Baraka Community Partnerships April Update

Zambia

Since our last update, we have been focusing much of our energy on our mosquito nets campaign. To date, we have distributed 750 nets, with more to be distributed when one of our volunteers, Sian Roberts, visits Zambia in May. So far, the funds have been raised for 800 mosquito nets and we hope to reach a target of 1000 before she sets off from her home in Toronto to distribute the nets in the Chikumbi region of Zambia. Thanks Sian!

For our mosquito nets campaign, we have partnered with Against Malaria, who match our donations net for net. We are hoping to raise the funds to reach our target of 3500 nets by the end of the summer, which combined with Against Malaria's contribution would result in a total of 7000 nets to be distributed by us in the Chikumbi region.

Follow this link to find out more and to donate:

http://www.AgainstMalaria.com/baraka

Morocco

A testament to the lasting impact of being a Baraka volunteer, our upcoming May trip to Morocco (in conjunction with Exodus travel company) has been oversubscribed! As a result we have more money than planned for our project in the Atlas Mountains village of Tijhza, and most of the volunteers for the trip are returnees.

Some of the activities that we have planned for the trip include refurbishing the homes of the elderly and poor, painting a school classroom, clearing up rubbish with local children, planting 180 trees with the Forestry Commission and local government, completing the water tower started last October and more.

For more about volunteering opportunities please visit our site: http://www.barakacommunity.com/

Urgent Plea for donations towards Malaria Nets in Zambia

For every mosquito net donated to Against Malaria, Baraka will match it!

Hello All,

Incessant rains in the Chikumbi region of Zambia have provided the perfect breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes, and donations for malaria nets are urgently needed. One malaria net costs only £2.50, and we are hoping to secure enough donations to blanket-cover the whole region, an effort that has been helped by the Against Malaria Foundation, who have kindly offered to match every net donated through Baraka Community Partnership.

Where is Chikumbi?

Chikumbi is a rural district of 11,700 people in 13 villages located 30 km north of Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. Baraka knows the area well as we have carried out Community development here for two years. Malaria is a huge problem in the area: 90% of the population are affected in some form. Until our project began in January 2010, the district had received virtually no anti-malaria support and has little access to treatment or drugs.

Our Goal for Chikumbi

We are going to drastically reduce malaria here by covering every sleeping space with a net. Similar action in other communities has had a dramatic effect: by effectively starving the mosquitoes of a blood meal, the malaria-carrying mosquito population is dramatically reduced or dies out. In a similar project in Uganda (9 villages), 357 monthly cases of malaria was reduced to 7, a 98% reduction!

We need your help urgently as we are planning our next trip to Zambia soon. We have successfully distributed nets in one village, but we need to broaden our exposure to other villages.

Statistically speaking, it takes only £12.50 to save a life being taken by malaria- do you have this?

Please visit http://www.againstmalaria.com/Fundraiser.aspx?FundraiserID=5457 to make your donations.

Many thanks for your time and generosity,

The Baraka Team

Baraka Community Partnerships February/March Update

Baraka has had a busy couple of months, with lots to update you on since our last post!

First and foremost we are delighted to announce that Exodus have decided to officially launch our projects in Chikumbi and Chawama in Zambia as part of their Responsible Tourism Holidays- check us out at: http://www.exodus.co.uk/responsible-travel/our-projects/zambia-project.

The partnership will help increase awareness about our work and hopefully generate further interest for future volunteers and donations; something that we have already witnessed in Morocco after that project was launched with Exodus.

Zambia

This month saw the completion of the much-needed Borehole in Katuba, signifying Baraka’s expansion into the rest of the Chikumbi region. The Borehole itself will hopefully reduce diarrhoea-related diseases in the village and lessen the burden of woman and children walking to and from other, farther, water sources. A picture of the borehole can be seen below...

In other news, school attendance in Kasalu has increased yet again, to 115 students, an impressive 10% increase since we first started there. This is a feat that was no doubt helped by the installation of school desks and cupboards that had been previously funded by Baraka, and the donation of a solar panel and convertor by Exodus, so as to offer evening education. This solar panel also provides Kelvin with the opportunity to earn extra money towards project-related expenses, through the recharging of mobile phones.

Additionally, this month hopes to see the distribution of the next round of malaria nets. The physical distribution of the nets has been aided by the training of two villagers in Malaria and health awareness. They have already started to visit with other villagers, advising them on good health practices. Within the next couple of weeks they will be visited by the district health inspector who will evaluate their work and distribute the appropriate materials to diagnose malaria.

With the help of Kelvin, we have identified several other projects that merit the help of Baraka and its donators in Chikumbi...

• an entrepreneurship training programme for girls
• a footbridge to cross the Mwembeshi stream which will aid pupils and villagers in their everyday lives. As Kelvin points out...

“When the rains are heavy school children from Kasalu village and other surrounding villages stop going to school for fear of getting drowned or washed downstream by the strong current”

• The completion of the school in Katuba
  

Morocco

Next month will see Baraka’s first sold-out volunteer trip with Exodus, bringing £750 to the project in Morocco immediately, with possibly more for the long-run.

One of the operations that we will be doing out there is a medical clinic for the village for both treatment and education, which will be run by one of our board members, Liz Varughese, with the help of three nurses who are volunteers from the Exodus group. It will be the first time anything like this has been done in Tijhza, and we hope to identify some long and short run projects to help with healthcare in the village.

In other news, the village will finally see the building of the new water tower which is due for completion by the summer. It will help the village during the hot summer months when there is often a shortage of water. Also, the football goals which were contributed by Baraka have been installed on the village pitch.

Baraka have identified several other initiatives to help the Tijhza village, among these include tree planting, a pre-school, child/woman’s club and bee keeping.

