Hands On Kware
Gods Work In Progress
Introduction
There is a desperate daily plight faced by the people
living in the Kware Slums situated on the South Eastern limits of Nairobi,
Kenya.
The Aims of our Registered Charity are:
-
To build, equip and staff a 200 bed Hospital
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To build, equip and staff a 1000 pupil school
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To continue supporting the existing Medical Centre,
currently situated in a rented house, and two schools that have been
established
-
To continue to reduce infant mortality
-
To improve the health of babies, infants and children
-
To improve the health and maternal skills of mothers
-
To give children a school education
-
To give hope
Funds raised to support Kware are channelled through the
'St Thomas' Handshake to Kware' Registered Charity (No. 1086514). The
administration involved in the project is given voluntarily, therefore
eliminating any overhead costs. In real terms every penny of every
pound that is raised in the U.K. benefits the people of Kware.
Fund Raising aside, there is also a very real need to
provide 'hands on' assistance: an opportunity for self funded volunteers to
assist with the project in Nairobi.
'Hands On' Mission Statement
Identify the 'real needs' of the project and recruit
self-funded volunteers, either as individuals or in small groups to provide
a 'Hands On' assistance in Kware, Nairobi. The work undertaken by the
volunteers will be such as not to deprive locals of employment, but to work
alongside them in partnership, and where possible imparting new skills.
Teach a person to fish and they will eat forever.
The roots of 'St Thomas' Handshake to Kware' are firmly
planted and underpinned by a strong Christian faith. Our African
Brothers with whom we share this vision live by their faith. Their
culture is vastly different to ours, recruits whether Christian or otherwise
will be expected to live the way they live for the duration of their stay.
Recruitment
Commitment of the volunteers is the single most important ingredient to a
successful project. You will be expected to commit to organising and
purchasing the cost of your air flight, travel insurance (please note -
volunteers need to declare to travel insurance companies the purpose of
their visit), visa, injections and all other expenses. The 'Hands On
Kware' team will give guidance on matters such as flights and type of
injections. Volunteers will be required to pay for food (if secure
accommodation is provided for at the site) and also towards the work you
will be involved with (sum to be discussed on a project by project basis.
An approximate guide for food and accommodation contribution would be £100 pw).
The
contribution for food and project costs to be paid through 'Hands On Kware'
to the registered charity 1 month before departure. Cheques are to
be made payable to 'St Thomas Handshake to Kware' and forwarded to St
Thomas' Church office for the attention of Tracy Swainston. Volunteers may
wish to seek sponsorship to assist with the costs. A return flight to
Nairobi plus injections and visa is approximately £600. Your
contribution towards your own food costs, project costs and miscellaneous
expenses, is of course dependant upon length of stay and project type.
The maximum stay will be 4 weeks. Volunteers must be over 18 years
of age.
The charity is NOT
able to support the costs of volunteers wishing to visit Kware
All contributions must be made PRIOR to departure, and will go directly to
the work in Kware.
There has to be of course a diligent selection process.
The process will rely heavily upon the expertise of Dr David Steiner,
Director and Founder of the charity 'Hands Around the World'. Their
charity has been sending self funded volunteers to Africa and Brazil for
many years. Dr Steiner has kindly agreed to provide us with his
services in a consultancy capacity. Volunteers will need to complete
an extensive application form and provide references. All of which
will be thoroughly checked with the relevant agencies, including child
protection.
Ultimately it will be the Charity Trustees final decision
whether an applicant possesses the right mixture of knowledge, experience,
personal qualities and skill to be a benefit to the project at that time.
Volunteer details will be reviewed and where possible
matched to the 'real needs'. This however, may result in an
applicant's details not matching the needs at that time and being kept on
file until such time as their particular skills can be used to full
advantage. All details will be held in strictest confidence.
We anticipate there will be an approximate period of 8
months from the initial recruitment meeting to raising funds to 'touching
down' in Kware, Nairobi. Upon return, we would like to share in the
volunteer's experiences as this provides a 'reality' and encouragement to
many supporters.
St
Thomas Handshake to Kware (STHTK) cannot accept liability for loss or injury
to any volunteer or their personal property howsoever caused. STHTK
encourages volunteers to visit Kware, they are not funded or employed in any
manner by STHTK. STHTK do not hold any vicarious liability for any
volunteers and all risks to persons and their property are entirely those of
that volunteer making the trip.
Co-Ordination of Visits
All visits to Kware whether as a 'Hands On' Volunteer
or friend of Kware MUST be co-ordinated by a representative of St Thomas'
Church, Fair Oak, as there are many visitors to Kware throughout the
year. Not only is this a common courtesy to the hosts, but ESSENTIAL
to the smooth running of the project. There are 3 main periods
throughout the year when visits are not possible: Mid December to late
January, Mid May to Mid June and Mid September to Mid October. Please
see below for details of who to
contact PRIOR to arranging any
visits.
Your Chance to Help
By sharing and imparting your life skills we will be
re-investing the money and efforts of today for the children of tomorrow.
'Hands On' will be creating life-changing opportunities for all types of
people from within our own community and in Kware.
The project the charity is undertaking in Nairobi
continues to grow, like any project of this size however it continually
requires a lot of resources and committed volunteers. Initially, the
work was started by a small group of Christians from Fair Oak and Kenya.
That group has now grown to include hundreds of people both Christians and
Non-Christians supporting the Charity in many different ways.
Have you skills that can be used in Kware? Can you
commit to help 'Hands On' or can you provide support in another way?
For further details please contact:
'HANDS ON KWARE' VOLUNTEERS
Tracy Swainston: email
t.swainston@sky.com
or write to:
'Hands On Kware'
Tracy Swainston, c/o St Thomas' Church, Fair
Oak Court, Fair Oak, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 7BG
OTHER VISITORS - TO BENN MUGISHA
Mrs P Stupple: email:
office@sttoms.co.uk
or write to:
Mrs P Stupple, c/o St Thomas' Church, Fair Oak Court,
Fair Oak, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 7BG
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