There was a raffle, a speech by Brenda, our Director telling everyone of the latest developments in Kenya and thanking everyone for coming. Much chatting and good food was enjoyed by all.The restaurant did us proud with good service and the Manager donated 40% of the takings to our charity.Together with the money made in the raffle this amounted to just over £600 which will be used to help complete the Kisimani House.

Thanks to the Owner of the Mohan, Maurice Gordon who organised the evening and Sandy Bissell who sold the raffle tickets.

The Mohan can be found at:  http://www.themohantandoori.co.uk/

This year has seen the building work at The Dennis Marshall Foundation, Peacemakers Resource Centre in Kenya make steady progress.

We have had many people visit the site, which is now habitable, to help with the work that continues.  We have had a number of young people visit to help in 2010/11 and we know it has been a life changing experience for them, as well as being such a help to Peacemakers and our other contacts in the area.  But of course, it’s not just young people that visit; we have had professionals in different educational fields, giving of their time and skills, in training the local communities to care for themselves.

Peacemakers’ aim has always been to provide facilities, projects and training so that communities are self-supporting and not dependant on outside aid.  We are beginning to see this happen and it’s very exciting for all involved.  The following is a précis of the progress of the building work so far:

Prayer House is complete with 3 adjacent rooms, office and two Counselling rooms and is already being hired out for Weddings, Group meetings, Women’s Prayer meetings, etc. with Hospitality.

In this document Peacemakers International is named The Trust for brevity.

Mission Statement

The objectives of The Trust are:

1. To advance Christian principles of living in a spiritual and practical way.
2. To demonstrate God’s love by endeavouring to meet people of all ages at their need level, both at home and abroad.
3. To raise funds to facilitate projects which enable people to overcome poverty at home in UK and in underdeveloped countries.
4. To network across Christian denominations and with other charitable organisations to encourage and enlarge knowledge and skills through working together in the field.
5. To purchase resources and equipment to assist those in the caring professions.
6. To guarantee The Trusts commitment to channel the full amount of donations to sponsor’s chosen projects.
7. To monitor the development and progress of self-supporting projects which impact on the work and lifestyle of all age groups in local communities.
8. To organise and facilitate the delivery of knowledge and skills by qualified trainers and professionals in preventive care for health and social needs.

Membership

Membership of The Trust  is open to any individual (or organisation for Associate Membership) who (or which) supports the objectives contained within the Mission Statement and seeks to become actively involved in the work of The Trust .

A register of Members (including names and contact details) is held by the Secretary.

A meeting of The Trust may, by a majority vote, terminate the Membership of any individual or organisation whose continued Membership would in their view be harmful to The Trust. This may only be formalised following consideration of any written representation by the Member or organisation concerned which is provided within 14 clear days after receiving written notice of a proposed termination of Membership as agreed at a previous Members meeting.

Director/Officers

The Director of The Trust is Brenda Marshall (co-founder with her husband the late Dennis Marshall) who has ultimate authority and sanction of all The Trust’s affairs.

The Trust shall be administered by the following Officers, all of whom shall be Members - Director, Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer.  One person may hold more than one role.

The Members of The Trust shall elect the Officers at the Annual General Meeting.

The Chairperson shall act as Chair at all meetings with the exception of the Annual General Meeting, when the Secretary will Chair the meeting.

Director/Officers (Continued)

The Director shall work with the elected Officers and other Members to formulate and maintain policies and guidelines for The Trust.

The Director shall have a casting vote in the event of a tied vote.

The Secretary shall give notice of all meetings and take and distribute the minutes.  The Officer’s annual reports are to be circulated with the notices for the AGM.

The Secretary shall also carry out any correspondence on behalf of the Director as instructed and maintain with the Director the register of Members.

The Treasurer shall manage with the Director the financial records and the bank account of The Trust.  The Treasurer and Director are authorised to repay expenses incurred by Members from Trust’s funds as agreed by a previous General Committee Meeting.

Meetings

Meetings are to commence and finish in prayer.

