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News January 2008 - Regarding the post-election violence in Kenya At Footsteps we have been deeply concerned about the unfolding events in Kenya following the elections on December 27th. On an almost daily basis we have been in phone contact with our project coordinators in Katito and they have been able to assure us that the violence has not affected their area specifically, although there is great tension and uncertainty in the area. The effect of the violence has also been to bring transport to a halt, something that means that food is in short supply and what food is available has sky-rocketed in price. It appears that mediation efforts and increased dialogue are bringing Kenya back from the brink of a humanitarian disaster and we are continuing to monitor the situation on a daily basis. As for the Rafiki 2008 programme, we are working on the assumption that everything will be quickly back to normal. Clearly we will not go ahead with the programme if we believe there is even a remote possibility of danger and we will follow the most up to date home office advice on the subject of travel to Kenya. January 2008 - Rafiki 2008 plans in embryonic stages What are you doing from the 1st to the 10th August 2008? Nothing? Well then, this is your chance to come with us on the trip of a lifetime to Kenya. This trip is not the usual holiday to Kenya with white beaches, great sea food and brilliant Safaris (although we can help organise that for you). This trip is the opportunity to see at first hand how ordinary Kenyans live and the difficulties they face every day. You can see all the projects that Footsteps have been supporting also. The Rafiki Programme 2008 will take you to Kisumu, Kenya where you will be based and from there go for 6 days to the 2 primary schools where you will volunteer during the children's summer holidays on a sport, art, drama, solar-cooking, t-shirt making, class-room painting, gardening trip of a lifetime. The cost of this year's trip is expected to be in the range of £1100. We are taking 28 volunteers this year and have 5 places left. Due to the effect of word of mouth most places have already gone. A deposit of £300 saves you a place on the trip, the balance being due by the 1st June. Contact Suzanne, Rupert or Tony for more information. December 2007 - Footsteps kids' Christmas party! Being the time of year to be jolly, Tony set of to Kenya with his Santa hat to play the role for the 43 children that are being sponsored by the UK families and schools. Part of the money that our sponsors pay goes to a contingency fund and this year we were happy to release part of the money to give a treat to the children for Christmas. Each child received a blanket, a mosquito net, a dress or trousers, some underwear and fruit! We had a jolly old time at Magunga Primary School and Rae Mixed Primary School with the children totally bemused by the fact that they were receiving this stuff while Tony put the santa hat on each of them and took pictures for the sponsors. Still by the time they had tried on their new clothes and eaten everything they were happy enough! December 2007 - Footsteps boys come 2nd and 5th in end of year exams We are thrilled to report that the 2 boys on the Footsteps child sponsorship programme who started secondary school in January 2007, Nicholas and Tyson, have come 2nd and 5th in their year group respectively (out of 49). We are delighted by this and hope that this augurs well not only for their future but also for all the other children who will follow them into the secondary school when the time comes. We will not have any new children starting secondary school until 2009 by which time we hope that Nicholas and Tyson are one and two in their year. December 2007 - Meetings in Kenya give the go ahead to the Katito Medical Facility Following our initial consultations with the community and other stake holders in the area we are delighted to have received authorisation from the provincial Ministry of Health and Ministry of Public Works to go ahead with the Comprehensive HIV/AIDS facility in Katito market centre, just 2 kilometres from Magunga Primary School. We expect the budget to be finalised in January and funds released to start work in the New Year. We are very much pushing for completion by August 2008. More news will appear as it becomes available. November 2007 - £15k raised in night of fantastic dining Suzanne and her friends organised a fantastic dinner at the Light House Restaurant in Wimbledon Village which went really well with auction prizes donated from many friends of Footsteps in the area. November 2007 - £15k raised in night of fashion extravaganza Rupert together with our friends at Headington's school, Oxford organised a wonderful fashion show laid on by the students with the help from parents and teachers. An auction and raffle followed with fantastic prizes donated by local businesses and friends of Footsteps. Three of the students were able to tell the audience about the situation in Kenya that we are helping out with as they had come with the Rafiki programme in August. August 2007 - Rafiki programme from the 3rd to the 12th August. Read our report of the event here and the photo gallery. Plans are underway for the 2008 event which will be more or less the same week as this year. To register your interest in the 2008 event please contact Suzanne. May 2007 - field trip to Kenya to meet with the Magunga Community and local government officers Tony spent a week in Kisumu to start the ball rolling for the new medical facility we are planning. After meeting with the local health and planning officers to discuss the issues of building a facility in this location, an extensive meeting with the community and builders was held in order to ensure community buy in for the project and to start the budget planning. Our plans are shaping up and by July we hope to be in a position to release funds and starting laying the foundations.
