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Madireddypalli – In memory of Christine Zigomanis

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Madireddypalli, India

Well Provided IN LOVING MEMORY OF CHRISTINE MARY ZIGOMANIS 04/01/1960 – 10/03/2013


Community name: Madireddypalli
Population: 1250
Number Of Houses in Village: 134
Old Water Source: The community water tank is not getting filled up due to inadequate and irregular electricity supply, so less water is available and people face difficulties.
GPS Coordinates of New Well: N14.63110 E079.08346

“My husband goes out to work. He has no time to fetch water. My two children are too young to fetch water. My mother and father-in-law are too old to fetch water. So, I myself have to walk 20 minutes to fetch the water. Now it’s just 2 minuets walk. Thanks to the generous sponsor and thanks to drop4drop charity members for sinking the drinking water borewell in our village.”
Mrs. Pakkeeramma
26 years old





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post Madireddypalli – In memory of Christine Zigomanis appeared first on Global Angels.


Rajupeta village – Peter and Giannina Wild

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Rajupeta village, India

Well Provided by Peter and Giannina Wild


Community name: Rajupeta village
Population: 1300
Number Of Houses in Village:176
Old Water Source: The only water source is a running tap which is as irregular as once weekly and is insufficient for the people.
GPS Coordinates of New Well: 14°44.181N 078°59.587E

“We’re thankful to Mr. Peter and Mrs. Giannina Wild who generously donated the money for this well. When we approached the government with our urgent need for a new borewell they turned a deaf ear to our repeated appeals, saying the budget deficit left them unable to help us. Thanks to drop4drop, Global Angels and others, our drinking water troubles are finally over. Our prayers are always with everyone who contributed.”
Mr.Dastagiri
45 years old.





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post Rajupeta village – Peter and Giannina Wild appeared first on Global Angels.

Mekavaripalli – Evelyn and Ridley Sorrill

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Mekavaripalli, India

Well Provided by Evelyn and Ridley Sorrill


Community name: Mekavaripalli
Population: 1100
Number Of Houses in Village: 110
Old Water Source: It is an open agricultural well on the outskirts of the village, it provides drinking water for the village but they have to walk 3 kms in order to fetch water.
GPS Coordinates of New Well: N14.83551 E078.99579

“Now I am able to earn more and provide for my children. The new bore well saves me more than an hour daily, many thanks!”
Mrs Obulamma
34 years





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post Mekavaripalli – Evelyn and Ridley Sorrill appeared first on Global Angels.

Anamorupalli – Simplipure

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Anamorupalli, India

Well Provided by Simplipure


Community name: Anamorupalli
Population: 1220
Number Of Houses in Village: 120
Old Water Source: Borewell running with electricity. However due to electrical power cuts, there is less water being pumped out of the borewell.
GPS Coordinates of New Well: N14.99560 E078.93153

“Previously I was walking to the village outskirts to collect water. It was hard work and because of my age it often made me feel ill. Now there is no problem, I am able to get water easily.”
Mrs Devamma
48 years.





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post Anamorupalli – Simplipure appeared first on Global Angels.

Reddikottalu – Tareq Risheq

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Reddikottalu, India

Well Provided by Tareq Risheq


Community name: Reddikottalu
Population: 1570
Number Of Houses in Village: 105
Old Water Source: The community water tank is not getting filled-in due to inadequate and irregular taps water supply. Less water is available.
GPS Coordinates of New Well: N15.00527 E078.97461

“My son was often late to school as I had to send him to collect water. With the bore well now in the centre of our village there is no need to send the children to collect water, my son is now spending his time doing his school work!”
Mrs Subbamma
38 years.





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post Reddikottalu – Tareq Risheq appeared first on Global Angels.

Vaddamanu – Henrik Joergensen

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Vaddamanu, India

Well Provided by Henrik Joergensen


Community name: Vaddamanu
Population: 1000
Number Of Houses in Village: 90
Old Water Source: The water is pumped from a water tank which is 7 km away. As ours is the last village that means we get less water or no water at all
GPS Coordinates of New Well: N14.95110 E078.94266

“Our water scarcity problem is solved. The bore well is useful to the whole village as well as passers by. When we go to the well to collect water now we all gather round and talk about those who helped to provide us with this water source.”
Mrs Venkatamma
45 years.





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post Vaddamanu – Henrik Joergensen appeared first on Global Angels.

Itukalapadu – The Family Business Place UK

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Itukalapadu, India

Well Provided by Family Business Place UK


Community name: Itukalapadu
Population: 1570
Number Of Houses in Village: 150
Old Water Source: A water tap provides water using electricity however due to frequent power shortages, less water is being received by the community.
GPS Coordinates of New Well: N14.94311 E078.89408

“I have back pain and the doctor has advised me not to walk far. Before I was walking long distances to collect water as our previous source, a government provided water tank, was not sufficient and only had water roughly once a week. Now I am getting domestic water easily!”
Mrs Mariyamma
42 years





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post Itukalapadu – The Family Business Place UK appeared first on Global Angels.

