Foxes NGO Profile
NEWS FROM MUFINDI TO MARCH 2021
MUFINDI NEWS
8th March 2021 International Women’s Day: Over the week, we had the pleasure, on Media, to introduce and thank all the Office Staff, House Guardians, Cook, Nurse and Gardeners at the Igoda Children’s Village who work so hard looking after the Igoda Children’s Village and caring for the children so well: Here are Zilipa, ICV Manager; Fausta, Accountant; Uzia, Social Welfare Officer and Nurse Sijali. We were reluctant to leave the men out, so they were thanked and introduced at the end of the week. To see all the staff please click on this link and scroll to see them all. /https://www.facebook.com/OrphansInTheWild/photos/pcb.1843231852501515/1843228259168541/
In January two volunteers visited the ICV and gave all the little children an activity treat with rides on the horses from Fox Farm.
18th February 2021: The ICV had the privilege of visit from David Concar, the UK’s High Commissioner to Tanzania. He was shown around the ICV by FCWC’s co-founder, Geoff Fox MBE, where he met some the children. He said he enjoyed his visit and would come again.
3rd February 2021: We received a grant from The Royal Overseas League for all the ICV primary aged school children to be educated, including all costs, at the Madisi Primary School in Mufindi. This has given us a great boost with the difficulties the Corona virus has created. Our sincere appreciation to ROSL.
January 2021: FCWC launched YAM supported in partnership by the Helsinki Deaconess Foundation Institute in Finland: The disabled often lead invisible lives in Tanzania (and are less likely to attend school or more likely to drop out at a younger age) while young people in Tanzania face an unreliable income once they leave school due to having to rely on informal income generation (with inadequate employment opportunities – 10% of 15-35 yr olds are unemployed and 75% of young people are dependent on seasonal agriculture.
FCWC led the way in tackling the HIV epidemic over the last 15 years but recognise that it has left behind many traumatised vulnerable young children who continue to need our help.
So we are delighted to announce a new partnership between the Helsinki Deaconess Foundation Institute (HDI) in Finland and FCWC in Tanzania enabling us to launch YAM (Youth Agency Mufindi Project) at the start of 2021 with MFA funding committed for 4 (possibly 5) years. The YAM project is designed to help disabled children solve life issues enabling them to lead dignified lives and also to help vulnerable young people to take control of their lives through improved motivation, skills and opportunities. FCWC will implement this pilot project in our neighbouring 16 villages, conducting outreach, needs assessments, rehabilitation, carer training, psychosocial support, Agricultural and Forestry training, entrepreneurship training, and wherever possible also help address gender equalities. Our hope is that once the project is shown to be successful in addressing these needs it is likely to be replicated in other parts of the district, region and country and we will be working closely with local government wherever possible advocating equal development and opportunity for vulnerable children and young people.
To achieve this, we have already established a Youth Project team and are in the process of establishing and strengthening Village Child Protection Committees, VCPCs, helping us to identify and deliver this project support and training and help solve the problems faced by disabled children and vulnerable young people.
We are working with the University of Iringa UoI and TAPCAP (Tanzanian Association for Professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists) to help FCWC by providing expertise in assessing needs, psychosocial support and the training of trainers while at the same time INUKA (Southern Highlands Rehab Centre) will be assisting us with addressing the rehabilitation needs of the Disabled.
The rains in January started with a vengeance making the roads in Mufindi and surrounding areas a quagmire. Getting the children to their schools makes this exceedingly difficult, sometimes impossible! One of the main dirt roads is being tarmacked so this year the roads have not been graded as normal, hence the problem. Mufindi is in a very rural, remote area of the Southern Highlands of Tanzania!
ONCE AGAIN WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT
If you would like to know more, do contact us
marion@wildorphans.org
marion@wildorphans.org
To see lots of photos and posts, please visit
In Memory of Naused Nyaganilwa – FCWCT Trustee
We are very much saddened to let you know that Naused Nyaganilwa, one of Foxes Community & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Trustees and great friend, has passed away. He was one of their founding members and has been an invaluable help and support to the charity. He also devoted his life to the communities in Mufindi achieving great improvements from schools and dispensaries (often with support from FCWCT) to roads and bridges. He was extremely good at sorting out any problems. He served his whole career as village treasurer, secretary, and then Luhunga counsellor before becoming Chairman. In his capacity as Chairman for many years of the District Council, his impact reached well beyond just Luhunga ward but to benefit all communities in Mufindi.
