Published on 11/29/2007

Let me tell you what we have managed to achieve just this year because of your continued support and generous donations.

In Kenya during the month of August, we had a very successful Sports Primary Teachers Training week (Residential Course) held at Moi High School. Kim Henderson, the England National Sports Trainer led the course, helped by 5 students in their gap year. This was followed by a Sports Leaders Training Course for youth who are members of our re-hab DACA groups(Drug Abuse Campaign). Both courses led to a 'Certificate of Attendance' being awarded to all those who completed the whole week.

..For the rest of Brenda's summary and pictures, please click Full Story below..

Summary of events 2007 (Continued)

Primary Health Training, another weeks residential course, but this time the 12 trainers were not professional people from the UK, but 12 men and women who had been selected from those who had successfully completed previous P.H. Courses, and who were applying the skills they had been taught, in their own field of work.

They successfully trained a further 120 delegates with a 100% pass rate.

The purpose behind all these training courses and projects is to encourage the Kenyans to be self supportive and not to continue to be dependant on the West.

A Free Eye Test Clinic was held for one week at Plainsview Academy and a local Optician was employed. Peacemakers purchased in Nairobi 750 pairs of reading glasses of varying grades and these were dispensed to every needful person. 29 cataract and 6 glaucoma operations have been carried out in the local Embu Hospital, resulting from referrals from our optician at the Clinic. These costs were underwritten by Peacemakers.

A plot of land was purchased by Peacemakers in 2005 to build a Resource Centre for the communities. Plans are being drawn up at this moment for the first stage on this ¾ hectare parcel of land. The whole complex will be called "The Dennis Marshall Foundation" and the first stage will comprise of a Prayer House/Retreat, octagonal in shape with 3 adjacent rooms off 3 sides of the octagonal i.e. temporary admin office, store room in the centre and rescue/counselling room for abandoned babies. This will be like a “hole in the wall” scheme where mothers who are desperate or dying from Aids, can leave their babies in the hands of someone who cares and loves. This will link up with the local Social Services. The building of this will hopefully commence in 2008.

10 Step Pumps have been purchased and are being hired out to Self Help Groups to speed up the irrigation of their small holdings. Hip Pumps @ £30 each can be bought by individuals on a Micro Enterprise pay back scheme, as well as other projects. A Brick Making Machine has also been purchased; these bricks will be used in the Prayer House construction.

We have linked with a small charity, 'Alive & Kicking' who have a small football factory in Nairobi and employs 30 young Kenyans. They hand stitch the leather panels and each worker makes 3 balls a day. We visited and bought 600 footballs with our name, Peacemakers, on one panel and logos with warnings of Aids, Drugs and Malaria on 3 other panels on every ball. These balls were distributed to schools to support the PE training, along with other sports equipment.

Also 5000 Mosquito nets were given out to school children to take home for the whole family's protection against malaria, and 2000 mother and child nets. Plans have also been put in place for the re-treatment of these nets in one years time, so that the protection continues and lives are saved;

Malaria being the highest killer in Kenya.

Visits were made to various placements to inspect the progress of livestock projects i.e. cows, goats, pigs, bees, chickens and rabbits.

DACA Re-hab groups were visited and encouraged in their projects – training courses for them to attend are being negotiated and sponsored.

2 Oxygen Concentrators have been bought for the children's ward in two hospitals together with a TV placed in the Ante-Natal clinics, playing parenting and educational videos.

At home in the UK, Oasis Coffee mornings are held on the last Saturday in every month at the Methodist Church, High Street, Watton-at-Stone where you will receive a warm welcome, a cup of coffee/tea and scones and a chance to meet up or make new friends. Small charities have stalls selling their wares and Peacemakers also have a stall displaying all the art and jewellery brought back from their Kenyan summer visit.

If you wish someone to come and talk to your group or church to raise the profile about the work of Peacemakers at home and abroad, then please contact us.

Brenda Marshall

Director of Peacemakers-International