Thippanapalli BC Colony – Kim Hurd

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Thippanapalli BC Colony, India

Well Provided by Kim Hurd


Community name:Thippanapalli BC Colony
Population: 1100
Number Of Houses in Village: 145
Old Water Source: Due to meager tap water supply by the Govt with the effect of longer power-cuts the people have to go to the near by river to collect the water.
GPS Coordinates of New Well: 14°39.729N 079°01.845E

“As we’re able to get water from the new well conveniently, there’s no longer a need to spend our time fetching water from distant sources. I have time to earn more money by making more leaf plates, because my husband’s wages aren’t enough to support our family. My heartful thanks to Kim Hurd.”
Mrs. Narasamma
42 years old





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post Thippanapalli BC Colony – Kim Hurd appeared first on Global Angels.


Kammavaripalli – The Family Business Place UK

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Kammavaripalli, India

Well Provided by Family Business Place UK


Community name: Kammavaripalli
Population: 1150
Number Of Houses in Village: 125
Old Water Source: Not enough water is supplied by the Government, only once in 3-4 days through a water tank which is not sufficient to meet the needs of 1150 people.
GPS Coordinates of New Well: N14.75963 E078.97146

“It’s so hot during the summer and walking to collect water was a huge burden in the heat. Now with the new well water collection is quick and convenient. Thanks to The Family Business Place UK & drop4drop.”
Mrs. Sundaramma
28 years old.





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post Kammavaripalli – The Family Business Place UK appeared first on Global Angels.

B.Koduru – Matt Waldock and Kelly, Danny, Sonny and Jeannie Mcgill

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B.Koduru, India

Well Provided by Waldock and Mcgill


Community name: B.Koduru
Population: 1800
Number Of Houses in Village: 180
Old Water Source: Water is supplied to a small tank only once a week.
GPS Coordinates of New Well: N14.87769 E078.97769

“The water from the new bore well is the only safe water source our community has. The water is sweet! We much prefer this water! Now I am able to send my children to school and my husband to work on time because I no longer wake up early and walk a kilometre every morning to fetch the water.”
Mrs Subbamma
47 years old.





 

What we are doing right now


 

The post B.Koduru – Matt Waldock and Kelly, Danny, Sonny and Jeannie Mcgill appeared first on Global Angels.

Angel Change Makers Transform 29 Villages in India

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100 WELLS FOR 100 VILLAGES


ANDHRA PRADESH PROJECT, INDIA
SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR 100 VILLAGES

Global Angels is working to provide safe drinking water for some of India’s poorest families in rural Andhra Pradesh. So far we have been able to fund 29 wells bringing safe drinking water to 37,700 people. This is all thanks to the generosity of individuals and corporate donors who have funded the construction of the wells.

On our last trip there we were accompanied by Global Angels Ambassador and hotly tipped starlet RAYE (pictured below).

Below is a video of the incredible progress we have made providing safe drinking water directly into people’s homes in a small rural village in the Maharashtra State of India. Each of the 51 households now has running water for the first time!

In India there are nearly 100 million people without access to clean water 186,000 children are dying every year as a result of unsafe water and poor sanitation. Our dream is to transform the lives of 100,000 people by improving accessibility to safe drinking water in 100 villages in rural India. We have been working so hard on this project because we feel strongly that the work we are doing is improving lives in so many ways. You can read testimonies from the individuals the wells are benefiting on each village’s page and hear first hand how the wells have made a difference in everyday lives of individuals and communities.

Find out more about each of the villages in the project, and the donors that have donated each well in the “what is happening in Andhra Pradesh” section at the bottom of the 100 Water Wells page.

Angel Change Makers transforming 29 Villages in India



The post Angel Change Makers Transform 29 Villages in India appeared first on Global Angels.

Abraxys Global Run for Global Angels

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Abraxys Global have been a great partner with us over the last five years. Some of their team successfully ran the Virgin Sport British 10k on the 9th of July 2017 raising over £2,500 for our Tsavo Project in Kenya. We are so encouraged by their fundraising efforts and with our 100% Promise, every penny they raised went directly on the ground to the project. Those funds are already having a huge impact, helping build the 150,000 litre water tank on our new land. From January 2018, the tank will contain harvested rain water to provide drip irrigation for the organic crops being grown by local women as part of our sustainability programme. (See the photos below)

Kane Simpson on the left was team leader and has been out to Tsavo with us in 2016 and is planning to join us in April for the next volunteer trip. He was joined by Laura Cole, Bob Hudson, Imee Basaen, Mark Watson, Grant Watson and Dave.

