who could really benefit from your donation. For more information please email kindu@kindutrust.org

Letenachen!

Already world renowned for its coffee, Ethiopia is now moving on to producing a quite different type of beverage: wine! There have been vineyards in Ethiopia near Addis Ababa and in the South East since the Italian occupation in 1936-1942 but this is the first time that Ethiopia will be producing wine for international commercial consumption. The wine is produced by Castel who have been producing the nationally popular St George beer since 1998. They have been working with French experts and the Ethiopian government since 2007 to create the wine and this year has seen their first production of 1.2 million bottles.

Castel’s Vineyards in Ethiopia

The experts (from France, naturally) were brought in to identify areas appropriate for growing vines once it was recognised that Ethiopia’s climate was ideal for growing grapes, involving the import of 750,000 vines from Bordeaux. However, there are some challenges to growing the vines in Ethiopia that you’d be unlikely to encounter in Bordeaux; the new vineyards have had to be surrounded by a two-metre-wide trench to deter pythons, hippopotamuses and hyenas. Commenting on the new export, Ethiopian Industry Minister, Ahmed Abtew, was quoted as saying “People who live outside Ethiopia remember the drought a decade ago, but when they see a wine labelled ‘Made in Ethiopia’ … oh, their whole attitude immediately changes”. Letenachen (cheers) to that!

The Past Week at The Kindu Trust in Numbers

73 children received educational support and a hot meal

48 children visited the Kindu library

19 children attended football Friday

16 families received medical support

14 home visits carried out by the Sponsorship team

Kindu Trust Apartment available to all!

The View

The Kindu Trust has an apartment available to volunteers and tourists in Gondar. Including two bedrooms, a kitchen, lounge, bathroom and balcony, the flat is perfect for those who prefer a more immersive style of travelling. Rather than sit in a hotel among tourists, the flat is in the heart of the Gondar community surrounded by Ethiopian familes. As it’s on the second floor of a home, with its own balcony, the flat provides the perfect balance of living in the community as well as enjoying a relaxing, personal space, not to mention a spectacular view! The flat is now available to view and rent on airbnb.

Special Thanks

This month we’d like to say a very big thank you to members of the Barrow Baptist Church in Leicester who have been firm supporters of The Kindu Trust for several years and whose generous donations enable the smooth running of our work. The Church has fundraised for us many times and we are deeply appreciative of their support.

Ethiopia at the Girl Summit in London

Last month the UK Government and UNICEF hosted a global Girl Summit to bring organisations from all over the world to discuss how to protect girls’ rights, with a particular view to ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Marriage within the next generation. Delegates from Ethiopia were in attendance led by Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen and the Women’s, Children and Youth Affairs Minister, Zenebu Tadesse.  Speaking on a special panel Zenebu Tadesse highlighted the three core elements of Ethiopia’s approach to end harmful practices, including political will from the government to end harmful practices, public opinion and transforming social norms, and partnerships with development partners, institutions, NGOs, etc.

Encouraged to make a pledge at the end of the Summit, the Ethiopian representatives said the government is committed to sustainable measures to tackle FGM and Child Marriage and highlighted the importance of formulating appropriate policies and strategies. He stressed that education empowers girls and women, saying that more than 10 million girls have been enrolled in school in Ethiopia. This, he said, is the surest way of protecting girls and women from these harmful practices. Please see here to find out more information about FGM and Child Marriage in Africa from one of the organisations working to end the practices in Ethiopia.

The past week at The Kindu Trust in numbers

145 children ate a hot meal

87 children received school support

71 young people used the Kindu library

70 parents received bank books

10 home visits were made by the sponsorship team

7 Kindu families received medical support

Kindu mothers line up to pick up their monthly sponsorship!

Kindu Families Start Saving!

The Kindu Trust is pleased to say that many of our beneficiaries are opening up bank accounts and starting to save; many of them for the first time in their lives!

The ASCI representative logs savings with a Kindu parent!

Following a presentation by our General Manager in Ethiopia to a meeting of Gondar NGOs and GOs on the work of The Kindu Trust, we formed an alliance with the local Amhara Credit and Saving Institute (ACSI). Our partnership aims to facilitate small scale banking for our beneficiaries by opening an account and starting to save.  On the first date of every month our beneficiaries around Gondar visit the Kindu Trust compound to collect their sponsorship. Our new partnership means that a representative from ASCI joins the Kindu Trust for this day to enable parents to put their sponsorship money directly into their savings account.

Starting in February of this year, by March 73 Kindu families were already saving on a regular basis! They did this without encouragement, but of their own volition when informed that the service was available to them. Most families started saving around 10 Ethiopian Birr (30p) per month but many have already increased that amount to as much as 50 Birr (£1.50) per month! Being part of the institution and having a savings account means financial security for the families, as well as enabling them to earn interest and borrow money in the future; a future which is now looking towards financial independence more than ever.

 Ethiopia Fact

Many people will know that coffee was first discovered in the Kaffa area of Ethiopia. What you many not know is that its discovery is thanks to goats. The coffee plant only became of interest after a shepherd’s curiosity was roused when his goats became hyperactive after eating the plant.

