2 | Cecily’s Fund

Social |

To keep up to date with all our

updates, be sure to follow Cecily’s

Fund on social media - we are on

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

at /cecilysfund

New! Instagram |

Cecily’s Fund has recently joined

Instagram. Follow us for beautiful

new photos from our programmes

in Zambia, plus infographics,

quotes and lots more. You can find

us at Instagram.com/cecilys.fund

About and Contact |

Cecily’s Fund is registered charity

1071660. Our work makes

education possible for orphaned

and vulnerable children in Zambia.

Email

admin@cecilysfund.org

Phone

01993 358 089 / 186

Post

Ground Floor, 6 Church Green,

Witney, Oxon, OX28 4AW

Welcome!

In this issue

Welcome to the Cecily’s Fund Easter Newsletter 2015. You will have noticed that

this issue launches a new look for this year’s newsletters, and we hope you like it.

2015 has already had a busy start for Cecily’s Fund. Our Programme Manager

has completed one monitoring trip to Zambia, and another is planned; our

partners in the country continue to do fantastic work; and we hope to run a

number of exciting events and campaigns here in the UK.

As ever, we are tremendously grateful for your support, which makes our work

possible. We hope to you will follow developments in 2015 with interest.

Success story: Boyd 3

Red Nose Day 2015: Kitwe Stories 4

A Sunday in Summer 5

Partner interview: Gift 6

British 10K London Run 2015 7

Annual Review Coming Soon 7

Help Cecily’s Fund Find Friends 8

Easter Newsletter 2015 | 3

Success story: Boyd Kabila

CF: Can you please introduce yourself?

BK: My name is Boyd Kabila, and I am the first born in a family of five. I come

from Kitwe in Zambia. I am currently working at Mopani Copper Mines PLC

for Murray and Roberts, a South African contractor, as a Management

Trainee/Mining Engineer.

CF: When did you first start receiving support from Cecily’s Fund?

BK: I first started receiving educational support from Cecily’s Fund in 2007

when I was in my final grade of junior secondary school. I started receiving

50% of total tuition fees, in addition to books, uniforms, pens, pencils and

pairs of school shoes. Upon successful completion of junior secondary school,

Cecily’s Fund further supported me at university level where I went to study

for Bachelor of Engineering degree specialising in Mining Engineering at

Copperbelt University between 2009 and 2013.

CF: How did that support affect your life?

BK: That support really affected my life positively in that I could go to school

without worries of being chased out of school due to unpaid fees. I really

could concentrate on my studies. The uniforms and pairs of shoes I received

built confidence in me because I could look just like any other pupil coming

from their responsible fathers and mothers. In short, Cecily’s Fund took on

the role of my father and mother because by then my father had already

died and my mother, who could not manage to support all of the family, died

in 2010 when I was in my second year of study at university. Going to

university with the support of Cecily’s Fund was my long awaited dream come

true.

CF: How has the support you received affected your family?

BK: My success has and is still helping my family because all my siblings have

now got a Dad and a Mom - which is me! Currently through my job I am

able to pay school fees for my brother in Grade 11 and my sister in Grade 8.

Not only that I have also helped my younger brother back into school to

improve his grades. My other younger brother-Lastone completed Grade 12

last year and has started applying to study nursing - I will help to fund him.

CF: What are your hopes for the future?

BK: My personal hope for the future is that I can become well-established in

terms of education as well as financially. My ultimate desire for the future is to

set up my own engineering firm after I raise enough working capital, become

my own employer and possibly become a donor helping out other people

who are facing challenges in their lives in terms of education or other aspects.

“That support really affected my

life” |

Boyd Kabila is a real success story.

Having lost his father at a young

age, Boyd began receiving

educational support from Cecily’s

Fund which took him all the way to

university level. While attending

Copperbelt University in 2010,

Boyd’s mother also passed away.

With the help of Cecily’s Fund,

Boyd has overcome numerous

challenges and, having secured a

job with a major mining company,

is set on securing a better life for

himself and for his family.

Boyd with his family in Kitwe,

August 2014

4 | Cecily’s Fund

Red Nose Day: Kitwe stories Key Dates in Zambia, 2015 |

Good Friday April 3

Easter Monday April 6

Labour Day May 1

Africa Day May 25

Heroes’ Day July 6

Unity Day July 7

Farmers’ Day August 3

Independence Day October 24

Christmas Day December 25

In the lead-up to this year’s Red Nose Day event from Comic Relief, children

supported by Cecily’s Fund and our partner Afya Mzuri featured in education

and fundraising materials designed for use by UK schools.

Comic Relief’s schools campaign focuses on a child-headed household in Kitwe,

in Zambia’s Copperbelt province. Siblings Ngosa (pictured), Rabecca and Clifford

live in very basic conditions having lost their parents.

Ngosa, 9, and Rabecca, 18, are the focus of videos intended for use by primary

and secondary schools, respectively. The short films explore the family’s very

basic living conditions: the children eat just once a day, and Rabecca earns the

family’s only income by washing clothes, clearing land, and plaiting hair for

neighbours.