This region not only has a short rainy season, but there is also very little ground water and not many productive wells which makes water very scarce in the region, so collecting every drop of water for watering plants and day to day needs is vital.

The next phase of the project is harvesting, selling seed and food we have grown to the locals, training them further, building a second masonry tank, terracing the land below the shade houses, building a small factory to handle the crops, followed by beginning to build water pans and drill boreholes in the valley.

Below you will find some pictures of the transformation we have been bringing to Tsavo.

Right across the valley we will be building water pans, digging boreholes, building shade houses, training the local families how to manage them well, grow crops that thrive in this climate, pooling resources and developing multiple channels to market.

The Abraxys Team is now aiming to support the Angel Empowerment Fund by doing another 10k run. With this fund, a £200 startup business loan for a woman or young person, to launch their small business such as a chicken or goat farm, will set them on a path of transforming their lives. That same £200 when repaid will provide a loan for another entrepreneur in the community. In five years, that £200 will have given four entrepreneurs the chance to become successful and will keep on giving and giving. We often say that we make it easy for you to make a difference and this is a great example 🙂

I would like to encourage you to consider making the Tsavo Project a community you are passionate to support. It’s one of a few projects you can actually come with me on a volunteer trip and perfect for choosing a specific resource to fundraise for in your company, as a group or individually – as a marathon runner for example.

Every £200 donated to the Angel Empowerment Fund will provide one more person in Tsavo with start up funds for their new business. In 5 years, that same £200 will have provided funds for 4 starts up businesses.

 

DONATE NOW

The post Abraxys Global Run for Global Angels appeared first on Global Angels.

Amazon Smile

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If you use Amazon for shopping in the US you can join Amazon smile and with every purchase you make Amazon will donate money to Global Angels.

You can raise money for Global Angels without it costing you a single cent!

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice.

Every item available for purchase on www.amazon.com is also available on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) at the same price. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages.

The post Amazon Smile appeared first on Global Angels.

Wow! See what the Angels are doing in Tsavo?

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I have just returned from one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. I keep re-living the moment three weeks ago when I stepped onto the new land in the Tsavo Project which had just been cultivated. The ground was soft and the soil rich. Shoots were coming up from the planted sorghum, millet, water melon, and bean seeds. Thick clouds were overhead as long awaited rains were threatening to break out. The smell of the land when it first started gently raining was eclipsed by the pure joy I felt when it began pouring for days and realising our terracing endeavours had worked, with the rain sinking into the furrows instead of running off and causing erosion on the land below us.

In the last year we have purchased 15 acres of land for our community project. We have terraced it, planted crops, built our first 150,000 litre water tank, built two huge shade houses with drip irrigation, all in the last few months. We have set up the beginnings of a model organic farm, capturing and harvesting water for irrigation. We are training young people in leadership and project management skills, and the local women in organic farming and drip irrigation. We are planning to build a small factory to handle our crops and be able to sell product to the local and wider community. Our dream is expand the project to include selling chia, moringa and other exotic antioxidants abroad and to invest funds earned back into the community.

As I look over the land from the tree covered hills behind us, I can envisage the valley being wonderfully transformed over the next three to five years. The land we are working on is fertile and has the potential to support the local community. Using knowledge gained from the latest research on farming techniques, rain water harvesting, drip irrigation and growing crops that flourish here, we can change the eco climate of the area. We can attract more rain, increase the level of water in the soil and replenish the underground aquifers.

Right across the valley we will be building water pans, digging boreholes, building shade houses, training the local families how to manage them well, grow crops that thrive in this climate, pooling resources and developing multiple channels to market.

It was five years ago that I first visited the Itinyi Valley, in Tsavo, Kenya. I was filled with compassion for the women and children I found walking 10-15 kms a day for water taken from open air water pan dams – the only water most of them had access to and it was being shared with cows, goats and wild animals. I determined to do all I could to empower them and to transform the valley.

The Itinyi Valley has been one of the poorest communities in Kenya, facing huge obstacles just to survive, intensified with climate change. This is a semi-arid area and the increasing periods of drought are a challenge, but we believe that by utilising many sustainable and organic solutions we can effectively turn things around. The Itinyi Valley community needs us and others to come alongside them and work with them for this to be achieved.

Teaching and modelling by example is one of the most successful ways to change ingrained behaviour in community practices. As we are successful here, this will also be our showcase of how we transform communities and inspire others.