General Committee Meetings of Members of The Trust are to be held monthly (except August) on the 1^st Tuesday, unless otherwise agreed at the previous meeting.

An Annual General Meeting is to be held in April when the Officers of The Trust are elected by a simple majority vote of Members present.

 The AGM and General Committee Meetings shall determine the policy of The Trust by a majority vote with the Director holding a casting vote.

At each AGM a report is to be presented by the Director and each of the Officers of The Trust.  A  Financial Report by the Treasurer is to include a separate report of the Links and Peacemakers Account and an Income and Expenditure Account for Peacemakers Kenya.

Extraordinary Meetings may be called by the joint written application of a minimum of 3 Members with 7 days’ notice to the Director and Secretary.

The quorum (minimum number) at all meeting shall be 3 Members including the Director.

The conduct and rules governing meetings shall be determined by a majority of Members with changes to the Constitution approved by a 2/3rds majority at an AGM or Extraordinary meeting only.

Property

Property, including goods and equipment, owned by The Trust will be managed and administered by The Trust as agreed by a General Committee Meeting.

Dissolution

In the event of agreement to dissolve The Trust all debts are to be paid from Trust funds and the remainder transferred for the benefit of an organisation as agreed by The Trust.  All property or goods and equipment owned to be transferred or sold by agreement at an Extraordinary Meeting called to arrange the dissolution of The Trust.

Peacemakers International – A Christian Charitable Trust - Charter

 Peacemakers International, www.peacemakers-international.com is a Christian Charitable Trust. Its UK address is 19 Lammas Road, Watton-at Stone, Hertfordshire, SG14, 3RH.

Hereafter in this document Peacemakers International is named The Trust for brevity.

As the Charter is a living documents it will be subject to review and changes on an annual basis which will be carried out by the Officers and Members of The Trust. Details of such changes will appear at the foot of the document.

The Trust works with Churches and other Community groups, primarily in Africa to initiate and support social action projects for the benefit of local people and to share the unity of Jesus Christ. It is an interdenominational Christian organisation.

Peacemakers had its beginnings with Dennis and Brenda Marshall who were the leaders of Stevenage Christian Fellowship until Dennis’ death in 1998. Dennis had met Sammy Gitungu from Kenya whilst teaching in Kvinisdal Bible College in Norway and Sammy had invited Dennis to Kenya to teach in the Meru District, which is on the south-east side of Mount Kenya.

From that first visit the Peacemakers vision evolved.

Peacemakers International vision is to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ by meeting the Spiritual and Practical needs of people both at home and abroad. Brenda continues the work and is The Trust’s Director. For more information about the history and development of Peacemakers, please see the website.

The Trust is in partnership with two other groups:

1. Links International www.linksinternational.org.uk, a registered charity, number 327000 which connects with partners in the West and in developing countries to inspire, empower, train and resource individuals and communities to break free from poverty and disease. Links handles The Trusts finances and collects Gift Aid on its behalf through an Act4You account. In this way The Trust can guarantee that every penny donated will go to its intended beneficiary.

2. Peacemakers Kenya, a partner organisation and a registered Community Based Organisation (CBO) in Kenya with a separate, currently acting Board of Trustees (as of December 2011), with its own Constitution but which operates under the guidance of The Trust.

Peacemakers Kenya has a further partner, Campaign Against Drug Abuse (CADA) which is applying for CBO status.

The Trust owns the Dennis Marshall Foundation Peacemakers Community Resource Centre, an Interdenominational Prayer House and other buildings which stand on 1 acre of land at Kivumburi, Kivuria; Plot 6171, Runyen’jes, Embu, Kenya. Peacemakers Kenya employs two Askaris (night watchmen) on the site and is responsible for paying the Askaris salaries. The Trust is responsible for the upkeep of the land and buildings and hiring of the buildings. Peacemakers Kenya is responsible for the hiring of other equipment in order to generate funds.

There are 3 Officers of The Trust, each being committed to the vision of Peacemakers which is defined in the Peacemakers Constitution.