For more information about Baraka Community Partnerships and volunteering opportunities please visit our website: http://www.barakacommunity.com/

Run with us in the Brooklands 10k at Mercedes World

On the 28th of March, Baraka Community Partnerships will have a team running at the Brooklands 10k at Mercedes World in Weybridge, Surrey. This popular race promises to be fun for both runners and spectators alike. The run begins on the historic Brabham Straight at the listed old Brooklands race circuit and then links onto the super-modern circuit in front of the high-tech Mercedes World building.

Event Details:

• Venue: Mercedes World, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey
• Date: 28 March 2010
• Start time: 9.15am (9am for the U-15's Race)
• Age limits: 15+ for the 10km, no lower limit for the 1,500m
• Medals to all finishers
• Prizes for first five men and women, first masters 40, 45, 50, 60+ in 10km/first 3 boys and girls in 1500m
• Free parking

If interested in participating in our team and helping us to raise a bit of money for our various projects, contact our project coordinator, Andy McKee, at info@barakacommunity.com.

Romeo and Juliet: The Modern Musical

HCPT’s JS1 and the Baraka Community Partnerships present …

Romeo and Juliet: The Modern Musical

Two households, both alike in dignity
In fair Verona, Where we lay our scene

Written and Directed by Leila Sangtabi
Featuring the songs of …
LADY GAGA, FALL OUT BOY, JLS, PIXIE LOTT, MICHAEL BUBLE and many more!

Gumley House Convent School
St John's Road
Isleworth

7pm-9pm
26th February 2010

Admission: £4

All money raised will be split between the two charities HCPT and Baraka Community Partnerships.

Visit this musical's Facebook page for more details.

Exodus Offers Responsible Tourism Trips to Tijhza, Morocco

A small amount of intrepid tourists find their way to Tijhza, but there is still the sense of a bygone era when passing through the village, especially considering electricity arrived only a few years ago. Although our intentions started with helping the Tijhza School, our project has now evolved to help the village and the wider community thanks to continuous donations from visiting Exodus clients. This project offers support to the Berber children and villagers of Tijhza Village by focusing on essentials that many take for granted, such as health care, education and a sustainable income.

The above quote is from an excellent write up about volunteer travel opportunities in Morocco with Exodus – the UK's leading exponent of responsible travel. Exodus is fully supportive of our projects offering both logistical and financial support. In fact, Baraka Community Partnerships designs itineraries for special volunteer trips, and Exodus Travels Ltd administers them. This way, responsible travellers can confidently book trips with an ABTA registered travel operator with over 35 years' experience in running adventure group tours worldwide.

So, if you're looking some fun the the Moroccan sun with a healthy dose of volunteering to a worthwhile cause, consider visiting the Atlas Mountains village of Tijhza, Morocco with Exodus in 2010. Their next trip will be in April.

Visit www.exodus.co.uk for more details.

Click here for the link to their Morocco Tijhza Village Project article.

Baraka's Rowathon Success in Shepperton!

Ten teams of 57 competitors rowing non-stop for six hours (with most participants rowing ten minutes every hour) for a total rowed distance of more than 764,000 metres! Last month's Rowathon fundraiser surpassed our initial goal of raising £3000. So far £4,000 has been collected from the event – all of it going to our projects in Zambia!

A special thank you must go to the following businesses for their generous support: Dan Morgan of Blue Leisure; Dave Morgan of Transpeed, Tesco, The Village Bakery, Cafe Vanille, and Carolyn Matthews of the Shepperton Chiropractic Clinic.

Here's the video:

ROWATHON Fundraiser: Saturday 14 November

Saturday the 14th of November from 10am to 4pm, BCP will team up again with our official charity partner, Thamesmead School Sports Centre, for a Rowathon fundraising event. So far eight teams have signed up. Interested? Here are some details:

- 6 people to a team
- Each team member rows 10 minutes every hour for 6 hours
- Target minimum is £50 sponsorship per person or £300 per team
- Live entertainment and an evening meal will be provided.

100% of the money raised on the day will go to the Chawama Sports Academy in Zambia which provides sporting opportunities and education through sport for AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in a deprived suburb of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.

For more information or to enter a team please contact Thamesmead on 0193 226 0050 or Andy McKee on 0750 498 7367. You can also visit the Thamesmead Centre online at www.blueleisure.com/thamesmead.

To donate to this event please visit http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/andymckee2.

Thanks and good luck rowing!

Our Summer Charity BBQ was a Brilliant Success!

Last Saturday's Thamesmead School Sports Centre Summer Charity BBQ to support Baraka Community Partnerships was a huge success - and a lot of fun! Held at the Bell Public House in Shepperton, this now annual event generated almost £600 for our projects! We would like to say a sincere thank you all who attended as well as to the local businesses that donated prizes to the raffle and especially to Thamesmead School Sports Centre for organizing this festive, family-oriented BBQ!

For more about Baraka Community Partnerships visit www.barakacommunity.com. Cheers!

Big Thanks to Bea's of Bloomsbury!

This is just a quick and friendly post to thank Bea and all the lovely folks at her Bea's of Bloomsbury bakeshop. Through their 6 Cupcakes = 1 Mosquito Net promotion, we were able to raise even more money and awareness for our mosquito net project in Zambia. We especially would like to thank all of Bea's customers who kindly participated in this worthwhile (and yummy!) endeavor.

As things stand now, Baraka Community Partnerships has raised enough funds to provide more than 400 households with mosquito nets. However, there are millions of people in Zambia without these inexpensive yet effective safeguards against malaria. We still have our work cut out for us!

Find out more about our Against Malaria campaign:

http://www.againstmalaria.com/baraka

Buy delicious baked goods and more at Bea's:

http://www.beasofbloomsbury.com