Global Angels Empowerment Fund
Through our Angel Empowerment Fund we will be giving £200 startup loans for women and young people to develop small businesses on their land holdings – businesses such as bee keeping, as well as goat and chicken farms. That same £200, when repaid, will provide a loan for another “entrepreneur” in the community. In five years, your £200 will have given four entrepreneurs the chance to become successful and it will keep on giving and giving. This is a great example of how we make it easy for you to make a difference 🙂

 

DONATE NOW

I would like to encourage you to consider making the Tsavo Project a community you are passionate to support. It’s one of a few projects you can actually come with me on a volunteer trip and perfect for choosing a specific resource to fundraise for in your company, as a group or individually – as a marathon runner for example.
If you would like to get involved directly on the ground on one of our projects and are able to visit one of our communities with us then please fill in the form below, we’d love to hear from you!

 

The post Wow! See what the Angels are doing in Tsavo? appeared first on Global Angels.

Molly’s 60th Birthday

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It’s my birthday and I am turning 60 years old today.

Earlier in the year I had been thinking I wanted to have a quiet birthday as I felt turning 60 was something to be sad about, but my daughter Nikola, told me very clearly this was one birthday we were going to tell everyone about and celebrate loudly. She decided this was a birthday to be proud of, one we should go somewhere special together or do something really fun together. She was right 🙂

Many of you know that I have been going through a major transition over the last four years after my marriage of nearly four decades ended. Good things come out of everything, especially the hardest things and during this last year I have come alive with a new passion and purpose. I love the impact Global Angels has on the ground. I am genuinely waking up every morning excited about the work we are doing on the Tsavo Project and have a powerful drive to transform the Itinyi Valley in Kenya and the lives of the 14,000 people living there.

I have been pondering how to make the most of this birthday and to celebrate in a way that really makes a significant difference.

What I would love more than anything else is for everyone around the world who loves me and loves the work I do, to join with me in this celebration by each giving £60 or $60 (more if you can afford it, or less of course if you can’t.

Be assured that all donations for this campaign will go direct to the projects.

The 60:60:60 Campaign

My aim is to raise £60,000 over the next 60 days and £600,000 this year. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could raise this much?

What will we use the 60:60:60 funds for?

• To develop our new organic farm

– Providing work and income for the locals

– Providing nutrition for local families

• Purchase another 5 acres of land to expand the farm

• Terracing land for agriculture and preventing soil erosion

• Build a factory to process what is grown in the shade houses

• Provide easy access to water across the valley

– Safe drinking water

– Drill four community boreholes with shade houses

– Build six water catchment dams and 20 storage tanks

• Provide start-up funds for 20-50 small businesses

• Furnish a maternity unit

• Provide two motor bike ambulances for inaccessible areas

• Build housing for volunteers & local staff

Right across the valley we will be building water pans, digging boreholes, building shade houses, training the local families how to manage them well, grow crops that thrive in this climate, pooling resources and developing multiple channels to market.

It’s a huge project but entirely possible if we bring in the resources from all our Angels and Corporate Partners. Let’s see what we can do together!

We have created a donation page specially for the 60:60:60 Campaign. LINK HERE TO DONATE PAGE

We will be sharing the campaign across social media and giving ideas on how to raise money, sharing your stories of how you raised funds and progress on what is happening on the ground.

Please use the hashtag #globalangels60 when you post, so that we can see what you’re up to!

Thank you for joining with me and for being an Angel

Love,
Molly
xx

PS: Today I am in Los Angeles with my family and loving being a grandmother for the first time, double celebrations as Natasha has recently given birth to a darling baby boy and a few days ago my son Joshua and his beautiful girlfriend Ceri announcing their engagement.

The post Molly’s 60th Birthday appeared first on Global Angels.


Angel in Action – Richard Harries

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Richard Harries

Why I’m walking from Lands End to John O’Groats to support Global Angels.

Richard Harries, 67, is walking a thousand miles in seven weeks to raise funds for us. He’s spent his life helping people, in his work as a cardio-radiologist and through volunteering as a first responder in emergency situations. Now he’s taking on the adventure of a lifetime to support some of the poorest people in the world. Richard is a truly inspirational, yet humble man. We interviewed him to find out what makes him tick, why everyone should be an adventurer and how he’ll complete his unaided challenge.

Tell us how this challenge came about?

Well, a couple of years ago I started reading adventure books on ocean rowing and mountain climbing. I had an idea in my head that I’d do Lands End to John O’Groats as a warm up for a really big adventure!

Why are you supporting Global Angels?

Once I’d decided on the walk, I started looking for a charity to support and I came across Global Angels. I just liked their ethos and the fact that it’s a small charity without a corporate agenda. The personal element was important to me too, Molly oversees the projects, she’s helping people in very poor environments and it’s really got heart.  

And of course, there’s the adventure element – Bear Grylls is a keen supporter of Molly!

I know you love a challenge, tell us what about your adventures?

