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Catherine Bullen Foundation - Reports |
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Catherine Bullen Foundation - Reports |
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December 2010 Newsletter August 2010 December 2010 Despite the economic downturn, this has been the most successful year so far for fundraising. We have been extremely lucky in that the Foundation's aims and projects inspired a number of individuals and organisations to support us by running marathons, taking part in sponsored events, general fundraising or making a donation. We also attracted an increased number of grants and we aim to pursue this source of revenue in the coming year, although this is an extremely competitive area. However the economic downturn has affected us in that we have noted that the amount collected during shop collections is slightly down as people watch the pennies. However, the most detrimental affect has been the downward spiral of the exchange rate between the South African Rand and the UK pound from around SAR$13 when the clinic was built to the current SAR$10.50, which is increasing the cost of our projects. The result is that having hit our fundraising target for the kitchen and canteen, we are having to keep fundraising for it to keep up with the falling rate. Therefore, we will not start any new projects until the current one is completed and paid for which hopefully will be by October 2011. The other problem that continues to affect the Foundation is the inflexibility of the airlines in regards to their luggage allowance when it comes to charitable goods. We have ladies in Mersea knitting blankets, donations of school bags, and football strips which we have to restrict to our personal baggage allowance. All we are asking for is an additional case over our allowance. Finally, we would like to say a big thank you to our trustees and all those individuals and organisations that have made this past year such a successful one.
Future Projects As previously mentioned, until we complete our current project, we will not embark on new ventures. However, our document Vision 2020 looking to the future has identified where we can make a difference as funds become available. In line with the Foundation's aims, the relief of poverty and the provision of health and educational facilities are of primary importance for the development of the Omaheke region in eastern Namibia.
The San bushmen are the indigenous people of southern Africa. They have been forced to give up their nomadic life and they are one of the poorest sections of Namibian society. The Foundation will fund projects such as the provision of livestock, freshwater and garden projects to enable them to become self-sufficient.
The Foundation will work in partnership with the appropriate authorities to renovate and upgrade schools, hostel accommodation and medical facilities in the Omaheke region such as the school and hostel at Eiseb. Schools Great Bentley Primary School On September 28 2010, Roger attended the school for what for a better description was a Namibian afternoon. First stop was the Grade 5 class, where the pupils were updated with happenings at the Omuhaturua Primary School followed by a question and answer session where questions came thick and fast. It was then to the main hall, where the complete school performed a series of musical items in front of their delighted parents and teachers. This finished with a cheque for £676.77 being presented to Roger for the kitchen/canteen project for the Omuhaturua Primary School hostel. The pupils had also produced a further batch of letters for the school which is twinned with Great Bentley through the British Council.
Colchester County High School for Girls Catherine's former school has always been very supportive. We were pleased to welcome another one of its teachers, Helen Barton to our fundraising committee, who joins Dr Elizabeth Gwyther, a trustee who also teaches at the school. Helen has already enthused her class to arrange a number of fundraising activities. Colchester Institute Last year students from the Art and Design class purchased two goats for the San bushmen and named them after their lecturers, Gary and Graham. On December 6 2010, Roger was invited to give presentations to four classes on the Foundations work. It is hoped that as a result of this, each class will buy a goat.
International School of Paris The school is currently busy fundraising for their next visit to the Omuhaturua Primary School in July 2011. They are planning to paint and tile, three classrooms, purchase books for the library and metal trunks for personal belongings for the children that stay in the hostel. Shop Collections Since the last newsletter, we have carried out shop collections at Sainsbury's at Colchester, Frinton Co-op, Tesco Sudbury and the Asda store in Colchester. Our last collection this year was on Saturday 11 December on our home ground at the Co-op at West Mersea where we collected £214. So far we have collected £2,156 and already have slots booked for 2011.