1. Director

Brenda Marshall, who gives spiritual guidance to the other Officers and Members of The Trust and Peacemakers Kenya Board of Trustees.

2. Treasurer

Responsible for the finances of The Trust which has one bank account with Lloyds TSB in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. This account contains money that is not subject to Gift Aid. All other money is lodged with Links International.

3. Secretary

Responsible for calling meetings as instructed by the Director, minuting meetings and submitting the minutes for approval to the Director. The minutes, once approved are distributed to all Officers, Members, Supporters and to anyone else upon request.

Other Individuals Supporting the Trust

Project Director of the Resource Centre in Kenya

There is one person working at The Dennis Marshall Foundation on a semi-permanent basis, Christine Gibbard who is funded by The Trust and its supporters. She is accountable to the Director, takes instruction from the Trust and coordinates the work in Kenya.

Members

These are participants, also committed to the Peacemakers vision, who partake in meetings and advise, take action and support the Officers of The Trust.

Supporters, Associate Members and Sponsors

These individuals are not necessarily Christian but are involved in one way or another in the activities of The Trust.

Activities

In the United Kingdom these consist of fundraising, planning and encouraging people to visit Kenya to help with the development of the Resource Centre in Kenya.

In Kenya activities are many and varied, but have involved the following: Aids Awareness, Primary Healthcare, Drugs awareness Training and Seminars, Cultural and Sports events, Micro Enterprises including the purchase of livestock, boreholes for water and other Community projects. These are resourced and managed by The Trust, with help from Peacemakers Kenya.

 January 2012,  Document introduced.      M Gordon/D Bissell


Charter in Adobe PDF format

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                                                              Brenda Marshall & Cled Fursland
 
Below is a list of winning raffle tickets.
                         
Flight for 4, 111 Yellow  AF5V QD5F
Magnetic cheese set, 105 Pink A82Z  865K
Papillon voucher, 20  White   AD912648
Bottle of Bianco Pink AQ8B 9E5F
Mans Wrist watch, 458 White   A69Q RA4E
M & S Florentyna set, 492 Pink AQ8B 9E5F
Ltr Jack Daniels, 435 Green   AA2Z VA4T
Sanctuary toiletries, 299 White A69Q RA4E
Lamp Co voucher, 345 Yellow  A72Q 2A4E
Bottle of Tawny port, 142 White AC1E YE5A
Bottle of Macallan whisky, 583 Pink AQ8B 9E5F
Water set, 149 Yellow AF5V QD5F
Luxury photo album, 8 White AC1E YE5A
Chocolates, 107 Yellow AF5V QD5F
Bottle of Glenfiddich Whisky, 365 White AD77 LA4V
Bottle of Red wine, 184 White AC1E YE5A
Emellia toiletries, 444 Orange AQ6E YE5F
Bottle of White wine, 129 Pink AW 334571
Bottle of Red wine, 477 Orange AQ6E YE5F
                                               




                                                                      ---------------

Wednesday 20th October
Sad Goodbyes.
It should be a reasonably relaxing day today.  Christine went off early to see her mechanic in Runyenjes (again).  The first part of the morning is spent catching up with things and we need to start packing because we are leaving for Nairobi tomorrow to stay with John and Susan Edwards who we have known for some time.  Isaac and the boys work for John who has his own building business.  Just before lunch Sandy, Brenda and I walk across to the disabled school where the boys have started work again on the toilet foundations.  After looking at the work and taking some photographs we go to see some of the handicapped children who are sitting under a tree.  One of them, John had been left tied to a tree by his family as they could not cope with his handicap.  He is 21 years old and is just beginning to talk.  We meet Faith, one of the lady helpers who shows us around.  The boys and girls have accommodation at the school and a group of youngsters from the UK had painted some of the rooms together with the walls of the compound whilst they were here during their gap year.



  Jane, the youngsters’ teacher joins us and we go outside to see the children again.  They sing us several songs led by a girl who is singing lead and beating the time out on a plastic container.  She is very good but I wonder what life has in store for her.