Ever since I was a child I’ve gravitated towards challenges of all kinds. But it’s only really since I semi-retired in 2004 (and stopped smoking) that it’s all developed. I channelled my energy into running at first. I started to take it really seriously and ran seven marathons, then I climbed Kilimanjaro and completed a Bear Grylls survival course – that really pushed me to the limits! It’s all led me to take on bigger and bigger challenges.

So tell us more about the walk

Well, it’s going to take me about seven weeks overall and the road distance is 874 miles but I think it will be more like 1000 when walking. Originally, I planned to do 25 miles a day but I injured my leg about a month before the start of the walk. I actually couldn’t walk for a couple of days. It’s gradually got better but I’ve reduced my daily mileage. I’m starting with 9 to 10 miles then will work up to 12- 15 and towards Scotland. Hopefully I’ll be will up to 20 maximum a day.

What will you take with you?

I’ve built a trailer to pull behind me so I don’t have to carry a rucksack and will have everything I need with me. I’ve got a one man tent, which I’ve practised staying out in over the winter. My one luxury is a camp bed, it’s lightweight and keeps me off the ground. I’ve got a burner for making tea and soup so I will either wild camp or knock on doors as I go and ask if I can stay. I’ll also stop off at pubs for an evening meal.

What are your key stop offs?

• Milestones 1: Launceston, Cornwall – where I was born and Mum still lives there

• Milestone 2: Exeter where my brother and wife live

• Milestone 3 Derbyshire – Blore Hall

• Milestone 4: Preston – to see my other brother

• Milestone 5: Borders of Scotland

What do you think will be the main challenges?

The physical tiredness will be hard. But I think what will challenge me will be the loneliness and being away from home.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking of doing an extreme challenge?

When you get to 67 it brings life into sharp focus. I look at the road ahead and you never know what’s around the corner. The saying goes “it could be a new corner or the bitter end!” So I want to live life as hard as I can and as brightly as I can. It’s exciting! One of the messages I’d like to get across is that no matter what your age or condition, there’s an adventure for you.

What’s your key motivation for doing this challenge?

• That anyone can take on an adventure!

• Pollution is such a big issue for us all. If I can walk this far at my age I hope it inspires someone to leave their car at home for a day.

• To raise awareness of poverty and Global Angels’s community based approach.

Donate to support Richard and Global Angels. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.

TO DONATE ON RICHARD HARRIES’S FUNDRAISING PAGE – CLICK HERE

You can also send Richard a message of support via his Facebook page and follow his route, or join him for a day of walking.

https://www.facebook.com/rwjharries?hc_ref=ARRrLgghbE6nneT6a5qb459DVVFDJQXiLTQiOWzCw4IJpdJmtKLbFP6gw9E4O8xPNa4

Further information about the Tsavo project

Richard is raising money for our project in Tsavo, Kenya. Every penny of the donations raised by him will go directly to provide water, education and business opportunities to the very poorest of people in the region. Right across the valley we will be building water pans, digging boreholes, building shade houses, training the local families how to manage them well, grow crops that thrive in this climate, pooling resources and developing multiple channels to market.

It was five years ago that Molly first visited the Itinyi Valley, in Tsavo, Kenya. She was filled with compassion for the women and children she found walking 10-15 kms a day for water taken from open air water pan dams – the only water most of them had access to and it was being shared with cows, goats and wild animals. Molly became determined to do all she could to empower them and to transform the valley.

The Itinyi Valley has been one of the poorest communities in Kenya, facing huge obstacles just to survive, intensified with climate change. This is a semi-arid area and the increasing periods of drought are a challenge, but we believe that by utilising many sustainable and organic solutions we can effectively turn things around. This community needs us and others to come alongside them and work with them for this to be achieved.

Teaching and modelling by example is one of the most successful ways to change ingrained behaviour in community practices. As we are successful here, this will also be our showcase of how we transform communities and inspire others.

Global Angels Empowerment Fund
Through our Angel Empowerment Fund we will be giving £200 startup loans for women and young people to develop small businesses on their land holdings – businesses such as bee keeping, as well as goat and chicken farms. That same £200, when repaid, will provide a loan for another “entrepreneur” in the community. In five years, your £200 will have given four entrepreneurs the chance to become successful and it will keep on giving and giving. This is a great example of how we make it easy for you to make a difference 🙂

 

DONATE NOW

I would like to encourage you to consider making the Tsavo Project a community you are passionate to support. It’s one of a few projects you can actually come with me on a volunteer trip and perfect for choosing a specific resource to fundraise for in your company, as a group or individually – as a marathon runner for example.
If you would like to get involved directly on the ground on one of our projects and are able to visit one of our communities with us then please contact us, we’d love to hear from you!

The post Angel in Action – Richard Harries appeared first on Global Angels.