London Marathon 2011 Unfortunately, none of our potential runners managed to secure a place through the ballot. If there is anybody out there who has a place and still does not have a charity to run for, then we would be pleased to hear from them. Noel for Namibia Although a far cry from the heat of a Namibian summer, the Coast Inn, West Mersea soon warmed up on Sunday 12 December to the sounds of traditional carols and seasonal songs with musical backing by Mersea musicians led by Greg Dunn. The event titled 'Noel for Namibia' was organised by supporters of the Catherine Bullen Foundation.. The evening started with the arrival of Father Christmas in a vintage Landrover and children were soon queuing up outside his grotto in the car park. While those inside the packed pub enjoyed mulled wine, sausage rolls and other Xmas fare. As well as communal singing, there was a performance by the local choir, 'Vocalise'. By the end of the evening, £1,010 had been raised for the Foundation and Roger Bullen one of the trustee's commented 'it has been a fantastic evening and we are very grateful to the 'Coast Inn Gang' who organised the event and to the poeple of Mersea for their continued support'.
Grand Ceilidh - Dancing to make a difference The Foundation's project to build a canteen and kitchen at the Omuhaturua Primary School Hostel in Namibia received a welcome boost from their Ceilidh which was held at the Colchester County High School for Girls on Saturday 13 November. With music provided by the Tollesbury based 'Most Unexpected' Folk Dance Band, guests danced the night a way to a selection of Irish folk dances. A guest performance was given during the interval by the African drum group 'Drums Kool' from Wivenhoe. A total of £1,615 was raised for the project which will be used to purchase equipment for the kitchen and canteen. This event is proving very popular and a provisional date of Saturday 12 November 2011 has been set for next year.
Namibian Trip - October 2010 In October, Linda and Roger travelled again to Namibia to monitor past and present projects. For the first week, Linda worked as a volunteer nurse at the clinic, while the second week was taken as a well earned break on safari in the Etosha National Park.* This is an account of the first week at the clinic. * All visits are self-financed and no charitable funds are used for this purpose.
Sunday 3rd October 2010
Monday 4th October 2010
Tuesday 5th October 2010
Wednesday 6th October 2010
During the day, Linda sees thirteen patients. Julia the HIV counsellor based at the clinic explains her testing process and Ernest who is also based at the clinic advises us on his work on testing for TB, counselling and follow up treatment. If it was not for the clinic, this would not be happening. At the end of the day, we go for a walk near the school and see the sheep being delivered for tomorrows handover. The first one to be unloaded makes a bid for freedom and runs into the bush chased by thirty school children and one of the teachers. It is finally captured and carried by its four legs to be put with the others in the temporary kraal.
Thursday 7th October 2010
With the speeches completed, we walked over to the kraal and handed over the sheep to the Minister who in turn handed them to the school committee who handed them to the shepherd. We then accompanied the Minister on a tour of the school and hostel and who was very impressed with the work carried out by the International School of Paris. He was even more surprised to see the clinic. It was then back to the school for lunch before everyone left. The afternoon at the clinic was quiet and we accompanied Gertrude the cleaner back to her homestead meeting her cows on the way. Its all very basic with no toilet and a standpipe for fresh water from the borehole. On the way back we passed the school children herding the sheep to their new location. The return of our vehicle promised for today has not materialised which is a bit worrying as we plan to leave early tomorrow morning.
Friday 8th October 2010
Saturday 9th October 2010
We are then taken round the settlement, the school is in a terrible state with the teachers living in corrugated metal sheeted huts with earth floors at the mercy of snakes and lizards etc. There are lots of issues regarding transport and medical treatment. The provision of fresh water is haphazard as the solar panels that power the borehole pumps are coming to the end of their useful life. We think they were looking to us for help, but there is so much to do and we are only a small charity. Sadly, we said our goodbyes. Donations We have continued to receive individual donations for which we are extremely grateful. Each donation receives an acknowledgement of thanks from the Foundation and through this newsletter we would like to thank you again for your continued support. August 2010 - You've done it again! Yes, you've done it again. With your support we are pleased to announce that the canteen and kitchen appeal has now reached its target. Following hot on the heels of an award of a £10,000 grant from the Erach and Roshan Sadri Foundation which was set up in 2005 to distribute £6.5m left by Roshan Sadri, who died in 2003, was a further grant of £10,000 from the Rooney Foundation. We are extremely grateful to both Foundations, but especially the latter who supported us so well in the past with the Clinic. This together with a £1,000 donation from a long-term supporter means we can now fully fund the construction costs. Other recent contributions to the appeal have been £536 from the Burlington Danes Academy, £750 from the Enid Slater Charitable Trust, the proceeds of a two-day cake stall at the Mersea Food and Leisure Fair, yard sales and a number of shop collections. Mrs Nelago Kasuto, Managing Director of Komeho, our ngo partner emailed 'Congratulations, you have done it again!! May His Name be praised. I knew you would do it!!!' With the construction costs funded we can now turn our attention to the fixtures and fittings and build on the fundraising already being done by the Frinton Rotary Club. The plan is that Roger and Linda will make final arrangements during their visit to Namibia in October and then building will commence in March 2011 for completion in October 2011.* * All visits are self-financed and no charitable funds are used for this purpose.
