2017 Lent Appeal
Thanks to your continuing generosity and donations to our 2016 Lent Appeal, we have been able to continue to support both Our Lady of Nazareth Primary School (OLN) in Nairobi, Kenya, and Suubi Children’s Home in Entebbe, Uganda.
Our Lady of Nazareth Primary School
£10,000 has been sent to cover the cost of Uji porridge which will continue to be provided for all pupils from the pre unit up to year 5 for 2017, thus ensuring that this important food supplement is available to the 2,500 children now attending OLN.
The development of the Special Needs Unit at OLN continues. Corpus Christi Parish financed the initial Special Needs unit in 2014 and in 2016 we were able through the generosity of someone from outside our Parish (Mr Chris Gudgeon a former colleague of Jeremy Best in Nairobi) to pay for a Vocational Training Unit. This will enable the Marianists to help children attending the Special Needs Unit, who may be above school age to develop life skills. In all, there are over 50 children at the Unit.
Gudgeon Vocational Workshop Official Opening
As well as the 2016 Lent Appeal funds raised, we were able to raise over £1,500 in December when the South Berkshire Singers performed their Christmas concert at Corpus Christi. Our thanks to them, and all who supported the concert, which we hope to repeat again in 2017.
OLN Update from Jeremy
Jeremy Best, his wife Bronwen, fellow parishioner Paul Adams, and Geraldine Durrant again visited Nairobi in October 2016. They were there principally as official guests for the 2016 Christmas Celebrations (they break up very early in Kenya for Christmas), but they were also able to officially open the Gudgeon Workshop. As usual the Marianists and the staff of OLN, situated in one of Nairobi’s largest slum areas, gave them a very warm welcome.
Three senior boys presenting Jeremy with a poem they had written for him
We really have made an enormous difference and can be very proud of what we have achieved to help many, many young people in a slum area to receive a decent education. Also, the Special Needs Unit is providing a really wonderful facility for students who would never be able to go to school without it.
A number of parishioners have very generously given funds to support some of the former OLN children go on to secondary education. We are very grateful for their support. As ever, the now 2,500 pupils and their teachers at OLN, together with Brother Joseph and the Marianists are extremely grateful for your generosity. However much you give, little or large, it is all making a huge difference.
Stop Press
Brother Joseph, and one of his senior teachers at OLN, Martin, hopefully will be visiting the UK in July. Thanks to the generosity of Claire Robinson at Holme Grange School - who have sponsored quite a few children into secondary education - their air fares will be paid by Holme Grange. As well as attending Holme Grange Speech Day, we naturally look forward to welcoming them both to our Parish. We will keep you posted on the schedule.
Suubi Update from Pat
The children of Suubi will be beginning their new school year this month and they all continue to benefit greatly from - and are incredibly grateful for - your contribution to the cost of their education. We have just sent a cheque for £9,000 towards the costs for 2017.
Suubi Children with their Housemother
Happily, all our Suubi children passed their exams and will be moving to the next school year. Well done especially to James (10), Carol (7) and Joseph (16) who persevered and passed a repeated year. Collins (15), Enoch (14) and Simon (14) completed P7, the last year of primary and will join the nine other Suubi children in secondary education which is achieved by only a small percentage of Ugandan children. This is a huge step as they will be boarding full time, but it will open up wider opportunities for them in the future.
Chris (16) also passed his P7 exams but his talents lie in football! He has been selected to attend a football academy during the next academic year.
The remaining twenty children are still at primary
school and three of the youngest Hellen and Babirye and
Nakato (Twins)(6) enjoyed their first year at school.
Jeremiah (8)who is profoundly deaf attended a special school for the deaf and was successful in his exams and is doing well.
Finally the youngest child Joel, who is four years old, has been assessed as having Cerebral Palsy. He has continued to make progress in his mobility and ability to interact and is cared for by the Suubi housemothers.
As you can see, the money which you are donating is playing a significant part in giving all the Suubi children opportunities for a very bright future. The Suubi family thank you for your continued support.
Secondary Education and Parish Support
We continue to receive individual donations from Parishioners and Friends to support children through their Secondary education. The cost is roughly £2,500 before Gift Aid for four years at both OLN and Suubi. This does not need to be donated in one amount, and can be paid at the start of each academic year which runs from January. Should you wish to consider this for an OLN or Suubi child, please contact either Jeremy (OLN) or Pat (Suubi). A good education is probably the best chance that young Africans have to escape from poverty.
As you are no doubt fully aware the value of Sterling has fallen by about 20% since the June Referendum in 2016. This is going to have very significant impact on the amount that we need to raise just to keep pace with our previous support. Please bear this in mind when you donate.
We have been considering our fundraising in 2017, and we would like to continue to assist OLN with the provision of Uji in 2018. We feel that we should be looking at again providing at least £10,000 to cover our contribution to the overall costs. The actual cost per child to provide Uji for the whole of 2017 remains at just under £8!! – a small amount for a huge benefit?
For Suubi, we need to ensure that we can continue to support the education of the children at the Home. We believe that we should again provide at least £9,000 to cover the education costs in 2018.
The Africa Fund is run by a small committee. Both
Jeremy and Pat have very direct contact with OLN and
Suubi respectively, which means you can be assured that
every penny donated is used as intended. We would truly
welcome on to the Committee anyone who would like to
ensure that this work is able to continue. Thanks
to your generosity, in the 11 years that the Corpus
Christi Africa Fund has existed, over £260,000
has been raised. We hope that you will be able to
support us this this year to ensure we can continue to
make big a difference to these young lives.
To download a CCAF donation form in MS Word .doc format, please click here