It has been a while since my last update, nearly 6 weeks. I have been very, very, busy here in London (and some jaunts to Toronto as well, for good measure!).
Last time I wrote, I invited all of you to the Black Trumpet event on June 14. It was a great success, and we were graced with the beautiful voices of the Sudanese Community Choir who sang sweet songs from Southern Sudan. The food was delish, and people loved the silent auction donations! We raised just under $5,000 for Sud Academy, which is amazing. Thanks for all your support London!
*Check out the current issue of Snap London North for pictures and information from the event! http://snaplondonnorth.com/index.php?option=com_sngevents&id[]=104479
Moving right along to more plans and hopes for the coming years at Sud Academy. A few of us have been brainstorming and strategizing, and we'll be executing our projects very soon it seems! A trip to Sud is in the works, with the departure date only a couple months away! One of the key priorities is to purchase a full supply of books. Most students have no textbooks at all and are forced to take turns sharing the teachers copy. Another major need is food: the lunch we provide is often the student's only meal of the day. We hope to start a breakfast program that will serve bananas, mangoes, mandazi or chipati (see March 12 post for pics of mandazi!).
In talking with some members of Canadian Aid for Southern Sudan (CASS) here in London, we've decided that Sud Academy would benefit from a clean water project called "The Water School". It's a very basic, but extremely cost-effective way to purify water. Placing bottles of contaminated water on an elevated table in the sun and leaving them for a full day completely purifies the water, making it safe to drink. Most students at Sud Academy drink contaminated water and have contracted diseases like Cholera and Typhoid. This simple but life saving process uses the principles of SODIS (solar water disinfection) and is used all over the world.
To learn more about SODIS, visit: http://www.sodis.ch/ To learn more about The Water School, visit: www.thewaterschool.orgIn addition to these initiatives, we are working on developing even bigger projects, but of course, we need to secure more funding before those can take form. At this stage, we see books, food, water, and thus health, as the fundamental building blocks to a better education. In the coming months as more money flows in (fingers crossed!), we will work on restructuring the school, both physically and philosophically. The possibilities truly are endless!
I've continued to keep in regular contact with the Form 4 Boys... I usually talk to Lino, as he is a good messenger of news between myself and the other boys. Most of the boys are very well and studying hard! They are getting ready for midterms, and inform me that their exam results from April were in line with the other students. Hard work is paying off! I have spoken with Manyok under sad circumstances- he seems to have contracted Typhoid. He's gotten some medicine but has been unable to attend school. My attempts to get him free care under UNHCR have been met with bureaucratic challenges, but I've asked the principal at Sud to assist him if he can. I'll keep you posted on his progress.
Otherwise, we have been hearing that Sud Academy is continuing well! They are especially happy that this is a year many Canadians have and will continue to visit them.
Please be sure to check back soon as updates will be more frequent when our plans kick into high gear! With the help of some new friends to our fundraising committee, Pam & Michele, our team will soon be able to bring even more to the sweet students in Nairobi.
Stay tuned for details about Fall's fundraising event, "Style in the City" which will take place October 15 '09 in London.