The past week at The Kindu Trust in numbers:

114 children ate a hot nutritional meal

65 children used the Kindu Klub library

59 children attended the Kindu Klub

55 children attended the Play Group

30 children played football

10 home visits were carried out

8 families received medical support

Sponsoring School visits the Kindu Trust

The Kindu Trust is lucky to have the support of several dedicated schools sponsoring children, promoting the work of the Kindu Trust and tirelessly fundraising to keep our programmes going. Rawlins Academy, Leicestershire, is one of these schools and two of their staff were recently able to visit Gondar to see the work we do for themselves. Here’s what they had to say.

“Our group visited the Kindu Trust several times in April . We were astounded by the place and the work that is done there. We soon came to realise that every penny that is donated goes to where it is needed most. We gave children’s clothes to the HIV mums at their coffee morning and they changed their babies into their fresh new things. Everything we gave, books, footballs, clothing was massively appreciated.

Marta [Sponsorship Manager] and the team took us to meet the children that our school sponsors and everywhere we went children ran up to her smiling and had a little chat. We witnessed firsthand through their smiles how important the work of the Kindu trust was to the people of Gondar.

I decided to sponsor a child myself and was able to meet him and give him a most inappropriate white shirt and a ball. For under £20 a month another young person has a chance and I have an Ethiopian addition to my family. Hayley and I cannot wait to visit Kindu again and in the meantime we are doing all that we can to raise money and awareness for such an amazing cause.”

You can find more great pictures of their trip on our Facebook page. If you support or sponsor, or even if you’re just passing through Gondar, you’re more than welcome to visit The Kindu Trust compound!

Ethiopian Proverb

‘When spiders webs unite, they can tie up a lion’

The past week at The Kindu Trust in numbers:

50 children attended The Kindu Klub for support with school work

85 children at The Kindu Klub and Playgroup were fed a hot meal

66 children used the Kindu Klub library

5 Kindu families were visited by the Sponsorship Team

1 trophy cup was won by the Kindu Football Team!

 The Kindu Trust ‘Ferenjis’

Last month the UK Sponsorship Coordinator, Caroline Walker, had the joy of making her visit to the Kindu Trust Gondar compound to meet the team, catching up with some of the Kindu Trust supporters who have made the visit! And accounting for the absence of fortnightly updates! Many Apologies!

The trip was both enjoyable and productive, providing a much valued opportunity to meet the staff and talk face to face about the ongoing work of The Kindu Trust. As I’m sure anyone who has visited the Kindu Trust in Gondar will agree, witnessing the commitment of the Kindu staff, seeing the value of the types of support The Kindu Trust gives the Kindu families and meeting the children and guardians themselves is an inspiring experience which will drive us towards continued improvement.

Photos coming to Facebook soon!

 Life Expectancy on the Rise in Ethiopia

The latest World Health Organization report on the state of health around the world for 2014 shows that life expectancy in Ethiopia has risen from 45 years in 1990 to 64 years in 2012. This marks a great improvement in health for a country doing its best to meet the Millennium Development Goals; making Ethiopia the country with the second biggest gain in life expectancy around the world.

Ethiopia has also been noticed by the UN for its progress in reducing child mortality rates and reduced HIV and malaria prevalence.

The past week at The Kindu Trust in numbers:

136 children got hot meals from the Kindu Klub and Play Group

87 children used the Kindu Klub library

14 children played football

10 home visits were carried out by the Sponsorship team

Music to Our Ears

This fortnight we’d like to take the time to give our thanks to one of our (many) amazing supporters: Samh. Having visited Ethiopia a few years ago, singer and guitarist Samh was motivated to do his bit to help by recording an EP with all profits going to The Kindu Trust. The aptly named, Samh In A Green House, was recorded in his father’s green house and includes 4 songs and a video. So far he has sold enough to raise over £800! This is put towards running the Kindu Klub and setting up new income generating projects for the families of the sponsored children and we are extremely grateful for his original fundraising idea and his brilliant music. There are still some albums left, they are  £4 each and, as an artist described as “a unique performer with infectious rhythms, melodies and humour”, you could do worse than picking one up. You can buy the album on the charity page he’s set up and you can even check out the tracks it includes online first by clicking here. If you like what you hear, you can find out more about Samh on his page https://www.facebook.com/samh.song.

Happy Fasika!

Fasika, Easter in Amharic, is a big deal in Ethiopia, where it precedes Christmas in importance on the Christian Orthodox calendar as they celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Though it normally falls after Easter in the Western calendar, this year Fasika will be celebrated on Sunday 20^th April. A much awaited celebration, Ethiopians begin preparing 55 days in advance when they pray daily and start a fast which can mean giving up animal products including meat and dairy and not eating until after 3pm. Good Friday involves a strict fast from all food and on Saturday people are preparing their houses (and larders!) for the celebration the next day. Christians attend church from midnight to pray and go home at 8 o’clock in the morning. To mark the day of Fasika a chicken or lamb is slaughtered and families come together to share food, drink Tela (traditional beer) and celebrate. Ethiopians wear the national dress of brilliant while priests are dressed in brightly covered, ornate robes and carry velvet umbrellas. As you may imagine, the feast is an important part of the celebrations and you can buy an Easter Family Dinner or Easter Family Parcel, including basic kitchen items and utensils, for your sponsored child or a child living in poverty in Ethiopia to help them celebrate the day in the full spirit of Fasika!