March 2007 - fantastic fundraising boost We are delighted and thrilled by a donation of £12,000 from Rokeby School which will go a long towards the construction of the new medical facility that we are planning. February 2007 - pictures from the rafiki trip 2006 New page of pictures from the rafiki trip 2006. See the new gallery page. September 2006 - new classrooms in use at Magunga Primary School During the rafiki programme in August a Footsteps classroom was decorated and prepared. In September it was put into use for the first time. See the Rebuilding Magunga page for the update. August 2006 - the first rafiki programme takes 6 volunteers to Kenya From August the 12th to the 18th, 6 volunteers from the UK joined up with relayNET to take part in a week long programme of art and sport at Magunga Primary School. During the volunteers' time there a new classroom, that had been sponsored by Footsteps cyber cafe, was splendidly decorated with our logo and colours. The two volunteers that came from futurepro organised a week of soccer training culminating in a mini "world-cup" tournament with the participation of 6 other schools from the neighbourhood. Click here to read a report of rafiki 2006. Click here to read Michael's Diary.May 2006 - Futurepro raises £1700 to send two coaches to Kenya At the Oberon Sports ground near Wimbledon on the 20th May more than £1,700 was raised from donations, a raffle, a penalty shoot-out competition, coffees/teas/beers, burgers, a bouncy castle, cakes, sweets and lucky dips. The 'dads against coaches' football match was very well attended though a few of the dads seemed to be having second thoughts by half time. We are now well on our way to raising enough money to send two sports trainers. Thanks to everyone who took part in the event. For more on futurepro coaching click here. April 2006 - Footsteps launches its rafiki programme for August 2006 Between the 4th and 18th August 2006, we are taking a group of volunteers on our first rafiki programme trip to Kenya. This trip, in conjunction with relayNET - another UK based charity - is for volunteers to take 2 weeks in the summer to carry out extra-curricula activities with the children of Magunga Primary School. For more information click here. March 2006 - footsteps is legalised At an auspicious launch event over a cup of coffee in a hotel near London's Oxford Street, the four trustee's of Footsteps for Africa signed the paperwork to legally bring Footsteps into existence. For more infomation on the trustees: Suzanne Thomas, Rupert Taylor, David Hoskins and Tony Robinson click here. October 2005 - footsteps distance adoption programme pilot scheme launches With a test group of 6 children and 6 UK sponsors, footsteps launches its distance adoption programme. This programme will give the children being sponsored and the carers who look after these children a better opportunity in life by ensuring that they receive support in their school and home life. For more information click here. March 2005 - Magunga primary receives financial assistance for rebuilding programme from Footsteps Cyber Cafe Footsteps Cyber Cafe, Nairobi, is delighted to make Magunga Primary School the first recipient of financial assistance, making good on its aims at it's inception to invest in community development from the profits of the business. March 2005 - Magunga primary school devastated by freak cyclone Since Suzanne's first trip to Kenya she has been following the progress of this primary school where, through links with relayNET, she was able to mobilise resources to connect the school to a permanent water supply. Sadly, the school is now virtually destroyed by a freak cyclone. See report from local media here. March 2004 - footsteps cyber cafe launches it's first outlet in Nairobi Following initial research into the growing internet market in Kenya, Suzanne and Tony, together with fellow director and local operations manager, James Odero, pooled their resources to try a new approach to humanitarian support by launching a business which aims to generate profit locally to both expand and provide local employment and also to invest in community development programmes. Click here for the Foosteps Cyber Cafe website.
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