Just a quick note to keep you up to up to speed and let you know that Amy (physiotherapist) will be going shortly to Athi to help at with the children in  the school. She will be staying until the end of June.

Amy will be traveling out with Heidi our project co-ordinator who will add a report here on her return at the end of May.

We're looking forward to hearing how they are all getting on, including of course Nelly who is due for her surgery at the beginning of June.                 

There are four key areas to explore in discussion on their visit to Athi. (Maybe others will also become apparent!) These are:

1    Dining hall/kitchen

2  The dormitory and its water supply,

3  Future volunteer help and

4  Provision options for supplying all-terrain wheelchairs.

Please watch this space!

HATW volunteers on placement with Athi school have now returned, with positive feedback on their experiences working with the children and in the school, and the warmth of their welcome. A new year has started, but many of last year’s issues still remain to be resolved.

One fundraising focus which the volunteers have set themselves as a target is to finance the installation of an electricity supply to the school dormitory and dining hall – can you help them to achieve this target? You can donate below

The local disability centre, in the nearby town of Maua, would like to initiate a 2 year project with partners to improve the dignity, independence and mobility of disabled people in the area, by providing suitable wheelchairs. Physically disabled children at the school in Athi would be some of those who would benefit from the scheme. You can help with a donation towards the cost of a locally made and easily reparable wheelchair for a disabled child at Athi school. Each £130 raised would finance a wheelchair. Donate below towards raising wheelchair funds.

Not everyone can spare the time to visit Athi school children, to bring specialist expertise or  to help in the school. There is something life-changing that you can do, however – make a donation towards helping achieve their project targets. Reach out and give a hand…and make a lasting difference.

Autumn update - Athi school

HATW currently has 4 volunteers on short term placements with Athi school, 3 physiotherapists and an occupational therapist. The school children
have made them feel welcome, and teachers and children were delighted with the limited school materials and games that they had been able to bring.

The cost of local supplies has risen significantly recently and there are now 103 children, 5 special needs teachers and several non-teaching
support staff. Currently, finding enough food to keep the children supplied is a serious concern; with much effort, enough money has
been identified to last until the end of November, but the term is then ending early.

There are always developments still to be made – completion of building work makes resource demands, but this may need to be urgently
diverted instead to meet everyday needs; this means that the dining room which has been built is not fully functional yet, still needing
windows and the internal floor surface finishing.

More classrooms are urgently needed, since the 3 that are currently available cannot house all the children effectively. Classrooms are
split in half with a thin dividing wall, but it doesn’t help separate the noise of the different lessons! A school dispensary and therapy room to support the disabled children are also badly needed.

The children borrow a ball from the main primary school next door for PE, since they do not have sufficient resources themselves – they can
always do with more games for inside and outside use!

How can you help today - to provide supplies and also complete much needed development?