| Development, activities and achievements
this year This year marked the third full year of our operation as a not-for-profit-company and this time was marked by a large investment in travelling to Africa to set up and expand our volunteer networks. One of relayNET’s main activities is training in organisation of the local volunteers in Africa and although it doesn’t appear in the financial aspects of the company (except in the cost of flights) this aspect of our work we consider to be the most important. It is not enough for us to just apply a “sticking plaster” to the problems of Africa. When we develop our projects we work for continuity, which is one of the words of our logo. Continuity can only be ensured in training people in Organisation. When we make our trips to Africa although we are not always buying impressive pieces of equipment or building hospitals and schools we know that the work we do leaves an impact on our volunteers that will last longer than the lifetime of a piece of equipment or a building. United Kingdom Fundraising During the period 3 fundraising activities were carried out in the UK. Our Halloween Party was a great success in a venue in Earls court, West London. Our friends Suzanne Thomas and David Burditt provided us with more assistance following the success of their picture auction in 2002. This year they did another auction during a summer party. The members of a local art class all donated one picture each that they had done during their classes and guests were able to buy them. Through their fantastic efforts we raised over £500. With Giftaid this will be even higher. Finally our friend Niall Clifford organised in his work place a sponsored-slim which raised over £100 for us. |
Following the efforts of previous years
we made a book collecting campaign with schools in Lambeth. Three
schools were kind enough to help us with this campaign; the Telferscot
Primary School and Julian’s Primary School both in Lambeth
and the Holy Cross Preparatory school in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey.
We collected over 200kgs of books which were shipped out to Kenya
in December 2003. Three schools in Kenya benefited from this. |
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During the
period trustees of relayNET developed a course of 6 workshops on
the theme of education for non-violence which deals with the issues
of: forms of violence, relaxation, valid action, discrimination,
one’s virtues and social organisation. |
Kenya |
Water
connection to Magunga Primary School
This connection has had an immediate impact on the amount of water born diseases in the school. Previously water was taken from wherever it could be found and this even meant puddles if that’s all there was. The clean water from the new system has removed that. The local community come to the school to buy their water and this pays for the water bills. Locals are even considering extending the connection to connect other homes to the water system. |
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The growing of Artemisia has experienced
difficulties over the last year. The seeds were planted during the
previous year and although most of the plants failed some have survived
and the project is now moving into a phase of propagating the plants
through taking cuttings. Anamed, the company that we bought the
seeds from, have explained that even with a few plants it can be
possible to grow as many plants as you need. |
Colombia
We have collected during this period a large amount of toys and clothes donated by schools and individuals, and at present we are in the process to send them to Colombia to children in areas of extreme deprivation as a consequence of the on-going civil war.
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