Tower and Town, May 2015 (view the full edition)The Shonda ProjectSimon Mills talks about Shonda, an aid project in Kenya with close associations with St Mary's Church. The Shonda Project started over 20 years when Angela and Mick Prentice saw children begging by the Likoni ferry, near Mombasa, Kenya. They chose to try and do something about it, eventually finding a local pastor who was trying to start a school for poor children. In the early years Angela and Mick took money out when they could to pay for building work and teachers. Little did they know then that their decision to make a difference would result in the establishment of a school that has educated many thousands of children, is highly regarded within the local community, and today has 350 pupils between the ages of 3 to 12. As we look back over the 22 years much has been achieved. Although poverty is still a major problem we have been able to fund a feeding programme ensuring that all children can receive a school meal, so we no longer hear stories of children peeling the paint off the walls to eat, or not attending school because of malnourishment. Other key achievements include:
Unfortunately Kenya has significant problems with corruption and although the trust we have built up, backed up by the controls we've put in place, has protected us, we have had issues over the years. This has served to further strengthen the bonds between Shonda and ourselves. We are a very small charity with around a dozen people in the core team split between Redhill and Marlborough. Despite this we are currently able to send around £2000 each month out to Shonda, largely to pay for the teacher's salaries. This is only made possible through the generosity of individuals and locally, Pinewood School and St Mary's Church. Whilst we can't foresee where the project will be in another 20 years we do have some ambitious plans for the next 5 years. Many of the school buildings are in need of repair or replacement and we are hoping to undertake a major rebuilding programme within the next 2 years. In preparation for this we are undertaking a local survey to better understand the community needs and see how we can use our money to deliver the best results for the Shonda community. Perhaps this will include a facility to provide adult education and small business development, as well as providing health care support that integrates into existing local services. There will be an opportunity to hear more about the Shonda Project at an afternoon tea on Sunday 5th July at the Kennet Valley Hall 3-5pm. This is for supporters of the project and those of you who may be interested in getting involved with fundraising activities! We'll be able to share some latest pictures showing how the site has developed over the years through UK funding, an update from the school and development needs for 2015/16. Please let Carolyn Gittins know if you'd like to join us (01672 861591 or carogittins@hotmail.co.uk). Children welcome - lots of space to play outside! There is more information available at www.shonda.org.uk. If you would like to support the Shonda Project or for more information please contact Simon (01672- 861632 or simon@clatford.org). Simon Mills |