Newsletter Autumn-Winter 2023

It has been longer than planned since our last newsletter, but we have had a very busy year on the fundraising front as you will have seen from the flyers sent out, and we are a small group of volunteers, half of whom are also holding down ‘day jobs’. So please forgive us for the delay and I hope you will enjoy reading what we now have to report.

First of all, thanks to the generosity of one of our larger donors we have funded a project to install a water tank and pump system to efficiently pump water around the primary school site, especially to the higher ground. Jacob Naikele, the Headmaster at The Loiyangalani Primary School, recognized the need for a more reliable water supply that would provide security for the school. Currently, the school relies on a natural spring to the east of the campus, but the flow is limited. To address this issue, Jacob proposed connecting the school to the nearby water supply network, which is more resilient.

Due to changes in the climate and after a long period of drought, intensive rain finally arrived earlier this year than in previous years. This led to a problem with mosquitoes. The Trust were asked if we could supply funding for 350 mosquito nets which were desperately needed for a new girl’s dormitory. This we duly did from the proceeds of our fundraising activities and in the photograph you can see some of the girls helping to install them.

The number of children we are supplying with breakfast has now exceeded 1,000 as there are two forms of junior high school still accommodated within the primary school site while the school system transitions (rather slowly) from 8 years of primary school and 4 years of secondary school to 6 years of each. We can continue to fund this thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

We had three major fundraisers this year as well as some smaller activities. Anthony Mitchell’s very tough walk challenge on the South Downs, our first ever charity golf day hosted by Piltdown Golf Club on a beautiful sunny September day, and the Sheku Kanneh-Mason concert with classical guitarist Plinio Fernandez at St Mary’s Church in Horsham. From these activities we raised an amazing total of over £16,000, which is our best year ever.

We are delighted to confirm that one of the students who has been sponsored through secondary school and higher education, wrote to us last week with the following good news:

“Currently, I am a software engineer because of your support. Loiyangalani Trust Fund has been more than a family to me and I thank all of you for the support you continue giving to the needy students in Loiyangalani and I am a proud product of Loiyangalani Trust Fund.
I can proudly say, one of your own has been hired in a Software Company before even graduating and am very happy to share this with you. I couldn't believe 13 years ago if someone could tell me that I will be a software engineer. But through your support I am here now expressing this happiness. I will be graduating on the 21st December”

 

 

We also heard that one of our ‘alumni’, Samson Hado, after doing some temporary work in another field, applied for a fisheries job (his specialisation) and has now been employed by County Government of Marsabit as a fisheries officer

Another student, Damiano, has recently completed his course successfully and currently works with Candles of Hope Foundation as a field officer covering the Loiyangalani and Moite areas.

And, one of our ladies, Juliet, finished her hair and beauty course and is going into partnership with another lady to run their own small business. Things can be especially tough for the girls so we are very delighted when they succeed in fulfilling their ambitions.

This is what we dream of – a good outcome in a country with so many challenges and so much youth unemployment

We have one more activity this year – our annual Quiz Night on Saturday 11th November, for which details were sent out recently. Then it will soon be the end of the school year in Loiyangalani. That is another busy time for us, working through each of the school leavers to get information to send to their sponsors, and allocating sponsors to children who have completed primary school ready for the start of the new year in January.

With very best wishes
Carolyn and the team at The Loiyangalani Trust