After we say our goodbyes Jane shows us a fish pond that is being dug out by both handicapped and able bodied people in the school grounds.  We go back to site for lunch which is rice and beans.  There are two meetings this afternoon, the potential new Trustees meeting and another one so we tidy up and change the seating around.  Sandy had already swept and mopped the hall out in the morning but it very soon got dusty and muddy again.  It is a national holiday today (Kenyatta day) so everyone finishes work after lunch including our cook which means that there is no Chi for the meetings and lots of washing up to do.  The fire had gone out so I have to get it going again, Chrissie comes back for a late lunch and helps Sandy and I prepare the evening meal which we are sharing with Patrick and Harriet.  Grace and Catherine visit with some chapattis for the meal.  They say goodbye to us and we are sad because we have hardly had chance to see Grace on this visit.  They are going off to a wedding reception, which seems to be a regular occurrence for Grace.  A Land Rover from the 1950’s turns up, it has a convertible top and would be quite a rare find in England, it’s owned by the husband of one of the new Trustees.  Christine departs again as the mechanic has told her that the truck will be ready at 4pm.  We also say our goodbyes to Sammy and he is a bit disappointed that we have not been able to visit him and Apinja, his wife. I tell him I will write to them.   It is nearly 6.30pm and Harriet arrives, but Patrick is still at another meeting.
 
We realise we don’t know how to make Chi for the Askaris so we have to ask Michael how to make it.  There are no complaints that night so it must have been alright.  Patrick arrives and we get a message from Christine to start without her.  It is beef stew, chapattis, rice and beans.  Christine finally arrives; she has left the vehicle at the top of the drive with the engine running. These are instructions from the mechanic.  We sing a few songs and Patrick reads to us from 2 Corinthians 4 v 7-12.  "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death works in us, but life in you."

Patrick is very good as always and prays for us all and then he and Harriet leave by 8.30pm as they know we have an early start in the morning.  We pack and are able to fit our small case into the big one which is a big help, because we brought so much extra with us, then it’s bed by 9.30pm, which must be a record.

Thursday 21st October
Bivouac in Nairobi
We are awake at 5.45 before dawn, a quick wash at the tap and a cuppa, and then we wheel the bags up to the top of the site to the Toyota.  Christine has already started the beast just in case.  We don’t trust it to get us back to Nairobi so go to pick up Isaac at Runyenjes for the drive to Embu where he will negotiate a good price on the Mutatu that we will be travelling in, then he will drive the truck back to the site.  The vehicle seems to be behaving itself on the journey but Chrissie has been told take it easy and not race the engine.  At the bus station Isaac goes inside and gets us a vehicle all to ourselves which costs 3000 Ksh including a tip.  After goodbyes to Isaac, we are off.  The journey back to Nairobi isn’t as bad as our trip up country but it is still hot, dusty and uncomfortable.  The A2 road is being redeveloped in conjunction with the Chinese Government and it is chaotic with lots of diversions and traffic jams, however we finally arrive in Nairobi bus terminal which is right in the centre of town.
 
Our Mutatu driver was quite safe and only got animated a couple of times in discussing the sacking of a Government Minister who was actually doing some good and that the bus terminal is to be sited out of town when the new highway is built.  It is hectic and crowded at the terminal so we all go upstairs to the Classic Restaurant for breakfast which is very nice.  There is a cool breeze on the upper floor and we can see everything going on in the street below.  We have a message on the mobile from George that he is on his way to pick us up.  George is John’s driver who I have known since he drove us about in 1998 when I first came to Kenya.  He is the most careful and thoughtful man and also the older brother to Isaac, Abs, and Patrick.  As we have left our bags at the left luggage we collect them and stand outside looking conspicuously at every likely vehicle that passes.  At last George arrives in Susan’s car and we cram into the back.  John’s house is across town which is another hot, busy journey.  We finally arrive, it is a privately guarded compound but John’s home has an extra gate leading to it.  We unload and Joseph greets us, he is John’s cook who is another old friend.  The house is small but beautifully finished with an outside kitchen and an add-on tent which is where Sandy and I are sleeping tonight.