His passing away before his time is a huge blow to us all and he will be sorely missed. It is a great loss of course to his family but also to the charity and to people of Mufindi.
NEWS FROM MUFINDI OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2020
Shoes for Schools: In the previous newsletter we reported that £1,943.36 had been raised. We are delighted to let you know that the shoes arrived on 19th December creating great excitement to all the children at the ICV. Any funds left over will go towards clothing.
During October, due to the Covid pandemic, our incoming funds reduced significantly. so we held an emergency fundraising campaign on all media sites, alongside the previous newsletter appeal £4368.50 has been raised also a few regular monthly direct debits have started. Once again this is hugely appreciated!
Dr Alex, our medical volunteer, her family and Ella, another volunteer, arrived from Finland early October. They brought with them hand knitted cardigans made by Dr Leena Pasanen, socks, clothes and many other items including footballs much to the delight of Hezron and and all the children. Ella worked hard helping the house mamas playing and making crafts with the children. Dr Alex started her medical rounds checking on the health and status of the children and then progressed on to visit many patients in the rural, remote outreach villages. She did this with the help of the Home Base Volunteer Team, who had previously assessed who most needed medical support. We shall miss them all as they return to Finland for Christmas. Thank you for everything you have done.
Social Room: To give the older children more space to do their homework and provide somewhere to relax, a Social Room has been made using the old sewing room that had been unoccupied for a while. This was funded by an individual Triathlon challenge completed in the UK during lockdown, Alex Family and Geoff Fox. An old sofa was repaired and recovered. The large old table was sanded and varnished also an old bookshelf was rejuvenated and painted with a variety of different and colourful flags. Curtains were made. Rugs, tables, chairs, a radio/CD player and a refurbished TV were bought. Having already achieved so much Dr Alex and her family still found time to the help the older children from the Children’s Village set to cleaning, mending, sanding, painting and getting the room ready to open just before they were due to leave for Finland. To see all the activity involved please click on the link:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2151228301676712&set=pcb.2151290508337158
Thank you for all help and your support.
https://www.facebook.com/OrphansInTheWild/ https://www.instagram.com/orphansinthewild/
5 Unique, Hand-painted, Embroidered African Animal Portraits – Auction
5 Unique, hand-painted and free-motion embroidered African animal portraits, individually framed in a 15.7cms embroidery hoop.
https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/auction/Embroidered-African-Animal-Portraits-OITW
The embroidery creates a beautiful, textured surface, giving life to the artwork. Please share as much as possible to friends and family and groups!
Click on the link and choose your favourite portrait to bid on.
They would make a beautiful Christmas gift.
100% goes to the Children’s Village, Mufindi.
Embroidered and sponsored by:
NEWS FROM MUFINDI JULY – OCTOBER 2020
NEWS FROM MUFINDI JULY-OCTOBER 2020
Like many charities “Orphans in the Wild” is suffering a marked downturn in donations. Donations by safari guests have dried up as the safaris were closed due to Covid 19 and remain so. We especially thank those who are currently supporting us through Direct Debits, and who have recently donated. All donations have a direct impact on the children and young people we are supporting in the Children’s Village.
The Vocational Training Centre, although under the FCWCT umbrella, is independently run allowing our own ICV students to train free of charge. One group, the Student Car Mechanics, have recently had an exciting and rare opportunity. Peter Fox along with his experienced mechanics, fabricators and builders, were converting Land Rovers chassis cabs into vehicles for safari game drives. The process was to convert these bullet proof snatch 2A 110’s (wheelbase) vehicles into longer 130 chassis cabs. What better experience could they get! It was a huge job benefiting the students. Not many student mechanics get the opportunity to totally strip, stretch the chassis, respray, reinstate the parts, replace the engine, test, add a canopy and seats on all these vehicles! Peter Fox was hands on with his expert mechanics making sure all students were taught correctly and did the job to a high standard.