ISP finally makes it!! In our last newsletter we reported that students and teachers from the International School of Paris were waiting for the volcanic ash cloud to disperse so that they could fly out to Namibia. They finally made it over a week late, which unfortunately caused logistical problems at Omuhaturua Primary School, as the delay meant that they arrived at the beginning of the school holidays and the school was deserted. Also the clinic nurse was on holiday and her temporary replacement was using the spare accommodation which would normally be used by the students to cook meals and shower. This led to them having to camp in the school grounds until, due to heavy rain, they retreated to the empty hostel dormitories. However, despite all this they managed to have a good time and decorate three classrooms. They will be returning in July 2011 to decorate the remaining classrooms and tile the floors.
Goats Update Gabriel Hangara from Komeho our ngo partner visited Voormansput on 29 May 2010 and found the goats to be in excellent condition and well cared for. He reported that 29 ewes gave birth to 29 lambs. Two ewes died of unknown causes after they lambed but the lambs had been adopted by other ewes and are doing well. All the lambs are housed in a traditional hut at night to avoid mortalities due to cold. Also to avoid losing lambs to predators such as jackals, Komeho supplied a bag of lamb pellets so that the lambs are fed in the kraal while ewes are out during the day. At the end of June all the goats including lambs were vaccinated with MULTIVAX-P (an injection for preventing 5 diseases). Towards the end of July all the goats will be dosed with IVOMEC injectable solution for controlling both external and internal parasites.
Schools Mersea Island School
On 18 May, the children of Mersea Island School held a successful junior
fete organised by the pupil led School's Council. The beneficiaries of
their fundraising were Gloria, a Ugandan student, who the school supports
by paying her fees under the auspices of the Brian Truan Trust based at
Peldon and the Catherine Bullen Foundation whose, chairperson, Roger Bullen
was presented with a cheque for £200. He commented "we are extremely
grateful to the school and the children for their continued support and
is an example how the Mersea community is helping us make a difference
to the living conditions of children in Namibia".
Great Bentley Primary School Great Bentley Primary School has been undertaking a number of fundraising activities throughout the last school year and has raised £676.77 for the Foundation's canteen/kitchen appeal. Thanks to all the children and staff for their marvellous result. Burlington Danes Academy, London Through family connections, the Academy got to hear of the Foundation and its work in Namibia. This led it to be nominated as a charity they would support as part of their charity week and they raised £536. Many thanks to everybody for their hard work. East London Independent School This is one of three schools run by TC Education Services which caters for children with behavioural and learning difficulties. On 26 July, Linda and Roger visited the East London Independent School and delivered a presentation to the staff. TCES have decided to adopt the Foundation as their charity to support and are also planning to twin with Eiseb Primary School under the auspices of the British Council. Omuhaturua Primary School, Namibia On Friday 30 July, the school celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Unfortunately, we will not be there to celebrate it with them, but greetings from the Foundation will be read on our behalf. As an anniversary present, the Foundation will be presenting the school with twenty goats. The milk and cheese from these will provide welcome supplements to their three daily meals of maize porridge. An added bonus for the school was that at the end of May, they were at last connected to the national electricity grid.
