Action in Africa Annual Report
2022-23
Our Mission Statement.
The objectives of Action in Africa are to provide relief from poverty and sickness and to deliver funding for education, in two areas of Tanzania – Nyaishozi and Mtandika. The beneficiaries are the people of the area, irrespective of race, religion or gender. We work through local committees representing all races and religions, men and women; helping them to develop a better future for themselves and for others.
The Chairman’s Report
It gives me great pleasure to present this year’s Action in Africa’s Annual Report, which sets out for our supporters and the general public what we have achieved in the past twelve months and our future plans. With the Covid crisis now behind us, we have been able to focus on supporting our Tanzanian friends as we had pre-pandemic. It has been a very busy twelve months. In Nyaishozi, in order to celebrate 25 years of Action in Africa, an ambitious appeal was launched to provide each of the 10 Nyaishozi dispensaries with an incubator for their maternity wards. Currently Nyaishozi has the highest infant mortality rate in Tanzania. This shocking statistic is largely down to the lack of intensive care available in clinics for premature and underweight new-borns. The response has been overwhelming, with enough funds raised to purchase 6 incubators.
Nyaishozi
Father Hans has settled very well into his role as chairman of the Nyaishozi Action in Africa committee. In order to help him, we welcomed another two new trustees to the Nyaishozi board. Jovinus Kahatano (far right) is a teacher at Ruhinda Secondary School and Evaster Nyamkara, pictured beside Jovinus, is a teacher at Nyaishozi Primary School. They will be keeping a watchful eye over our sponsored students and are well placed to give us regular updates on academic progress.
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Besides sponsoring Nyaishozi students, we try to help the schools they attend. Father Hans (pictured below top left at Rugu Secondary School) oversaw his first construction project (pictured top right) working with Rugu Secondary School to build a new rainwater harvest tank. The build came in on time and on budget. The completed tank is pictured bottom left and behind the students using the downpipe bottom right. Thank you to Father Hans and the Nyaishozi trustees for completing this project so quickly.
The original rainwater harvest tank was crumbling inside, contaminating water. As a result, students were having to walk into Rugu village to access clean water at the village downpipe. When the rains come to Rugu, the tank will now be able to harvest the water for use during the dry season.
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We have been working with local dispensaries to identify how we can help them to best serve their patients. Tanzanian government funding provides badly needed medicines for the clinics, but does not stretch to life saving equipment. With this in minds, dispensaries have collated ‘wish lists’ of medical equipment they would like. Nyaishozi midwife and Action in Africa trustee asked for a digital blood pressure machine, ‘doppler’ machines to listen to for the babies’ heartbeats and hospital beds.
With the help of Rebecca and the Nyaishozi committee, we launched an ambitious appeal to celebrate our 25[th] anniversary. We vowed to provide each Nyaishozi dispensary with an incubator. The region has the highest mortality rate in Tanzania. A third of all babies are born premature and currently there are no incubators in any of the Nyaishozi dispensaries. Babies born early are either put on under a light bulb, under blankets,(pictured below right) or placed on the mother’s skin for warmth (pictured
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below left). The incubators (pictured below) already in use at Tanzanian hospitals cost £6,000, but are simple to use and easy to maintain. Nyaishozi dispensaries have the medical expertise and the electricity to facilitate this piece of lifesaving equipment. Action in Africa believes that every baby deserves access to intensive care regardless of location and circumstances.
The response to this appeal was overwhelming with two Ashtead residents coming forward to fund an incubator each. In addition, SMOAT – St. Mark’s Overseas Aid Trust made Action in Africa the main beneficiary of their Christmas Appeal, ensuring funds that would purchase another incubator. Rentokil Initial also sponsored an incubator. Both Souter and the Randal Charitable Foundation provided £5,000 towards two incubators and City of London Freemen's School have committed to raising funds for an incubator. St Andrew's Catholic School Leatherhead have confirmed that the Action in Africa incubator Appeal will be included in their fundraising for 2023/24. A huge thanks to all the individuals, companies, charitable trusts and schools mentioned. We have eight dispensaries to furnish with incubators – and to date have raised a whopping £36,000 towards this £48,000 target.