Comic Relief and Cecily’s Fund |

Comic Relief is a key funding partner of

Cecily’s Fund. The Hands on Learning

programme enables local people to

have a greater say on the way

education is run in their communities.

The project is primarily funded by

Comic Relief, and is implemented by

Cecily’s Fund partners Afya Mzuri and

the Copperbelt Health Education

Project (CHEP).

The films go on to explain how support from Afya Mzuri, a local Zambian

partner of Cecily’s Fund which has been funded by Comic Relief, has helped

both Ngosa and Rabecca to go to school, giving the whole family a chance at a

better life. Ngosa also features in a special interactive story on the Red Nose Day

website, which helps children between to think about the differences between

life in the UK and in Zambia.

In 2014, Afya Mzuri hosted another Comic Relief team who took YouTube star

Fleur de Force to Zambia as part of their “School of YouTube” project. The video

has been viewed over 160,000 times.

“It feels nice for my future, because I have

a vision that I will become a teacher.”

Rabecca

Easter Newsletter 2015 | 5

A Sunday in Summer

On May 10th Basil and Alison Eastwood hope you will join them for a wonderful

luncheon with music and theatrical entertainment, as guests of David Gladstone

at historic Wotton House in Buckinghamshire.

We hope that summer will have arrived! The house and gardens are beautiful,

and before lunch our guests will be treated to musical entertainment from

harpist Fiona Thompson, clarinettist Michal Bredik and pianist Lucie Smitkova.

Following an excellent three-course meal, Basil Eastwood will give a moving

personal presentation on Cecily’s Fund and the pressing need to support the

orphans and vulnerable children of Zambia. Later we will be treated to a comic

critique of Wagner’s Ring Cycle in impressive operatic style by Angela Knapp.

Guests will be treated to a house tour by our host and can admire the early 19th

century country house designed by John Soane and its newly-restored cupola.

We would like to invite all of our friends to support the event and we thank

David Gladstone once again for opening his house to us so generously for the

day. We are inviting The Compassionate Friends, who help bereaved parents, to

join us at this special occasion. All guests who join us through Cecily’s Fund will

help us make a huge difference to the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children

in Zambia.

Or email:

stableyardalison@gmail.com

Donations of £75 welcome

All Enquiries Contact:

Alison Eastwood

Church End

Church Street

Somerton

OX25 6NB

Supporter Focus #2: Peter

Christopher |

In this issue, we meet Peter

Christopher, former headteacher

of King Edward VI Aston School in

Birmingham, which has supported

Cecily’s Fund for many years.

How did you first come into

contact with Cecily’s Fund?

Friends introduced Jane and I to

Cecily’s Fund by inviting us to the

Opera. The cause struck a chord

with us as all three of our children

had gone abroad on their gap

years. We donated, and now find

the Christmas Gift cards an ideal

way of spreading the word.

Why did you choose to donate

to Cecily’s Fund?

The simplicity of the appeal and

the way contributions have been

broken down into manageable

portions for uniform, a year’s

education, etc. seemed an ideal

way to engage the interest of

children in this country. A non-

uniform day buys so many

uniforms, and class groups can

achieve a tangible target.

Do you have a particular

memory you would like to

share?

In 2012 I had the privilege of

visiting Zambia and seeing first

hand the impact Cecily’s Fund is

having. One young man had been

given a life-changing opportunity

after a terrible childhood and was

determined to graduate before he

was too old!

6 | Cecily’s Fund

Partner interview: Gift

CF: Can you describe what Afya Mzuri does?

GS: Afya Mzuri is a national NGO committed to improving the quality of life in

poor communities. Based in Kitwe, we receive funding from Cecily's Fund to

help children access education in many ways including identifying children

requiring support and then providing school fees, uniforms and books. More

generally, Afya specialises in the implementation of HIV and AIDS awareness

and support programmes for workplaces and their host communities. Afya

Mzuri is one of the largest local health NGOs in Zambia and has established

long-term partnerships with over 50 companies, reaching over 100 workplace

sites, making them well-placed to share learnings from this project. Afya Mzuri

is also currently implementing a water, sanitation and hygiene programme

funded by UNICEF.

CF: What does your job involve?

GS: My title is Community Mobilisation Officer. I work closely with both

government schools and communities in the Copperbelt province of Zambia,

advocating for good and free education and health programmes for the

orphans and vulnerable children in those communities. I work closely with the

administration in procuring school materials for the children. I assist the

manager in policy analysis, development and implementation and conduct

field visits to schools and colleges to check on the performance, attendance,

and motivation of orphans and vulnerable children. My other roles include

tracking where alumni are and what they are doing, as well as strengthening

partnership relationships and communications.

CF: What is your favourite memory of working in your job?

GS: The time I worked with Comic Relief teams from the UK to document case

studies of Emmanuel, Rabecca and Ngosa. I enjoyed it and I learned a lot.

CF: How would you describe the relationship between Afya Mzuri and Cecily’s

Fund?

GS: The relationship between Afya Mzuri and Cecily’s Fund is strong as both

organisations communicate on a daily basis.