Fundraising Events London Marathon 2010 - Sunday 25 April 2010
Both our runners did themselves proud. Despite nursing knee and shoulder problems, both completed the course raising thousands of pounds. Colchester-based Andrea Pisani participating in only her second 26-miler, arrived at the Buckingham Palace finish in a personal best time of 4 hrs 12 mins with Chris not far behind crossing the line in 4 hrs 44 mins. British Power International Dunstable Downs Walk - 25 April 2010 Six members of staff from British Power International Limited based in Colchester recently undertook a challenging 18 mile sponsored walk on Dunstable Downs to raise money for The Catherine Bullen Foundation's appeal to build a canteen and kitchen at Omuhaturua Primary School in Namibia. Ron Webb of BPI commented 'it rained when we started and it rained when we finished, but in between the walk was excellent. We raised £480 for the Foundation's project and we would like to say thanks to all those who sponsored us.'
Mersea Island Food and Leisure Festival 29/30 May 2010
We were back again this year with our homemade cake stall,
which was stacked full each day with lovely cakes, buns and
fridge cakes donated by our supporters. The Saturday proved
to be a bit of a challenge due to strong winds and rain which
kept some visitors away. Sunday the sun shone and by the end of the day,
all our cakes had gone. We raised £582 and a big thank you to everyone
who baked a cake for us and to Lil Clarke who helped us on the day.
Yard Sales
When the weather has been good and there are no shop collections,
Linda and Roger have been holding Yard Sales at 15 Colchester Road
which have raised £600 so far. There is no shortage of donated stock
and ideally the Foundations own charity shop would be the answer.
But we have had no luck in finding premises in West Mersea, and ideas
would be welcome.
Shop Collections Since Easter we have been carrying out shop collections at various Co-ops, the Tesco Witham store, Asda Colchester and in the future Sainsburys at Colchester. So far we have collected £1,053. Many thanks to Nicky Wilmott, Christine and Mike Robson for their help. Credit Cards We have come across a couple of credit card providers who will make a donation to your nominated charity each time you use them. One is the Clydesdale Bank which is involved in a local initiative and details can be found on www.simplyfundraising.co.uk. The other is the Virgin Charity Credit Card which donates 0.8% to your chosen charity. So if you would like to donate to us in this way, then it's worth remembering when you want to take out a credit card. Donations We have continued to receive individual donations for which we are extremely grateful. Each donation receives an acknowledgement of thanks from the Foundation and through this newsletter we would like to thank you again for your continued support.
Tools with a Mission From time to time, we are offered tools and sometimes sewing machines with the idea that we can send them to Namibia. Unfortunately, the cost to us would be prohibitive. However, we now have a solution in a charity called 'Tools with a Mission' who have a warehouse on the Hadleigh Road, Industrial Estate in Ipswich. They have a team of volunteers who refurbish tools, PCs, sewing machines etc for Africa and send containers out to a number of countries. Unfortunately Namibia is not one of them, but at least they are going to a good home. Their website is www.twam.co.uk.
Reception at Houses of Parliament On Tuesday 6 July, Linda and Roger represented the Foundation at a reception at the Houses of Parliament organised by the National Council of Voluntary Organisations. The gathering was addressed by the newly appointed Minister for Civil Society, the Rt Hon Nick Hurd MP. After the speeches there was an opportunity to mingle with other charity representatives, MPs, Lords and Ladies. An interesting evening.
Sad News Sadly, we report the passing of two of our supporters. Dr Richard Gissler-Weber In 2009, Richard celebrated his 80th birthday and together with his wife Rosemary they decided to ask for donations instead of presents which resulted in a donation to the Foundation of over £1,000. Although we met Richard only a few times, we found him a true gentleman. Unfortunately, he died the day before his 81st birthday and our condolences go to Rosemary and his family. Ruby Edna Blyth
Mrs Blyth was Linda's mum's neighbour and remembered Catherine visiting.
Since the formation of the charity, she has supported us and had shown
great interest in our projects. The family, aware of her interest,
kindly asked for donations instead of flowers at the service to celebrate
her life which resulted in £567 being donated.
Our thanks and condolences to Christopher and Philip and all her family.
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The Catherine Bullen Foundation
