Under The Mango Tree

Donations have helped to improve sanitation with this new water point. Any spilled water now drains away from the site.

Urgent funds are needed to improve toilet facilities for older girls.

** Don't forget - with Under The Mango Tree 100% of your donation goes to the school project - nothing is taken out for wages, expenses or other operating costs

Under The Mango Tree

A party of eight friends, all supporters of the Northwich based charity Under The Mango Tree, have just returned from visiting Kenya.

Under The Mango Tree (charity number 1156094) supports Kambe Timboni Nursery and Primary school which serves a poor rural community situated about 30 kilometres north west of Mombasa City.

The visiting party was made up of Lorraine and Shaun Dunne, Davenham, Karen and Noel Owens, Hartford, Angela and Gordon Atkinson, Northwich plus Jean Ball from Morcambe and her brother in law Denver Shaw from Warrington. For Angela and Gordon this was their fifth visit to the school since 2010 but for the majority of the team it was a first visit.

One of the highlights was the official opening of a new classroom that had been funded by Under The Mango Tree supporters. The community put on various displays of local dance and music, groups of school children also performed and then the speeches !. Eventually the official opening took place and immediately 30 young people swarmed into their new classroom to take a place at their new desk. This was accompanied by much dancing, singing and clapping. None of the UK group had ever experienced children being so genuinely and spontaneously happy to enter a school classroom. It was yet another example of just how important and valued access to education is for this community.

Karen and Noel Owens said -

" A few Kenyan shillings go a long way in the arid countryside beyond Mombasa.

As soon as we arrived at Timboni School we understood why our friends Gordon and Angela felt so committed and passionate about helping these children, from Nursery class to Primary Year 8, to gain an education. Without the essential funding from Under The Mango Tree these children would never be able to reach their full potential and enter the workplace.

The children were so happy to meet us and their smiles lit up our hearts. We are proud to support UTMT and will continue to do so."

The overriding outcome of the visit is that we have had confirmed and witnessed the evidence that this school is doing well - that is relative to similar circumstances in this area. As always there is still much to be achieved before the school and community are fully self sufficient.

Further resources and basic infrastructure are still needed and the visiting team plus wider supporters of Under The Mango Tree will continue to work hard to assist.

Whilst visiting Kenya we met local people who produce authentic craft items and items were purchased for e sale in the UK. Buying these items helps to support the local economy and then any funds raised will be returned to Kenya as investment in the school.

If you feel able to support this work in any way at all please do contact us.

Email = utmtcharity@gmail.com

www.underthemangotree.org.uk

• There is no clean water available for hand washing or cleaning at the toilet blocks - this photograph shows the ONLY tap at the whole school

In order to provide clean water at key points around the school and reduce potential insect infestation, we estimate that the project will cost up to 185,000 KES (about £1,375) including pipe routing, access taps and concrete pad, and at this time we are asking for any funding contribution, which will be used after the quotation process has been applied and accepted.