John arrives for lunch and shows us round the Shamba (garden) which has a stream meandering through it.  We walk slowly up the plot with John explaining his plans for developing the site further, amongst other things he wants to build another house on the land.  John has a quick lunch and leaves to finish off some work elsewhere.  We are treated to spaghetti bolognaise and salad outside, it is very hot but we are able to sit in the shade.  The girls are going to do some shopping in the afternoon so they have a shower and then George will drop them off in town.  Just before they leave Susan’s sister, Jane arrives; she has been staying for a few weeks.  When they have all gone I have a leisurely shower which is wonderful, my first for 9 days!  Then I sit outside the tent and read until John returns.  He has to do some shopping locally for wine so I go with him in his old truck which is falling apart.  It has no seatbelts and the generator warning light is on continually.  We buy wine, nibbles and tangerines and just as we get back so do the girls.  They have bought lots of jewellery and ornaments for Brenda’s stall back home which will make money for Peacemakers.  Sandy and I have to repack our bags to carry some of the goodies with us.  John’s wife, Susan is still at work, she has to help prepare a speech for the President which I suppose is a good enough reason to be late home.
 
We all sit down for a drink and some nibbles; the plan is to go to an Asian Restaurant tonight so John warns us not to eat too much.  Susan finally arrives and after another drink we all squeeze into her truck with John driving.  The Restaurant is quite new and very swish and the decision is to sit outside to eat.  We all choose something different and all share the dishes.  The food is very nice and is very cheap too.  It is a lovely, relaxing evening with lots of chat.  At last we have to go back and prepare for our trip home.  The taxi is booked for 6.30 so we ask for an early call from the Askari at 5.45, it is very nice sleeping in the open with the tent flap up but the wildlife is quite noisy.  We both sleep fitfully.

Friday 22nd October
Latte for Late Comers.
Tom, who is John’s Askari, calls us at 5.45, it’s still dark but by 6.00am it is fully light – that’s how near it is to the equator!  Chrissie and Brenda get up too to see us off.  We do a final bit of packing and the taxi comes at 6.30, Tom takes our bags up the long winding path to the driver.  We say our goodbyes and speed off.  Already there are lots of adults and school children walking about and even at this early hour Nairobi is snarled up with traffic, there is a huge queue of vehicles on the other dual carriageway as we head out of town towards the Airport.  Our driver tells us that it sometimes takes 2 hours to get into Nairobi, because people insist on using their cars, so what’s new?

The Airport is really badly laid out, at our terminal we are dropped off right by a large raised pavement which we have to lift our bags over, then as passengers reach the entrance there is a security scanning machine, so if it happens to be raining a queue forms outside and everyone gets wet.  At the Virgin check-in we are asked if we are flying today and where is Marshall Brenda?  We explain that she is travelling home later in the month so we are sent to the ticket office to repeat our message and then back to the check-in for our boarding passes.  Next we go through security and passport control then up the short elevator to the duty-free area.  I take a look at the departures monitor and our flight number doesn’t appear yet.
 
So we take Susan’s advice and turn left and keep going until we get to the coffee shop at the end, which is the best in the airport.  I’m really looking forward to this and we order chocolate croissants and latte.  I decide to check our boarding passes which to my horror state that boarding is at 7.30 and it’s at gate 10.  It is already 7.45 so I race off to the gate to ask if there is a mistake.  No, there are special security checks on the flight today, so I dodge back to the coffee shop, gulp down my coffee and offer the pastry to a nearby customer.  We make our way to gate 10 where we go through yet more security checks, body checks and yet again our hand luggage is searched. We then have to wait for nearly 2 hours before boarding.  If we want the toilet or a drink we have to go back through security and start again!  I notice that our aircraft is surrounded by armed soldiers, which is a bit odd; perhaps there is a celebrity rapper on our flight!  Eventually we are allowed to board and find our seats, it’s not too crowded thankfully.  I read for most of the flight and Sandy watched a film.
It is sunny and 14 degrees in the UK when we land.
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