Hands Around The World

Monday, 23 March 2009

A group of volunteers from across Monmouthshire are set to spend a month in Kenya, helping to build two classrooms at a local school in Nyumbani..
One of the group, Chrissie Cooling, who lives in Monmouth, is currently taking a gap year to do work for charity.
She said the village was set up by an American priest, who spent many years in Kenya running a home for HIV plus children.
“He was moved by the plight of the huge number of orphans left behind by the AIDS epidemic and helped set up the village in the hope that it would be used as a model for elsewhere” said Chrissie.
“Nyumbani is an eco-village, designed to accommodate orphaned children and grandparents and has had a tremendous impact on the children living there, offering them stability, love, food and shelter”.
Chrissie said Hands around the World responded to requests from communities, giving a hand, not a handout. In order to offer more support for the children they care for, the centre has requested help with the construction of two school classroom blocks. The work will be planned and led by Kenyans, with the volunteers working alongside local people and using local building methods.
The patron of the charity is Kate Adie, who said the problems of the Third World seemed another world away.
“Hands across the World is dedicated to tackling the problems of people in the poorest countries by offering practical help to relieve suffering” said Kate.
“Its volunteers are ordinary people, committed to doing whatever they can by giving their time and skills, their love and compassion, working side by side with local people to achieve something lasting and worthwhile, something money alone can never do”.
Chrissie commented: “As part of our preparations, the team has been asked to raise a total of £20,000 towards the cost of the project.
“The group are holding several fundraising events, including an auction of promises in early May, a Ceilidh and disco, a band night and much more”.
Anyone wanting to help or get more information should contact Chrissie Cooling on 01600 713021/07815 560806 or Penny Simpson on 01873 850858/07813 067627.
Chrissie can also be contacted by e-mail on pink_barbie@btinternet.com

Email: robert.williams@tindlenews.co.uk

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