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The Oakdale Trust generously donated £1000 to this appeal and the Exworthy family created a memorial Justgiving page to help raise funds. This was set up in memory of Veronica Exworthy, (pictured below with husband Peter) who sadly passed away in November 2022. Veronica was a staunch supporter of the charity, being married to its founder and former chair, Peter. It raised a staggering £1,100! We would also like to thank to thank the parishioners of St Michael’s Church Ashtead who donated £722 through the second collections made after our pulpit addresses.
Every Christmas we send money to Nyaishozi so that the resident chairman can purchase emergency food and basic medical supplies for the most vulnerable in the community. This year, Father Hans (pictured below left with two perishioners) distributed food and medicines to over 42 families, living in 21 of the most remote villages. He told us after his travels that he hadn’t realised how many disabled and blind people there were living in his parish, (pictured below middle and right). We will work with him to try and provide extra care for these families.
Our first fundraiser since before Covid 19 was our quiz night, which was held at St Michael’s Hall, Ashtead. As always, our lovely treasurer, Carolyn Higgs, organized a great night, alongside her partner, Mike Wareing, who was our magnificent M.C. and quizmaster. The food was delicious, the company very good and a great time was had by all. The raffle prizes were particularly good this year. We would like to thank everybody who donated and who bought tickets. Team Lily O’Brien took the quizzing crown.
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Besides thanking everybody who attended, we would especially like to thank Ray Quinlan, former Action in Africa treasurer and talented Ashtead artist. He is pictured above with just some of his works, which he had kindly donated for quizzers to purchase on the night. These works of art was very much appreciated by everyone and raised a significant amount of funds. These monies will be used to help sponsor our new intake of Year 1 pupils who have just joined Nyaishozi Primary School. A staggering £1700 was the final total.
We took on five new sponsored children in January 2023 from Year One in Nyaishozi Primary School, they are pictured below.
Amina, Neema, Tekra, Tusime and Vumilla will now be sponsored by Action in Africa until they decide to leave formal education.
We have also sponsored another five pupils from Kasheshe Primary School, at the bequest of Father Hans, who tells us that this school educates children from very poor families. pictured left to right they are Mulashan Gillad Chrisant, Linah Miokozi Mathayo, Aletha Scarion Laurina and Ivona Octavius Andrew. Ansbert Mkapa Willam is pictured on the right with his grandmother. Headmaster Haveson Mulashan is pictured on the left and has kindly agreed to come onto the Nyaishozi Action in Africa committee and Sister Xaverina is on the left. He has promised to keep a watchful eye on our sponsored pupils.
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Mtandika
2022/2023 has been another good year for St Agnes Vocational Training College, formally known as the Mtandika Trade School. As reported in previous years, the College was registered with the Tanzanian Government’s Vocational Education and Training Authority [VETA]. VETA has now been renamed as the National Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NACTVET).
The college management remains as last year with Principal, Sister Damiana Kikoti, Vice Principal Shabani Bilaly and Bursar, Sister Restituta Msemwa. The teachers are also as last year, with Shabani Bilaly as Vice Principal and teacher of Electrical Engineering and Engineering Science, Peter Madeba as teacher of English and Communications, Technical Drawing and Life Skills, Yohana Mtagawa as teacher of Computer Studies and Mathematics and Sylvia Mfalamagoha as teacher of Tailoring, Business Studies and Entrepreneurship. The consistency of the management and teaching staff is a great advantage for the success of the college.
NACTVET carried out their first inspection of the college since taking over from VETA in July 2022. Their report was very complimentary and they congratulated the teachers on the very good results achieved. Detailed comments were :
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Buildings such as classrooms, dormitories, ablution blocks are excellent;
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Building contents, such as desks and tables in the classrooms; beds in the dormitories are excellent;
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Infrastructure, such as clean and plentiful water supply is excellent; solar lighting is good;
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Teachers have excellent qualifications and are achieving good results;
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Students are obtaining good jobs after graduating.
As a result of NACTVET’s inspection the college obtained formal registration NACTVET/0759 P.
In 2022 there were twenty four students, twenty two of the students being on the Electrical Installation course and two on the Tailoring course. Of the twenty four students, sixteen graduated at the end of 2022, fourteen students from the Electrical course and two students from the Tailoring course. Of the graduates, eight electricians already have good jobs.