Tsavo Up-date April :-)

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A few weeks ago I returned with Renate from Tsavo, Kenya and I have just visited again for a week to visit our team and witness the completion of our office and two brand new rainwater catchment dams.

We fly out again April 16 and are joined by a volunteer team on the 21st, returning May 1st. The work is gaining momentum as the team prepare for the rains and new season’s planting. Next, on the list is to build the factory and mill to be ready for the July- August harvest.

So far we’ve have harvested millet, sorghum, watermelons, kale and spinach, new potatoes and coriander, tomatoes, pigeon peas and green grams. The women in the Tsavo community are really excited to be able to purchase fresh vegetables from us as they have had to travel for miles with so little sold locally. We have been testing out what the best crops are for this soil and climate, learning the skills of organic gardening competing with bugs and caterpillars who love our crops, while developing our own seedbeds, grow bags and drip irrigation.

I have been excited and inspired to pioneer and manage the Tsavo Project in Kenya and build a local team to run everything. Working closely with Mercy Ngaruiya, our Regional Community Co-Ordinator, we are training Jared and Mercy, our two young community co-ordinators and Jackson, our Youth Programme Manager. We are teaching them project management skills as they run and develop our model organic farm with local women as members of their team, and skills to manage our building work with local masons, builders, plumbers, electricians, JCB and tractor drivers. We are successfully developing new job opportunities for unemployed youth in the area.

Mercy Ngaruiya is lovingly and respectfully known in the area as ‘Mama Mercy’. She also liaises with community leaders and the local women’s groups and is key to our success in the area.

Andre Retief, a member of our Advisory Board, is supporting us to achieve our vision and goals, primarily at the planning and design level. He is a renowned hydrologist, agronomist and consultant, and brings a wealth of experience, wisdom and knowledge. Andre is a great asset in building a replicable model to roll across the Itinyi Valley, the wider Tsavo region and into rural projects in other countries in the future.

Our UK Board members are helping drive our vision. Our Chairman, Henrik Schoett-Kjaergaard, has a background in agriculture, farming and building. He is a successful entrepreneur and brings his business, coaching and team building skills to support our projects. Mark Eddison, one of our long term Trustees, is a business leader and a respected Architect who has donated much of his time to designing buildings for charity projects in Africa alongside growing his architectural business in the UK.

It is really encouraging to see how we are engaging as a team and to see the results. Our entrepreneur chicken farmers, supported by our Angel Empowerment, 0% interest loans, are developing well, but have been slowed down by the need for farmers to travel for two hours to purchase expensive chicken feed. In addition, the price of corn for their hens has doubled this year resulting in a crippling effect on profit margins that was threatening the success of the chicken project.

On our organic farm, our workers are growing millet, sorghum and other crops. We anticipate having our mill fully operational by July 2018, delivering a superior nutritious chicken feed from our crops to the local farmers at vastly reduced prices. We will be developing our own model chicken farm to be used as a teaching tool and support to the chicken farmers. We are also developing our land model to showcase how farmers can be profitable even on a small piece of land. We will show that they can grow their own feed once they have effective water harvesting on the land and use drip methods of irrigation. We have expanded the loans to include supporting goat farmers and women developing their own sewing business.

To date, all first round loans have been repaid in full. Our second round of loaning Angel Empowerment funds to entrepreneurs has begun to be paid back by all recipients. Our dream is to expand this agricultural project to include growing and selling chia, moringa and other exotic antioxidants abroad and to invest earned funds back into the community. Longer term there is scope for bringing school children to our project to learn first hand about effective farming and water harvesting methods, and to help them set up models in their homes and schools to supplement their nutrition.

Next Volunteer Trips Renate and I are leading a team of volunteers to the Tsavo project 21-27th April, June 12-17 and Sept 22-28. There are still a few spaces we would love you to join us.

Here is the link for more information. Take a look at one of our shade houses complete with lines with drip irrigation, along with our lovely organic farming team working on grow bags, and our first crops in the fields. These ladies work so hard, learn fast and we are so pleased with them:

Right across the valley we will be building water pans, digging boreholes, building shade houses, training the local families how to manage them well, grow crops that thrive in this climate, pooling resources and developing multiple channels to market.

It was five years ago that I first visited the Itinyi Valley, in Tsavo, Kenya. I was filled with compassion for the women and children I found walking 10-15 kms a day for water taken from open air water pan dams – the only water most of them had access to and it was being shared with cows, goats and wild animals. I determined to do all I could to empower them and to transform the valley.

The Itinyi Valley has been one of the poorest communities in Kenya, facing huge obstacles just to survive, intensified with climate change. This is a semi-arid area and the increasing periods of drought are a challenge, but we believe that by utilising many sustainable and organic solutions we can effectively turn things around. The Itinyi Valley community needs us and others to come alongside them and work with them for this to be achieved.

