Working Together to Achieve More
Development Direct Annual Report for AGM 20[th] November 2024 1[st] October 2023 – 30[th] September 2024
Development Direct remains a charity that supports health and education as its central aims.
The year to 30[th] September 2024 saw changes in the activities of Development Direct with the focus on maintaining sponsorship of pupils, both at secondary school and further education, as well as helping the Maasai Community at Lempintira (formerly Labentera). School linking also started.
Thanks For Support
Our thanks go to all those who have supported us:
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By regular giving, monthly or one-off payments; a special mention must again go to our regular donors (J Bell, A von Heimendahl, S MacGill, A Barber, G Brown, G Dodgson, T Hancock, R McKenna, H Shaw, R Forsyth)
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in giving of their time - selling on eBay and elsewhere; selling books to raise funds;
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sponsorship of pupils and specific projects;
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to Benson Oswago who has continued to act as our Kenyan co-ordinator over the past year, ensuring that funds sent for school, college and university fees were paid and accounted for. He also ensures that funds for the VIAGENCO clinic are spent appropriately. He also supports the teachers in the linked schools
The borehole, camp and school at Lempintira (formerly Labentera)
It was with great sadness that we received a message in early June 2024 that Chief Moses Letoluo had suddenly passed away. Moses had worked with the late John Blissett of Willetts Safaris to create a sustainable community business through the camp to support the nursery school. Their ultimate vision was to create a wildlife conservancy in the area to attract tourists.
It was reported that there was a problem with the borehole in August 2023. Investigations revealed a problem with the computer that runs the system. After a lot of email exchanges, Davis and Shirtliff, who originally installed the system, were asked to investigate. In November 2023, a visiting group were able to monitor this and reported back to the trustees that the system seemed to be working. However, there was a further problem when a group visited in May 2024. With help from a member of the community, a new supplier was commissioned to get everything up and running. The work has been completed and we have been assured that it is all working well. A new solar system has been installed to take the water to the camp. The area around the borehole has been cultivated in order to grow vegetables for the local community and the camp.
Although Willetts Safaris Ltd no longer exists, funds for the Maasai community continue to be raised. Almost £15,000 was raised at the John Blissett Memorial Dinner in September 2024, specifically to fund teacher accommodation for the nursery school teachers. Grateful thanks to Lycetts for matched funding of £5,000 and Colin Murray for hosting the event.
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The nursery school is now at capacity with 60 pupils, 30 in Pre-Primary 1 and 30 in Pre-Primary 2. Helen Nkuraiya, a local headteacher, is advising the teachers as the Kenya education system has changed to a Competency Based Curriculum. Details can be found at htps://kicd.ac.ke/cbc-materials/popular-slides-on-cbc/ Health Education is now included in the Citizenship strand
Tanzanian Projects related to Development Direct – Richard Walker
We had 7 intercalating Masters of research (MRes) students in Tanzania from March to May 2024. We will have 6 MRes students in Tanzania in 2025. 4 of them are involved with our large Parkinson's Disease Grant. This is National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Global Health Research Group (GHRG), Transforming Parkinson's Care in Africa (TraPCAf). This involves 7 countries in Africa - Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. It is a 4-year grant from the first of September 2022. We have previously published papers in relation to dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis which relates to previous research in which Development Direct has been involved. We celebrated the 25[th] anniversary of the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust/Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre link at Alnwick Gardens on 4[th] October 2024 and planted a tree in honour of this.
Accounts
Pat Lombard resigned as our book-keeper at the last AGM. The trustees thanked Pat for her years of service to Development Direct. Gill Blissett has taken over the role in the short term and Dave Walton has agreed to be the auditor but an Independent Examiner will be required to sign off the accounts for this financial year.
Public Liability Insurance
Public Liability Insurance is now in place and is renewed on an annual basis.
School Links
These have now started again and thanks go to Pip Forsyth for engaging with the local schools here and schools in Mbita. Exchange of project work has started again and one school (Regent Farm First) has managed a couple of ZOOM meeting with Mercy Education Support Centre, their link school near Mbita.
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End of year accounts 1[st] October 2023 – 30[th] September 2024
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