RUVUMA DEVELOPMENT AID
NEWSLETTER
Issue number 22
April 2015
Valerie’s Visit
Scottish Charity Number
SC0 33311
Contact: Louise Johnstone
15 Errol Road
Invergowrie
Dundee
DD2 5AG
RUDA Email:
rudatanzania@hotmail.co.uk
Tel: 01382 561 282
Treasurer: Lynn Davies
4 Lilybank
Kirriemuir
Angus DD8 4BW
Valerie achieved a great deal during her recent visit to the school.
She put in place a routine of keeping the classrooms clean and tidy,
the first step being the purchase of traditional brooms. She also had
the desks rearranged into a U shape rather than individual desks in
rows, to encourage the children to co-operate and learn together.
In the playing fields, activities of various sports and wacky races were
also organized; some of these events were highly competitive and
others were just fun for everyone. We now have over 150 children at
the school and some of the newer boys are from the Masai tribe and,
not surprisingly, they were the best at the jumping events.
Email: lynnd980@googlemail.com
RUDA Website:
www.rudatanzania.org.uk
RUDA FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/Ruda
Tanzania
Brightly coloured balls of wool were knitted into purses and both boys
and girls wanted to make them. Some of the girls already knew how
to crochet and so they taught the other children and it became quite a
craze. We have already started collecting more wool to take when we
visit again in July and are on the lookout for crochet hooks.
Donations
Ken Anderson of One Solution has made another generous donation
to allow building work to continue at the school when the rains stop
next month. Our intention is to use these funds to concentrate on
essential repairs and maintenance which will include the upgrading of
classroom walls, floors and furniture. Already Ntimba has replaced
broken glass in windows damaged by the recent severe winds and
there are plans to repair the floor of the grade 3 classroom.
Volunteers… back for more
Five of last year’s volunteers from One
Solution - Gillian, Jim, Grace, Mike and
Lorraine - have signed up to visit again in
July and will be working to upgrade the
classrooms with large plastic storage boxes,
work tables and shelves. If we can each
source a working laptop and carry it in our
hand luggage we could have one for each of
the teachers.
Kitchen garden
The other project the volunteers are planning
is the design and building of a mobile hen
house and fence which will help to prepare a
section of ground for future planting in line
with permaculture methods, where the
chickens help to break up and fertilise the
soil. The chickens will be looked after by the
children and will provide a source of protein
as well offering a subject to study in English,
Science and Mathematics.
Valerie has also established some important
new contacts at HOJA, part of the COCO
charity based in the UK, which will be very
useful as we try to encourage a more organic
sustainable approach in the new school
gardens.
Deaf school Visit
Valerie and teacher Julius took some of the
children to visit the local school for the deaf,
St Vincent de Paul, and to report back on the
visit to the rest of their class. In Valerie’s
words:
‘We took five children each from standard 3
and 4 who were to report what they saw
back to the rest of their class. Our children
were quite subdued and seemed rather
overawed throughout. The headmistress,
Sister Josephina, showed us around and
made us very welcome. She explained some
of the complexities of communication with
the deaf children who are all taught to lip
read and vocalize sounds as well as
Tanzanian signing.
Our children and teacher Julius were very
impressed with the neatness of the children's
handwriting and the high standard of their
work. At the end of the visit the children
were treated to a big plate of delicious
home-made biscuits and soda.’
Fundraising by Scottish Potters
Alice and Louise recently attended a Potters’
Weekend at Kindrogan. The potters wanted to
help us to fundraise and one of our existing
supporters, Anne Lightwood, organised an
auction of donated pots. Along with some cash
donations, this raised an amazing total of
£1,637.66. Needless to say, we are delighted
at the response and since then a further £100
has been donated - so the grand total raised is
now £1737.66.
We are also processing the details for three
new sponsored children and as soon as the
first payment goes through we will send word
to the villages to let the children know they
can start at the school and to buy their
uniforms.
That leaves just two more sponsored places to
fill to reach our target of fifty and we will ask
our friends at the school to find another two
local children.
rudatanzania@hotmail.co.uk