Teaching and modelling by example is one of the most successful ways to change ingrained behaviour in community practices. As we are successful here, this will also be our showcase of how we transform communities and inspire others.

Global Angels Empowerment Fund
Through our Angel Empowerment Fund we will be giving £200 startup loans for women and young people to develop small businesses on their land holdings – businesses such as bee keeping, as well as goat and chicken farms. That same £200, when repaid, will provide a loan for another “entrepreneur” in the community. In five years, your £200 will have given four entrepreneurs the chance to become successful and it will keep on giving and giving. This is a great example of how we make it easy for you to make a difference 🙂

 

DONATE NOW

I would like to encourage you to consider making the Tsavo Project a community you are passionate to support. It’s one of a few projects you can actually come with me on a volunteer trip and perfect for choosing a specific resource to fundraise for in your company, as a group or individually – as a marathon runner for example.
If you would like to get involved directly on the ground on one of our projects and are able to visit one of our communities with us then please fill in the form below, we’d love to hear from you!

The post Tsavo Up-date April :-) appeared first on Global Angels.

Corporate Angel Robert Walters Tells Their Story

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Become a Corporate Angel 

Robert Walters Group is one of our Corporate Partners.  Caroline Watkin, Group Communications Director from Robert Walters, tells us about the experience of visiting Tsavo and the benefits of partnering with us. 

“I first went to the Itinyi Valley, Tsavo in June 2016, acting as a ‘path finder’ to find out more about Global Angels work on behalf of my company, Robert Walters, a global recruitment consultancy.  Giles Daubeney, our Deputy CEO was keen to find a corporate charity partner for the Group to complement the work each business is doing with local charities.

My experience in Tsavo was life-changing and I could see there was an amazing opportunity for our business to make a real difference to the community in the Itinyi Valley over the long-term. We were also attracted by the fact that we could choose to support projects that aligned with our purpose as a business. I recommended that we support Global Angels and suggested some projects where I’d seen a real need. Marungu Secondary school needed a new classroom – we saw the one class standing outside in the heat trying to learn and now they’ll be able to focus properly – particularly those approaching exam time. 

Making a difference 

It’s always hard to know whether you’ll be able to make a real difference when you partner with a charity work but when I returned in June 2017 so much had changed.  For example, last year I helped the women’s community group do research into egg incubators so they could set up chicken businesses. We found the best incubators, sourced a supplier and just as we were leaving the incubator arrived from Mombasa. A year on and the women have paid off their loans and now there are hundreds of chickens at varying stages of growth! I can’t tell you how exciting it was to be a very small part of that. The women have eggs and meat for their families and can sell the rest. Their entrepreneurial spirit was inspiring and made me feel I could achieve anything. 

A sustainable future 

Last year the maize harvest had failed due to the drought (maize needs a lot of water to grow) so we went to visit some sustainable shade netting houses – they are like ‘reverse green houses’ if you like and it’s is all about growing crops with a reduced water need. This year the women took their learning and built a very small shade house. They all had their own small tubs of crops growing too. But they wanted to start a bigger project and Molly asked for our help to build two large shade houses. We thought it would be a great project to sponsor and Robert Walters donated the money. When I returned in November 2017 so much work had been done, I just couldn’t believe the scale of it! The land had been terraced to gather as much rain water as possible, the fencing built to deter elephants and the structure of the houses built. When we arrived we were ready to sew the nets for the shade houses. 

We bring eight staff a year to Tsavo, as a staff incentive and as part of our CSR strategy and the group worked with the Tumaini Women’s Community Group to make the nets. It was a special experience working alongside the women and we all learned from each other.  When we raised the nets over the framework for the houses it was a magical moment and one of the women ran to get a drum and we had a completely spontaneous sing and dance to celebrate. There was much hugging and we all felt we’d made a connection with the community.  

The shade houses will help save lives, make the community independent and give kids a better chance at school if they’re not so hungry. The eventual plan is to export crops like Moringa to create sustainable jobs and a local economy.

Global Angels is a very special charity. Molly Bedingfield is an amazing person and looks for projects where she can truly partner with local communities. Her vision came to life before my eyes in the year since I’d been away. I’d really love everyone reading this to be inspired and to see how small changes can make a big difference to people’s lives. You can make change happen and anyone can be an Angel.” 

If you’d like to find out more about becoming a Corporate Angel, call Molly today on x or email x. Corporate Angels allow us to keep our promise that 100% of public donations go to projects on the ground. 

The post Corporate Angel Robert Walters Tells Their Story appeared first on Global Angels.

