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Alfred - a Hodi Story

You can contact us on tel: 01993 358089 email: admin@cecilysfund.org website: www.cecilysfund.org

Christmas Newsletter 2012Christmas Newsletter 2012

Charity No 1071660

You might think that this is the face of a man that has lived a life time and has reason for the sadness in his eyes. This is Alfred, a 17 year old, who lost both his parents when he was 4 years old.

He is in grade 9 at Twatasha Basic School where he is supported by C e c i l y ’ s F u n d ’ s p a r t n e r organisation Hodi. He lives with two older brothers both of whom have given up school as they cannot afford to attend.

The three boys have lived for the last five years in a shelter they built against the wall of a neighbour’s house who took pity on

the boys when she saw the problems they faced after their parents died. They share one bed and two blankets. Attempts to a t t a c h pieces of metal and

torn fabric to the timber have not made their house any warmer.

Neither of the older boys are in work and they rely on neighbours and their sister, who works as a housemaid, to provide their only meal of the day. Alfred is the only one of the brothers who attends school. He told Charlene the programme manager at Hodi:

“None of them [the brothers] is working or doing any business. Currently, we are just depending on well-wishers for support. The school contact teacher and head teacher have been assisting me and Hodi [is] paying for my fees.

The school also helps me with books but I still do not have a uniform and shoes. This year, I have been told that Hodi will provide the shoes while the school will provide a uniform. We have no one in our extended family to support us with our education.

“We are just thankful to Hodi for the education support for me, and our neighbours and the school for other support.”

On behalf of Alfred, and all the other children we support, we would like to say thank you. Your generosity has helped them to stay in school and get the education that will enable them to reach their full potential.

Christmas Give 1st-7th December See your donations to Cecily’s Fund double! Join our Christmas Give Campaign, where we aim to raise £20,000 towards our Comic Relief ‘Hands on Learning’ programme. The appeal in the summer newsletter achieved a fantastic £3,000: we are extremely thankful to supporters who have donated already but we still have some way to go. Key organisations and major donors will commit a pledge upfront and we would like our supporters to match this during the week of the 1st - 7th December. Please visit https://mydonate.bt.com/events/christmasgive/92238 from 1st December and see your donation double in value.

Hodi achievements to date 2012

6,000 children enrolled in 58 schools in and around Kitwe.

821 uniforms distributed plus 4,470 books & 3,259 pens.

32 students funded through teacher training.

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Charlie is 10 years old and attends the new pre-school at BISO. He may seem old to be at pre-school but Charlie suffered from a brain tumour when he was younger and his family were worried that he wouldn’t survive. The pre-school that Charlie and his friends attend is a ground-breaking achievement for BISO. There is currently little focus on early childhood development in Zambia and BISO are leaders in this field.

Funded by Cec i l y ’s Fund , construction on the new pre-school started in May 2012 and the

buildings were completed in July. Teachers have received specialist training in early childhood development and lots of lovely colourful pre-school resources have been purchased.

Charlie and 79 other children, mostly aged between 4 and 6, have been enrolled. Charlie and his friends clearly enjoy going to pre-school – attendance is at 80%, 10% above the target set.

Charlie is a huge character and is known by everyone in BISO due to his love of entertaining everyone and singing. He told Mr Kataso, Head of Education at BISO:

“I like to learn especially things that deal with numbers and music.”

“I want Bwafwano to continue supporting me so that I achieve what I want to be in life.”

Cecily’s Fund Christmas Newsletter 2012

BISO achievements to date 2012

290 new children enrolled including 80 new pre-school children.

756 children in grades 1-4. 1,627 children supported in

government schools in grades 1-12.

Determined to Succeed

Thriving new pre-school for BISO

Every year 52 of the young people we support get the chance to enrol as a Peer Health Educator (PHE).

Mwilla Mwilla is one such student. He graduated from school in December 2011 and is currently a PHE and an ‘advocate for change’ with our CHEP/Comic Relief project. His parents both died from AIDS in 2005 when he was just 8 years old.

Mwilla and his youngest sister

went to stay with his uncle in Kitwe. His other three sisters are with another uncle in Lusaka and he has not seen them for over three years.

When he reached grade 9 in 2009 things became particularly difficult. His uncle was supporting four children in high school, and the school and exam fees were just too much. This is when Hodi started to support Mwilla. He is very positive about the support he has received and the change it has meant for him:

“[Without Hodi’s support] my life would not have been possible. it seemed strange at first, but you can’t give school 100% of your best if you are worrying about fees. I couldn’t concentrate without

worrying that tomorrow they would chase me from school”

Typical of all the PHE’s on our programme Mwila is deteremined to achieve more. He has now appl ied to UNZA and C o p p e r b e l t University for t e a c h e r training. He knows the competition is very tough but he wants to pay back to the community the help he received from Hodi.