The past week at The Kindu Trust in numbers:

95 children received hot meals at the Kindu Klub and Play Group

42 young children had a shower at the Kindu Play Group

24 toys were made for children at Gondar Hospital by the Mother’s Coffee Morning group

15 children played as part of the Kindu football team

10 home visits were made by Kind Trust Sponsorship staff

6 families were helped with their medical bills

We want YOU!
…to tell us what you think.

This spring we are undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of our Child Sponsorship Programme. The evaluation aims to assess whether the programme is meeting its objectives to improve the living standards of families living in extreme poverty by providing financial support for a basic standard of living and enabling children to complete their education to go on and achieve their full potential. We will be talking to families, sponsored children and staff to ensure the programme is really meeting the needs of the community and decide what improvements, if any, should be made.

As a small organization with only two part time staff based in the UK we are aware that we don’t communicate with our supporters as often or as quickly as we like. We are working to change this and will be in touch with you shortly to explain what steps we will be taking to make improvements. Then we want to hear from you. Once changes are in place we will contact you to find out whether you’re happy with the improvements and what you think of how we communicate with you. So please, bear with us as we make changes and have your pens at the ready!

Coffee’s Coming Home!

Ethiopia will be the first African country to host the World Coffee Conference in 2016. The conference, which has been running since 2001, is organised by the International Coffee Organisation to “tackle the challenges facing the world coffee sector through international cooperation” by uniting importing and exporting countries. Previously held in London, Brazil and Guatemala, this will be the first time it is held in Africa. Other African countries which entered the bid included Cote d’Ivoire and Kenya. Ethiopia were supported in their bid by Italy, their largest export partner, and Ethiopia have decided to host the conference in Addis Ababa, the capital. The Ethiopian ambassador in the UK commented “Ethiopia welcomes the Coffee family in the ICO to their original home of coffee and I assure you that the 4th World Coffee Conference will be a memorable and a successful one.”

The past week at The Kindu Trust in numbers:

105 children in the Kindu Klub and Playgroup received hot meals

68 children visited the Kindu Klub library

39 children in Play Group had a shower

15 children played football

13 home visits were carried out by staff

3 school visits were carried out by staff

On top of this 100 children visited the Simien mountains! See our last update for details.

Bakery set to Bring in the Dough for Sponsored Families!

The Kindu Trust has secured funding for our new bakery project! Big thanks go to all those who donated and helped to spread the word during our fundraising through the Big Give Challenge. The challenge aimed to raise all the funds for the project, with every donation given by you matched by our Charity Champion, Ethiopiaid, and we’re pleased to say a grand total of £15,249 was raised, enabling us to go ahead with the bakery. This project is part of our aim to help families in the community become independent through income generating schemes. Parents of sponsored children will receive training from a professional baker and a job at the bakery allowing them to develop new skills and achieve financial independence. Now we move on to picking ovens, checking locations and making sure the bread rises! We’ll keep you updated.

Gondar Volunteers

Our latest Gondar volunteer has returned from her 6 week placement in Ethiopia. Jane Attwooll is a Specialist HIV Worker in the UK and she went over to help us with our work on the Women’s Coffee Morning Project. The Women’s Coffee Morning is a project which brings together women in the community who are infected with HIV. It is part social support group, part income generating project which aims to relieve the stigma of being HIV positive. You can read more about it here. Jane did some wonderful work with the group and you can look out for a full update on her trip later this week!

Teff goes A-List

As anyone who has been to Ethiopia will tell you, you don’t get far from the airport before coming across Injera. Now, Ethiopia’s staple food is gaining global celebrity due to the grain Ethiopians have been using to make injera for centuries: teff. Teff’s gluten-free and nutritious qualities are fast making it one of the most sought-after super foods in the Western world. So, what does this mean for Ethiopia? As the article below points out, this could mean great things for Ethiopia’s economy as teff has the potential to become a highly valued export. However, there is also the danger of ‘quinoa effect’, whereby the demand and prices for teff becomes so high that it is no longer available to ordinary Ethiopians. As a valuable nutritious element of what can otherwise be a depleted diet, teff could equally spell economic growth or risk ahead for Ethiopia. Check out this article from the Guardian for more information.

The Kindu Klub visit the Simien Mountains!

The Kindu kids take to the road to see Ethiopia’s famous National Park for the first time.

A Volunteer’s Experience in Gondar

Jane Attwool recently returned from a 6 week trip in Gondar where she worked with The Kindu Trust team. Click here to find out about her experiences with the Kindu team and members of the Mothers Coffee Morning.