Video covering the official opening of St Andrews School - 15th Feb 2009

published : 04 Apr 2009

Photos of the trip

published : 03 Mar 2009

we counted 44 out and 44 back!

published : 03 Mar 2009

Project Stedfast December Update!

published : 15 Dec 2008

BB Capers was a great success fun, laughter and of course money for good causes over 1,500 pounds! Project Stedfast will benefit from this - thank you for coming along, sending your boy along, cleaning the white shirts and of course to the cast and crew for staging the show... you know who you are!

At the show an update video was shown - you can view it below:

November 2008 Update

published : 19 Nov 2008

Following a project group visit to the school in Novemeber - we are able to report first hand of the excellent progress with the school. 3 Teachers. over 50 kids. 6 classrooms. Disabled centre nearing completion.
Enjoy the video...

Progress of the Disabled Centre...

published : 31 Aug 2008

Feb 2008
The foundation and walls are complete. Work was stopped due to the Kenya election troubles as costs of materials and transport rose.







April 2008
The roof goes on





July 2008
Rev Iain visits to review progress and things are going very well!





A small number of officers have a trip planned in November 2008. So expect to see further pictures then.

The Big Match : Kenya vs Scotland

published : 28 Aug 2008

Back in Feb, while visiting the school we were challenged to a football game from the Boys Brigade companies...

Conditions were difficult for the travelling Scottish Select team - heat, dehydration but mainly lack of any ability and fitness. With Stuart Dalgleish missing due to illness, we had to sub him for saruni - shame we weren't playing basketball!

The Suswa Girls

published : 24 Aug 2008

In the south of the rift valley is the Suswa Girls Orphanage. The project was introduced to the orphanage by the captain of the Girls Brigade. She is an elder at the church which the school is attached to. Her and her husband Daniel took the group who visited Kenya in Feb 2008. What a visit.

The video below is a chance to see them - they put on some entertainment when we arrived - singing and dancing.

Over 80 kids now in school

published : 13 Aug 2008

Meet Mr Richard Lenana...

published : 01 Jul 2008

At an early age Richard Lenana became a victim of Polio, a disease which barely if at all touches our lives here in the West now, but which in Africa continues to be both common and devastating. Richard lost completely use of his legs and was left with limited use of his arms and hands. The chair you see him using in the photo was built for him by a member of the congregation.

Richard considers himself an extremely lucky man having been born the son of a fairly large landowner, his father was able to support and educate a disabled child, something almost unheard of in Kenya at that time.

On leaving University Richards first employment was as an office clerk in a Government Department, unfortunately it became patently obvious to him in a very short space of time that the chances of ever realising his abilities were non existent in this environment. A life of performing the most menial tasks with no apparent possibility of development was most unattractive.

His frustration at the way disabled people are viewed led to a very distinct change in career path at this time. Again with the support of his parents Richard returned to University to study Politics, eventually being elected as County Councillor for NGong and becoming the governments representative for Disabled People in Eastern Kenya. This role saw Richard (with the assistance of his wife as his driver) actively seek out disabled children throughout the region. Once located his role is to help the parents, for starters, change their perception of what a child with a disability is. From there to assist in the necessary arrangements to ensure education and assistance are available to the child. Alongside this much time is spent re educating family members and village elders as well as friends and neighbours that a disabled child is indeed not a curse on the family or village.

In preparing the proposals for the Accommodation Unit for Children with Disabilities Richard wrote these words which give a clear insight into the battle he has lived through and the uphill struggle to have all people with Disabilities recognised for who they are in Kenya:

"Life for a disabled person is very hard, difficult and expensive, especially in Africa. Here disability is associated with a curse or bad omen that befalls a community or family. Some even think that to have a disabled Child is shameful and a punishment for a wrong done to an ancestor. For this reason most Communities would not wish to make the plight of their disabled Children public. They therefore confine them secretly indoors never to see the light of day. Thus subjecting them to live lives in extreme poverty, frustration, discrimination, stigmatization and denial."

In essence this means they are denied their basic human rights eg access to proper medical services, proper education and even their right to social economic participation.

They are denied the equal opportunity to compete effectively with others�

Richard lives on the outskirts of Oloolua with his wife and 8 children. In Eastern Kenya hundreds of children with disabilities owe their present and future to the efforts of Richard Lenana.




Above : Richard digging to lay cerimonial tree in grounds of school and church





Above: Richard and his family in front of Disabled Centre (in construction)

Fundraising success at the Playhouse..

published : 21 Dec 2007

A week collecting at the Playhouse - Joseph.


Many thanks to all everyone who throw their spare change in our direction - a tidy sum was collected.