In each newsletter, Cecily’s Fund will be

interviewing a member of staff from one of our

partner organisations in Zambia. This Q&A is

with Gift Shanyinde, Community Mobilisation

Officer for Afya Mzuri. Afya Mzuri forms a key

part of our work in Zambia, including the

provision of school fees.

About Afya Mzuri |

Afya Mzuri is a national Zambian

NGO which established in 2003.

Meaning “good health” in Swahili,

Afya Mzuri has a wide range of

programmes in health, education

and WASH (water, sanitation and

hygiene).

Afya Mzuri became a partner of

Cecily’s Fund in 2013 and also

implements major programmes for

USAID and UNICEF. To find out

more, visit their website at

www.afyamzuri.org

Treasure Hunt - June 4 |

Cecily’s Fund will hold a special

fundraising treasure hunt in

Witney, Oxfordshire on June 4.

Teams of up to six people will

explore the town, answering

questions and solving puzzles

along the way. Among the prizes

will be two tickets to this year’s

Cornbury Festival.

The festival begins on July 10 and

features Tom Jones, Lulu and

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas.

Registration for the hunt will open

in May - look out for more

information on the Cecily’s Fund

website.

Easter Newsletter 2015 | 7

Annual Review Coming Soon

The Cecily’s Fund annual review for 2014 is nearly complete. This document will

cover all of our activities in 2014, a year which saw the continuation of major

grants from the Department for International Development and Comic Relief.

The review will contain both a narrative section and a summary of our accounts.

In addition, the full Cecily’s Fund accounts will also be available soon. Both the

annual review and annual report will be viewable and downloadable from the

resources section of the Cecily’s Fund website.

Also available online as downloads are the annual reports for previous years and

all newsletters dating back to the summer of 2012. Supporters interested in

reading earlier materials are welcome to get in touch with their request.

British 10K London Run 2015

For many years now, the British 10K London Run has been a key date in the

Cecily’s Fund calendar. In 2015, as the run itself celebrates its 15th anniversary,

Cecily’s Fund will once again be entering a team of runners to take on the

challenge and raise funds for our work in Zambia.

Changes for this year’s race include a brand new medal and an altered route,

which takes runners through the very heart of London and weaves between

some of the city’s most popular landmarks. Last year, our runners (pictured)

raised over £4,000 to support our work bring education to the orphaned and

vulnerable children of Zambia.

Cecily’s Fund has 18 guaranteed places for this year’s race which will take place

on Sunday 12th July. Runners interested in taking part should email

admin@cecilysfund.org to receive an application form. We look forward to

hearing from you!

London Marathon 2015 |

In 2015, Cecily’s Fund is again able

to enter a runner into the London

Marathon having secured a place

through the Silver Bond scheme.

Training hard to take part is Chris

Childs (pictured taking part in the

2014 Oxford Half marathon).

Chris was born in Zambia and her

husband Tom is a trustee of Cecily’s

Fund. She is a keen runner, and

previously raised money for Cecily’s

Fund by taking part in the

Bournemouth Marathon in 2013.

Her role model is European

champion athlete Jo Pavey.

Chris is aiming to raise £2,000 for

Cecily’s Fund in 2015, and is keen

to make as big a difference as

possible to the lives of children in

the country of her birth. To sponsor

her, visit her fundraising page at

j u s t g i v i n g . c o m / C H R I S T I N E -

CHILDS2/

8 | Cecily’s Fund

Help Us Educate More Children in Zambia

Yes, I want to give Cecily’s Fund £

This time o annually o or monthly o (please tick one)

o I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital

Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the

amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs)

that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other

taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand that the charity

will reclaim 25p of tax every £1 that I give.

Title: First name or initial(s):

Surname:

Full home address:

Post code:

Date:

Signature:

Please contact Cecily’s Fund if you need to amend these details or cancel your

Gift Aid declaration

Bank Standing Order Mandate

(please also fill in the left-hand side)

This is an instruction to your bank. Please fill in the form, return it to us, and we

will process it for you.

Please pay Cecily’s Fund

CAF Gold, Sort Code 40-52-40 A/C no. 00089893

The sum of: £

Each month o quarter o year o until further notice

Date of first payment

Bank name

Bank address

Name of account holder (s)

Account number

Sort code

Signature

Date

Please return the form to Cecily’s Fund, Ground Floor, 6 Church Green, Witney OX28 4AW

Cecily’s Fund is a UK Registered Charity number 1071660 and a member of the Fundraising Standards Board Scheme: FSO137

Donation and Gift Aid form

Help Cecily’s Fund Find Friends!

We will soon be launching our Find a Friend campaign and need your help!

Everyone at Cecily’s Fund is extremely grateful for the support we receive from

all our donors and friends. Together, we’ve achieved some fantastic things for

orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. However, there is so much more

we need to do. In order to continue providing an education to disadvantaged

children, we need more supporters.

We will be asking you to tell your friends about Cecily’s Fund and encourage

them to join you in supporting the work we do. We’d also love to hear from

you on Facebook and Twitter about what Cecily’s Fund means to you.

So please, get chatting, sharing and tweeting using the hashtag #findafriend and

help us find more friends!

You can use one of our new postcards

to introduce a friend to Cecily’s Fund