When your school day includes the only one (or two for the luckiest) meals you are likely to be able to get in a day, Christmas holidays seem daunting….. Shocking to think that thousands of children are still dying of hunger every month in this day and age. We cannot change everything … but if we can feed one child each and allay the fear of hunger, and it's discomfort, we have changed the world for that child. One child at a time - isn't that the way?

Jolaurabi school was set up 19 years ago to educate children in an extremely poor area in Kenya just outside Mombasa. Thousands of children now have hope, a sense of self-worth and opportunity after being through the school. The children are selected from the poorest families and given a quality education where they had no chance of formal education at all. And they appreciate it immensely, achieving some of the highest results in the region. Some of the former pupils are now teachers in the school - fabulous circle of hope!  

And they are fantastic! Many of you will have seen the visiting choir from the school this year and on previous trips and been blown away by their inexhaustible enthusiasm and joy. 

Please help me take hunger out of the equation for Christmas ….. every penny you send goes to the children as nobody involved in administering and running the charity take any payment at all - only minimal expenses for such things as printing are taken from gift aided amounts where necessary. This makes this a fantastic model for how charities should be run! Maureen, the founder, personally selects the children based entirely on giving a 'hand up' to the most needy within the community, and runs this charity purely on love and support from people like me and you.  I aim to be at the school gate (entirely at my own cost) at the end of term to add a hug from you to the parcel for each family in the school. x x

Let's get this done. Thank you so much for supporting us … I will post individual stories about the children as the amount ramps up … be sure to pop onto the new website too to find out more Educatethekids.com.

Love, Heather x