To Empower & Educate the children of Kenya

The last time we wrote to you there were just two weeks to go until our eagerly awaited charity ball fundraiser, 'Out of Africa' on Saturday 17th September to raise funds to help us build classrooms in Kenya.

Finally, the day came and the  'Out of Africa' event was full of excitement. Our fabulous supporters arrived, dressed to the nines, in black tie suits, and the most glamourous ball gowns, all of which were captured by our volunteer photographer Kris Trewick. Lucky dip bags were grabbed, heads and tales played, and delicious food was eaten whilst our founder and trustee Maureen Nevitt shared the plight and needs of the children in Kenya.

People had the opportunity to buy special tags from our wishing tree, from cement to bricks, and school desks and school equipment. And it was an absolute pleasure to welcome back our dear friend and ex-North East Heart radio presenter Wayne Bond, who hosted our wonderful auction.

After a thoroughly joyous evening, we are thrilled to announce we raised a whopping

GBP 14,000!!! Enough for us to complete our classrooms!

In September two of our trustees travelled to Kenya to see how our projects were doing and they discussed in-depth the building of the classrooms at Mother's Vision rescue centre.

In Africa, things move slowly, and for now, we are just awaiting approval to start building from the local chief and government officials.

We will continue to monitor the situation and hope that things will move swiftly in the new year.

In the meantime, we continued to send money out to Kenya to feed the hungry villagers for Christmas and buy uniforms for the needy school children in Barani village and provide health care where needed.

Aside from the Black tie function, BBK continues to work hard in the charity shop based in Chester le Street, Co Durham, UK. The shop is our main source of income and is run entirely by a team of volunteers. The shop constantly continues to provide an outlet for donations and as a spectacular Alladin's cave for those looking for a bargain! The money raised, other than costs, is sent to Kenya to care for 72 children and many in desperate need.

Let us take a moment to remind you about Books and Bread for Kenya and the reasons why your continued generosity and commitment help to our project of building classrooms help to change the lives of the people living in Kenya. 

BBK has been a UK-registered non-profit-making charity since 2008 and during these years, through generous donations from people like you, fundraising, and sales at our shop in Chester-Le-Street, County Durham, the charity has built a Rescue Centre called Mothers’ Vision (MV), which is one of our four main developments. 

MV Rescue Centre looks after women and children who have had extremely difficult lives. In December 2019, three siblings, all under five years old, were brought to the c by the police. The children had witnessed their father killing their mother, and the police taking their father to jail. Not long after, another child was abandoned in hospital after a severe beating.  Mother’s Vision is a haven for such children.

The rescue centre is set on an acre of land in Mtwapa, Kenya, which has enough room for two classrooms to be built. During the day the children at MV and children in the surrounding communities will be provided with basic, government-standard education and kindergarten care. In the evening, the classrooms will serve the purpose of teaching the women who have taken refuge at the centre life skills such as sewing, beauty, and hairdressing. 

The benefits of education and empowerment are vast. A quality basic education gives children the knowledge and skills they need to face daily life challenges and take advantage of economic and lifelong learning opportunities. It is also a key driver for reducing poverty, fostering economic growth, and achieving gender equality and social development.  

With your help, we raised enough to enable BBK to build two classrooms at Mother’s Vision Rescue Centre.

Together we can provide children and women with an education and skill set which will equip them with better decision-making capabilities and empowerment to provide a better future for themselves and future generations.

Thank you so much for your time; your actions will greatly impact the lives of many, and we offer our genuine, heartfelt gratitude.