2024 Newsletter October – Education, Loans, Businesses, FGM and Wells

Dear Loyal Supporters

 

We have been funding a variety of poverty relief projects working with marginalised Maasai communities for nearly 20 years thanks to your amazing support:

 

On my last visit we were in Nainokanoka when the delightful leader from Bulati village, Sabore Ole Ngarus, came rushing to see us. He had been far away in the hills when he heard we were there and was full of excitement and frantic to get to us. He spoke such beautiful words which are for you, our wonderful donors:

“When we hear your name we become very happy. You have done so much for us: funding children to secondary school, desks for the primary school children, stipends for our health teachers, our doctor Leshangai, our ambulance driver Pashwa, our adult literacy classes, our women’s loans, training and mobile phones for our Traditional Birth Attendants, you are really touching our hearts more than I can say.

The main reason for me to come here is to give you these thanks. If God will help you there are many women who see these loans you have given, see the great benefit to the women and their families, and they too want to be part of one of these loan groups. If you could give more loans we would be so grateful. There are also many children needing sponsorship to secondary school, if you could fund more children it would be such a help, but the main reason to come to you is to give you thanks for all the things you are doing to support us”.

 

We give much gratitude to Robyn Nietert at Womens’ Microfinance Initiative (WMI) http://wmionline.org  and Judy Lane at Maasai partners https://www.maasaipartners.org/ for all their continuing support with our women’s loan projects, including health and adult education.

 

 

 

 

 

Primary Education requests

 

Sometimes the needs feel overwhelming. This year we visited Ngoile primary school. I hadn’t been there before and the children ran up to greet us as they were on their break outside and a visit is a novelty. The head teacher explained how things are for them:

There are over 70 pupils in each class and I could see many of them sitting on the floor because they don’t have enough desks. Happily we were able to fund more desks from the money raised at our Barn Dance. Harder to hear about was their hunger. There is no food provided at school and children do not bring food in. The 650 pupils walk up to 7km to get to school. They study until 4pm and then walk another 7km home on empty tummies. This is the norm in the primary schools across the areas where we work. WTWT now fund school meals in 2 schools and are looking to increase this.

 

Thanks for our wells

 

We gave a lift to a young man on our journey, as we do if there is space in the vehicle. He was in the back chatting away in the Maasai language to the others, and I was catching odd words, ‘water, women, sweet, Rachel’. Then he switched to English and told me he lived near one of the wells we funded back in 2008. He said they love the water, the women say it is so, so sweet and beautiful and clear that they don’t want to drink anything else, and it is always there year-round even through the dry seasons and droughts when the streams are dry.

We funded the wells over 15 years ago now, so it was lovely to hear how much they are still benefitting people and that they are keeping them well maintained.

  

FGM and Health Education

Wonderful progress has been made in the reduction in FGM, down by around 40%. When I first visited ‘not being cut’ was unheard of, it was a 100% ‘social norm’. This reduction is partly due to our health education classes in schools, health centres and communities, covering all areas of health including the harmful effects of FGM and child marriage. The reduction is also due to general raised awareness through news and social media. We are heading towards the tipping point of the norm being ‘uncut’ leading to this harmful practice stopping altogether. Alternative rites of passage to womanhood are being practiced, a ceremony to participate in with pride and without harm.

 

 

We are hugely grateful for all your financial support and encouragement. Without you we could not do any of this.

As always, our expenses and administration are paid by ourselves, so all of your donations go directly to the community projects.

 

With much love and thanks

 

Rachel and WTWT trustees here in the UK and our teams and communities in Tanzania

 

Rachel, David and Daniel Blackmore, Bingwa Silongoi, Tim and Caroline Shewbridge, Ruth Mason, Suchita Raja, Viv Pangalos and Helen Williams in the UK

 

Embapa Oloishiro, Peesoi Runguna, Sunguyo Sindiyo, Sinyati Ngamuriaki, Mary Mirumu, Kisiaya Saruni, Sandey Kinyanjui, Kileto and Supeet Olepurko in Tanzania

 

If any of you would like to make a donation to our projects or set up a standing order, we would be extremely grateful, as would the people in Ngorongoro:

 

Our bank account is: ‘Weston Turville Wells for Tanzania’, account number:  00087400, sort code 30-90-38.

 

Cheques can be made payable to ‘WTWT’ and posted to our address:

Old Crown, West End, Weston Turville, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP22 5TT

 

Weston Turville Wells for Tanzania (WTWT)

Registered UK charity No: 1125141

Registered office: Old Crown, West End, Weston Turville, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP22 5TT

Email: racheljblackmore@gmail.com

Phone: +447792 475094

www.wellsfortanzania.org

Weston Turville Wells for Tanzania (WTWT)