CHEP achievements to date 2012

1,296 PHE sessions delivered. 83 Anti-AIDS club sessions held

reaching nearly 2,000 children. 1,174 students referred to health

clinics for advice, testing, and treatment.

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You may notice that for some of the cards there is a significant increase, compared to last year’s prices.

There are a few reasons why we now need to increase the prices in our gift cards:

1) We have not done this for many years and the annual inflation in Zambian costs is catching up with us.

2) We want to change the way we fundraise so we can guarantee the right result.

Traditionally, we have raised direct project costs (such as the school fees paid to the Zambian government) separately from the Zambian and UK administration costs. We now want to fundraise for the whole package.

If you generously pay for a child to have a year’s primary education, we need to be able to ensure that not only do they get their school fees paid and receive everything that they need to attend school, but also that the most vulnerable child is selected for that sponsorship and that they have

the support of trained contact teachers. This does require administration costs, which we endeavour to keep to an absolute minimum. Should you have any questions about this do look at our annual report online at (http://tinyurl.com/bszweoe )

Thanks in advance for your understanding - and please do continue to support Zambian orphans by purchasing gift cards for the festive season!

Cecily’s Fund Christmas Newsletter 2012

Give the Gift of Education Now is the time of year when you are probably starting to think about buying cards and presents for your loved ones. Why not treat your family and friends to a present that really means something? Our gift cards

mean that rather than spending your money on unwanted gifts you can guarantee that your money will go towards helping a vulnerable child go to school.

School Uniform: £15 This gift allows a child to attend school, as most Zambian schools require a uniform. Having a uniform is also a great boost to the self esteem of a child who has lost so much.

A pair of school shoes: £17 All children need a good pair of school shoes, especially as m a n y Z a m b i a n children have to walk long distances to school.

A year at BISO with lunch: £56 O n e y e a r a t B w a f w a n o Community School (BISO), including lunch every day: for many this may be their only meal of the day.

Primary school for a year: £55 This gift includes a uniform, shoes, books, pens and a contribution to admin costs. A contact teacher will support their emot iona l and academic progress.

Secondary school for a year: £87 Includes a school un i form, shoes, books, pens and school and all exam fees. A contact teacher will support their emotional and academic progress.

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Cecily’s Fund Christmas Newsletter 2012

Cards for Christmas

This year instead of Christmas cards we have decided to join forces with a traditional printing company to produce notelets which are available all year round. The notelets, which cost just £5

for a pack of five, were based on a

design done for us by Cecily’s childhood friend Mella Shaw and were printed on an antique letterpress. They are available from the website http://tinyurl.com/

asr249t or by contacting the office on 01993 358089.

We have a number of old Christmas cards that have come with us in our move to the new office. We would like to free up some space in our stationery cupboard and are offering them for the bargain price of £1 for 6 cards. Postage is just £2 and will cover up to 6 packs so

you can get 36 cards for just £3. More details are available, as before, on the website or by contact ing the office.

Notelets on Sale

Carol Service at St Luke’s Church, Chelsea Monday 10th December 2012

Time is running out to buy your tickets to our carol service. This wonderful evening will put you in the Christmas spirit with carols and a special musical performance by well-known London choir, Vox Cordis, conducted by Charlie Grace (www.voxcordis.org.uk).

The magical atmosphere continues after the service as guests gather in the local Sydney Arms for mulled wine or a festive ale (10% of sales of drinks bought by our supporters will be donated to Cecily’s Fund).

The evening has been sponsored by a generous donor therefore all money raised from ticket sales and donations on the night will directly benefit the orphans and vulnerable children we support in Zambia.

Tickets cost £15 per adult, and £7.50 for young people aged 12 to 16 - children under 11 are free (but still require a ticket). You can buy your tickets through the website: www.cecilysfund.org/events or by contacting the office on (01993) 358089 or admin@cecilysfund.org.

Upcoming Events 29 November 2012 Friends’ annual gathering

1-7 December 2012 Christmas Give

10 December 2012 St Luke’s carol service

17 February 2013 Brighton half marathon

14 July 2013 British London 10K

7 September 2013 Cecily’s Day 15th Anniversary

Christmas Cards