25th August – The Regional and District Commissioners came to officially open the Igoda Clinic, complete with a Maternity Suite, which will serve the surrounding area! This clinic has been generously sponsored together with all the equipment for the maternity unit. It is going to make such a difference to nearby villages. Thank you! Official Opening of the Igoda Clinic: https://www.facebook.com/OrphansInTheWild/videos/2768477363382368
8th September – A young 16 year old school girl, Aviva, spent a little time at the Igoda Children’s Village last year and was so taken with it she has set up her own charity to support them – https://www.future4children.org/! She organised a fundraise earlier this year to buy 70 new sweaters for all the primary school children (they are required to have two sets, one in blue and one maroon). We are delighted to report that these have now been purchased! Thank you to Aviva and her school friends for their support.
11th September – The latest news on Gloria! Her Grandmother had successfully applied to take her home and she will be reunited with her brother again. The Ikaning’ombe Child Protection Committee had approved and signed the legal documents necessary to make this move. It was a day of mixed feelings when Gloria left, sad to lose her from her extended family at the ICV but happy for her to be going home. Grandmother is building a new house.
You may remember #babygloriamufindi came to the Igoda Children’s Village in February 2017 as her mother was mentally unable to look after her. She has had quite a difficult young life; Gloria was unable to feed due to a cleft lip and palate, and also she had an absorption problem and could not gain weight. In august 2019, she gained the weight needed and had her surgical repair. Since then she has come on in leaps and bounds. The Health Officer and our present Volunteer Doctor, Dr Alex, has recently visited the family and reported that Gloria has settled in very well and is actually calling Grandmother, Mama!
Three new Beehives:- Kashinde, our ICV handyman and volunteer’s translator, has hollowed out logs to make some extra beehives, not only to provide the CV with honey but for sale too. After hollowing out, the two sides are put back together with small holes, smeared with beeswax to encourage bees to make them their new homes. The have been placed in the bush around the different houses.
We are delighted to let you know that the ‘Shoes for Schools’ fundraise has raised £1,943.36. The Primary School Children are required to have two pairs of shoes and The Secondary School Children one pair. Any funds left over will go towards their uniforms. Thank you!
OITW Christmas cards are ready for sale. They come in packs of ten, five of each design for £4.75 per pack + additional Postage. 100% of the profit goes to the Igoda Children’s Village.
Cost of UK Postage:
1 Pack – 1st Class £1.64, 2nd Class £1.40;
2 Packs – 1st Class £2.14, 2nd Class £1.83;
3 Packs £2.95, 2nd Class £2.48;
4/6 Packs – 1st Class £2.70, 2nd class £3.10;
7/10 1st Class £5.57, 2nd Class £3.10 Payment can be made through the Donate button above,ensure your address is on the form and please state quantity of cards required in the comment section after the Gift Aid.
Need a Christmas gift with a difference? Gift Vouchers are available, details under How You Can Help on the menu bar.
Thank you for all your support, we couldn’t do this without you
If you would like any further information, please contact Marion Gough: marion@wildorphans.org https://www.facebook.com/OrphansInTheWild/ https://www.instagram.com/orphansinthewild/?hl=en
IGODA CHILDREN’S VILLAGE NEEDS YOUR HELP
Please share and support our Igoda Children’ Village.
The children need you. “These are the silent victims of Covid 19 and they desperately need our support.”
Thank you for your support, please contact us if you would like some more information
New School Sweaters for all the Children’s Village Primary Children!
Much Excitement for the primary children at the Children’s Village
A young 16 year old school girl, Aviva, spend a little time at the Igoda Children’s Village last year and was so taken with it she has set up her own charity to support them! https://www.future4children.org/
She organised a fundraise earlier this year to buy new sweaters for the primary school children; they have to have two sets. We are delighted to report that these have now been bought! Thank you to Aviva and her school friends for their support.
SHOES FOR SCHOOLS
CAN YOU HELP US GET NEW SHOES FOR SCHOOL PLEASE?
Can you imagine how many pairs of shoes the children get through at the Igoda Children’s Village, please can you help?
The children need new shoes for school, the Primary children need two pairs a year; with your help we can do this. Please donate, however large or small, every penny helps:
Some of the children in their different school outfits.