We’re rocking it in Tsavo, check it out :-)

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What an amazing time we had in Tsavo with volunteers joining us from around the world, including film maker Phil Jenkins, photographer Afshin Feiz, Caroline Watkins and her team from Robert Walters along with Kane from Abraxys Global. Each trip seems to get better and more enjoyable. It’s exciting to see everyone really get involved and to so quickly engage with each other and become a team. If you are following us on our new Instagram and our Facebook group you will have seen some of the photos Afshin took and seen some of the highlights. New film footage is coming soon 🙂 Together the team began doing the hard graft of preparing the foundations of our new Community Farm Centre.

Renate and I are preparing for our next follow up trip in June to work with our team in Tsavo, Kenya and will be joined by Board Member and architect Mark Eddison. Right now, our on the ground leaders in Tsavo, Jackson and Jared are working with a team of local young men to build our Community Farm Centre. They are aiming to complete it by July, ready for our harvest of green grams, pigeon peas and chia. We are being donated the funds to purchase and install a mill to grind grains for local families and also a grinder to make mash for chicken feed. With these we will be able to make a huge difference and begin the next phase of our plan for developing our model farm to train and support the local community.

Collecting and Storing Water – the key to success
As you know collecting and storing enough water is the key to everything being successful or not here in the Itinyi Valley.  As part of our solution to provide water for our organic farm and for the local community we have dug three massive water pan dams on our farm which have the combined capacity to hold 1 million cubic meters of water.

These open water pans have a high level of evaporation so we need further covered storage once the water is captured.  As part of the solution so far we have only built one masonry storage tank with a capacity of 150,000 litres and have purchased  110,00 litres of plastic tank storage.
Each masonry tank is made by our local young men including making the bricks themselves. It’s a fascinating process and I love seeing the bricks all laid out. They can make 600-800 a day. It also shows the level of poverty as many of the labourers come with flip flops and don’t own proper shoes or let alone safety shoes.

Anyone wanting to help us get shoes for them would be welcome 🙂

Our Urgent Need to Prepare for the Next Rains
We are expecting the next rains between October and December. With that in mind we are focused on completing everything we need to collect and store the coming rain water so we have enough water for the crops we are growing on the organic farm and in the shade houses.

To accomplish this we need funds to:

  • line the three water pan with a 5 inch/13cm layer of silt clay mixed with a chemical to harden it so that it holds the water for the months during the dry season. We will need 180 tons or six 30 ton truckloads of silt clay for the lining. £2,900
  • make silt traps and settling tanks for filtering water from the pans into the masonry tank £2,000
  • fit guttering on the large Community Resource Centre we built in 2015. £490
  • build two 150,000 litre masonry tank to collect and store rain water from guttering of the Resource Centre and new Community Farm Centre £5500 each.
  • build a third 150,000 litre masonry tank to store water from the water pans to provide water for our crops in the shade houses and the farm. £5500 each.

Here is our team building the new Community Farm Centre with me and our project managers Jared and Jackson. You can see the foundations and the design plans of the finished product 🙂

Walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats for Tsavo
Great news  – our friend Richard Harries has successfully walked all the way from Lands End to John O’Groats. He raised over £4000 to help us build the water pans and water storage.  It took him several weeks and we are really proud of his achievement. He spoke on radio and tv and shared the message of Global Angels to whomever would listen.. what a journey. 

This is the running/marathon or half marathon season. Please let us know if you are running any where for Global Angels so we can support you. Kane Simpson and the Abraxys Team are running again this year. So encouraging to have so many Angels 🙂

Amazon Smile
Really excited about Amazon.. I use it so much and I found out they have an option called Amazon Smile. Every time I buy something through my smile.amazon.co.uk , smile.amazon.com access to Amazon, Global Angels gets a donation from Amazon.. it’s so easy and costs me nothing extra.  Global Angels is one of the charities they support.. Please try it 🙂

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Next Volunteer Trips
Renate and I are leading a team of volunteers to the Tsavo project Sept 22-28. There are still a few spaces we would love you to join us.  Here is the link for more information.

DONATE NOW

The post We’re rocking it in Tsavo, check it out :-) appeared first on Global Angels.

What makes me jump out of bed in the morning :-)

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Today, I would like to share with you something close to my heart which motivates me to jump out of bed every morning looking forward to the day. Sometimes, I have moments when I’m overwhelmed by the privilege and opportunity of working in the charity field, trusted with funds to empower those in less fortunate situations.

Book Store

I would like to encourage you to consider making the Tsavo Project a community you are passionate to support. It’s one of a few projects you can actually come with me on a volunteer trip and perfect for choosing a specific resource to fundraise for in your company, as a group or individually – as a marathon runner for example.
If you would like to get involved directly on the ground on one of our projects and are able to visit one of our communities with us then please fill in the form below, we’d love to hear from you!

The post What makes me jump out of bed in the morning :-) appeared first on Global Angels.

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