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The Kipungani Schools Trust is a British charity that rebuilds primary schools along the coast of Kenya, funds related community projects and sponsors students to move on to secondary school. Its ethos is to ensure that every pound donated to the Trust arrives in Kenya without deduction and is spent ethically and wisely. The trust spends none of its donations on administration or fundraising – these are all provided free of charge by volunteers, who pay their own costs.

 We are forever complaining about the state of our schools and education system in this country. But compare our schools and education opportunities with those in the villages of Kenya and a different picture emerges.

 In 1999 by John Seagrim and Georgina Hood visited Kipungani village and found a near ruined school with 60 children sitting on earth floors, under hot tin roofs, surrounded by mud walls. They had neither desks nor books. Shocked by the desperate conditions and moved by the children’s hope and the teachers’ dedication John and Georgina decided to set up The Kipungani Schools Trust and rebuild the school.

 Two years and £16,500 later the village had a new school with eight white-wahsed, stone-walled and cement-floored classrooms with pitched roofs and shutters to keep them cool. There were now over 100 children, each with their own desk. The three teachers were now eight teachers, with a small staff room and library. The villagers now had a second well, and a school of which they were immensely proud.

The Kipungani Schools Trust has now rebuilt and enlarged eleven primary schools, with the cooperation and support of their local communities. Every day it demonstrates how much can be achieved when you give Kenya a hand-up not a hand-out.

 My daughter Sarah’s school, Downe House, has supported The Kipungani Schools Trust for the past 3 years, and this summer a small group of girls, including Sarah, will visit Kipungani to meet and work with the children there. It would be wonderful if they could take with them a substantial sum of money and see how it will be used to make a real difference to the lives of local children and their families.

 You all know how many crazy things I do, and usually it’s just for pleasure! However, cycling from John O’ Groats to Land’s End, around 120 miles per day for 8 consecutive days, will be a real challenge. Please support me if you can by donating to this fantastic charity. Thank you.

 If you would like to read more about the charity visit www.thekstrust.com 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.