2022 Electrical Graduates who already have jobs with TANESCO in Mbeya
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The Tanzanian Ministry of Education have announced that from Autumn 2023 loans will be available to all students to cover tuition costs for all Secondary education and University and Technical College education. This will slightly reduce the amount of funding that we have had to find in past years for students that we have been sponsoring through Secondary and Tertiary education. However we will still have to find funds for general living costs, including accommodation, food, clothing and other general costs.
This year essential rehabilitation of critical infrastructure once again included improvement of the main water supply. To this end, we had to replace the solar water pump which had burnt out after some ten years. This enables water to be pumped from the nearby river to the main 70,000 litre water tank, used to supply water for washing and cooking throughout the college.
Electrical students installing the new solar pump
In addition, this year it was necessary to rewire all the college buildings. Following heavy rain a major electrical short burnt out the main earth rod. This caused a fire, burning the 6mm cable from the Government’s Tanesco supply. Luckily the existing circuit breakers and fuses prevented major damage but an assessment of the old wiring, some of it nearly 20 years old, indicated that the electrical system should be replaced.
Burnt cables Burnt earth rod
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Electrical students rewiring the college
The students have continued to assist in the growing of essential crops, such as maize, cassava, rice, beans, onions, tomatoes, bananas and papayas.
Students harvesting one of the less productive mountain ‘shambas’
This year there has again been plenty of rain which has resulted in multiple healthy crops.
One of several healthy maize crops this year
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Later in the year some of the maize was attacked by locusts and the ‘shambas’ had to be treated with ‘dawa’ to prevent further damage.
Locust damage Spraying of maize against locust damage
As in previous years, whilst two thirds of the College students pay annual tuition fees of TSh 700,000, about £300 at current exchange rates, we continue to sponsor ten of the twenty four College students who are orphans or from very poor families. This is only possible through the generous, regular donations from individual sponsors and TWOAT, the Tadworth and Walton Overseas Aid Trust, who sponsor six of the ten students.
As well as paying for some of the running costs at the College, including £2000 from TWOAT to supplement the teachers’ salaries, our sponsors continue to support the education of four young orphans who go to the village Primary School, four Secondary School students who board away from Mtandika, as well as two students studying for Degrees at university, another for a Diploma as a Laboratory Technician and one as a Tour Guide. All of these are either orphans or from very poor families.
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Fundraising has continued to be extremely difficult, although we did manage to once again hold our very popular Quiz in November, the first time after the Covid lockdown. Fundraising has also continued to be from regular cake and jam sales, as well as generous donations from friends and one from Benevity, the charity arm of the Bank of Canada. It should finally be noted that the exchange rate has continued to be fairly volatile throughout the year, which has affected the value of funds transferred to Tanzania.
Accounts
The Accounts for the year 2022/2023 are appended to this report.
Thanks
As Chairman, I would like to thank the Trustees who sat on the Action in Africa board this year, Tina Rayburn (Vice Chairwoman), Carolyn Higgs (Treasurer) and Michael Andrews for all their hard work. I really feel that the Charity continues to make a marked difference to the lives of so many people living in the Nyaishozi and Mtandika areas of Tanzania.
Michael Agius,
Chairman
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ACTION IN AFRICA (Charity No. 1072661)
Receipts and Payments Account for the year to 5 April 2023
Receipts
| General Fundraising Donations received Gift Aid receipt Bank interest Fundraising for incubators Total Costs Administration (Tanzania) Administration (UK) Cash transfer costs Fundraising expenses Total Net Income Payments to beneficiaries Education Development Health Two incubators Total Funds at 6 April 2022 |
£8,038 £20,128 £3,339 £29 £36,391 £67,925 £0 £203 £700 £390 £1,293 £66,632 £23,967 £10,195 £1,878 £12,788 £48,828 £21,066 |
|---|---|
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| Excess of receipts over payments for the year Funds at 5 April 2023 |
£17,804 £38,870 |
|---|---|
Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 5 April 2023
Assets
| Reserved funds for incubators | £23,603 | |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved funds | £15,267 | |
| Total | £38,870 | |
| Liabilities | Total | £0 |
Note to the accounts:
Net Fundraising
| Quizzes Jams/Cakes/Small church donations Cranmore School Amazon Smile, Easy Fundraising, BCMY recycling Total |
£3,912 £2,532 £1,051 £153 £7,648 |
|---|---|
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