hello all you lovely people!!!!

Well here goes at last!!!! long promised update. but delay due to
pneumonia since new year, lots to do re Children's Garden Group, and
getting ready now for my next trip to Nairobi this Monday.

To Christian, this I think will answer your question, 'What has
happened to the people who came to your Embracing change weekend in
Taunton October 2004?' The following will tell you what happened to
ME.

To my 3 dear 'Balloon Ladies' I met in the Masai Mara in Kenya,
sorry for delay, but always think of you and at last here are the
banking details for the children's charity you so kindly said you
would like to support.

Well as many of you know, after an SOS from Judy last February, a
kenyan lady I met here in England which described the plight of 130
destitute children in Nairobi, I felt deeply that I would like to
help and proceeded to muster help among our CWG group in Taunton and
other family and friends to raise cash for their food as they were
only getting porridge made with water once a day. They neede £200
per month for basic beans and maize meals for them all.so with
weekly donations in the group and car boot sales etc we managed to
keep this up, and are still happy to do so now. I set about
learning Swahili with a kenyan lady here in Taunton who answered an
ad' I put in the paper, as I knew I would be going to Kenya soon.

On the surface these amazing children appear to have nothing,
but I found that in their hearts they have everything! Many of them
taken off the streets by a loving, practical, determined, pennyless
Kenyan man named Moses who had himself had experienced depravity in
the the slums and as a street boy himself in his teenage years.
Against all odds he managed to become educated and while teaching
ina school for the poor and porphaned, he saw the need of the local
street children and gave up his job to help them fulltime.. he began
by teaching them about the environment and how to care for it on a
roadside patch of grass, and with themm made a tiny garden growing
small plants to sell to buy a little food. From this he rented a
shed on a disused rubbish tip opposite. This became their school
which is still used today for 135 children from age 4-16 . It is
divided into classrooms with corrugated iron sheets and they are
taught by voluntary teachers who recieve a small ammount of pocket
money for their selfless efforts. This is paid by a lady in Canada.
There is now another 'shed' for some of the smaller children.
Many of these children have no family at all, lost mostly to AIDS.
These are housed with Moses and his wife within the surrounding
slums where they have made a few huts into a clean, happy loving
haven in the midst of the muddy mess around them. There are at least
8,000 inhabitants on this site alone, and there are dozens more
around Nairobi. They are often in families of 10-12 to a 12'X12'
shack.

The school cannot be absorbed into the education system ther
because ther is no free education in Kenya. The fees are high and
all books and writing materials and uniforms have to be paid for.
The fact that most of these children have no shoes would also
exclude them.
Moses is happy to for things to remain this way because these
children hold values about improving the environment, caring for and
loving each, exceptional good manners, gratitude for any small
thing, and no demands of anyone. all of which may be lost
if they were to join the 'system'... They study with enthusiasm and
expect nothing. I had the joy of teaching 13-16 year olds in English
class for four of the six weeks I was there. I know I recieved more
from them than I was able to give them!


I spent time with Moses visiting parents,in their dwellings.
Many built of hardboard, tin, corrugated iron, even cardboard to
fill an odd hole. The doors were often constructed of numerous bits
of allsorts. the interiors had just enough room for a double
mattress oor bedspace (for everyone),, and maybe a tiny table and a
bench or sofa off a rubbish tip. Their income was generally by
making a little charcoal for cooking, made from Jacaranda wood,
having walked miles to gather it. This may produce a tiny bucketful
daily, which when sold may buy a few beans and maizemeal.

The school provide a midday meal for all pupils as many homes may
not see food for days. This also is beans, maize and maizemeal mixed
with water to make a solid stodge, and a few onions and tomatoes a
couple of times a week. The 35 children in the 'orphanage' are on
the same diet.

A Zambian lady was paying for the orphanage food (£200 per month)
until, last October when she returned home. Since then we have
been sending cash for that every month too.
We now have a new sponsor for this, Tom from our Taunton group,
is letting a room of his house as a bedsit, and giving the proceeds
for the orphanage food. Isn't that wonderful?

It is my purpose to raise more and more cash to give them all a
better diet, NOT just the basics!!!!!! Why should I be satisfied
that they have only these basics, when we in this country have such
a variety of lovely tasty foods? They are children who have no means
of supporting themselves. The adults can be helped to help
themselves but the children are the innocent victims of the state of
poverty all around them. The present Kenyan government are just
beginning to help wher in the past the country has been robbed of
the ability to support itself especcially when past governments
refused to apy tea and coffee farmers enough to even cover their
costs, and these commodities dissapeared from the countryside. As
one travels north of Nairobi, the plantations are looking green
again as the farmers reap their worth in tea, coffee and the
wonderful fruits and vegetables that Kenya has to offer. Of course
recovery to a wealthy country will take time, and meanwhile children
need food and education to grow up to be an asset to the community.
These wonderful children are the future of Kenya. If they can grow
up with these new attitudes, and take part in leadership, they can
be the change we all wish to see in the world.

Soooooooo, we can help, however small a donation. If 100 people
promised just £1 a week( a cup of tea for us) their diet could
become such a healthy one!

As I stated when I did the sponsored slim, (£900 raised, by the
way), the children gain from every penny collected. There are no
admin' fees, no overheads and i pay for the money transfers to Kenya
gladly.

In answer to requests to the universe for extras for the
school the money lands on my doormat. we ask for specific ammounts
and they come. Thankyou to all who have listened to their higher
self and responded.

With notice to quit the school land BY END OF jUNE THIS YEAR,
the next project is to buy a plot of land to call their own
forever, for school, orphanage and play area.

After that, building materials to build the above. Then more
teachers, books, etc etc. There will be no end to it because Moses's
vision is for 500, and later, 1000 pupils from that area alone.

The land is very expensive there. £32,000 for a plot big
enough. Then more for the buildings.

I return to Kenya tomorrow for a further 5 weeks when I hope
to raise awareness among the wealthy of Nairobi, and in the
churches, businesses etc. Of course i will spend much time with the
darling children who already seem like mine.

At the end of June I will go out again with Nina from our group. She
says it feels like she's had an injection of the situation and like
me, it hardly leaves my thoughts. Others in the group are feeling
the same, good eh????

We've made posters, brochures and wallet cards . my printer works
overtime!!!! They are finding their way into shops, banks, schools,
etc etc. Sooooo exciting!!!!!!


We now have an official account for those who would find joy in
donating to this worthy cause.
A regular amount by standing order would be great, then I'd know
just how much we could send every month but lump sum donations very
acceptable ta.

The account is

CHILDREN'S GARDEN GROUP.
HALIFAX BANK TAUNTON
SORT CODE---11-07-74
ACCOUNT NUMB------007913481


Well I couln't possibly pack six weeks into one letter but I
trust this has given you all some idea of what's happening.

I will send the next update when i return in March, and
also tell you the amazing story of 3 ladies I met in a hot air
balloon over the Masai Mara game reserve. So watch this space.

If anyone would like to contact me by email while away I go
regularly to an Internet Cafe, (without the cafe) to read and send
messages, so will be glad for feedback.

Thanks again all you wonderful people! Love and hugs from
Wendy (Windmill)

New name WENDUGU
a cross between Wendy and Mzugu, which means, White woman in Swahili.

Byeeeeeeeee. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx