| Where is Watamu? | Silverstone Junior School, Watamu | How can you help? | Children available for Sponsorship | Photo gallery | Diary of events | Contacts and links |
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Watamu is a seaside resort on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It lies on a small headland, between the Blue Lagoon and Watamu Bay. Its main industries are tourism and fishing. The nearest big town is Malindi to which it is connected by frequent matatu. The shoreline in the area which features white sand beaches and offshore coral formations arranged in three bays: Watamu Bay, Blue Lagoon and Turtle Bay. They are protected as part of the Watamu Marine National Park. The Marine Park is considered to be one of the best snorkeling and diving areas on the East African coast. Watamu has an urban population of 1900 and it is part of the Malindi District. 
The name 'Watamu' means 'sweet people' in Swahili. The name came from the fact that Arab Slave Traders used to distribute a candy to entice the local population then taking them as slaves. A newly discovered species of the largest spitting cobra in the world (Naja ashei) was recently discovered in Watamu. Wikipedia |
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Watamu Holidays - Deserted beaches and superb diving A Watamu holiday is a perfect choice for those seeking immaculate, often deserted beaches and truly stunning natural surroundings. Situated on the east coast of Kenya, the resort has a welcome laid back ambience, yet offers a full program of water sport activities and an authentic African experience. Watamu village stands on a small headland, between the Blue Lagoon and Watamu Bay and is just a short drive away from Malindi beach resort. Its offshore reefs, which form part of the Watamu Marine National Park are considered one of the best diving and snorkeling spots in East Africa. Watamu Holidays - Water sports galore Local food stalls and restaurants line the Watamu streets and a good selection of bars and discos have relaxed nightly entertainment. Shopping is a low key affair with souvenir and handicraft stalls throughout the resort. Water skiing, snorkeling, fishing or a sunset trip aboard a traditional dhow are popular with visitors and can be booked through beach side hotels. Stroll along miles of deserted shoreline and venture underwater to fully appreciate the colour and beauty of a Watamu holiday where close encounters with lionfish, turtles and moray eels are common. Holidays in Watamu - Stunning natural surroundings The sheer biodiversity of the surrounding area make a Watamu holiday a dream destination for nature lovers. Cool forest walks where buffalo and elephants can be seen, coastal mangroves, underwater caves and bird watching are all within easy reach of Watamu. For a little history lesson, journey to the nearby Gede Ruins, a 12th century Swahili village which was inexplicably abandoned more than 600 years ago. This well preserved settlement is now a national museum and there is an adjacent butterfly breeding park. Watamu holidays offer pure relaxation, natural beauty and energetic activities for all to enjoy, along with genuine Kenya warmth and hospitality. Direct Line Holidays |
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Step away from the glitz of the holiday resort, and you will find a different world. 
Since the 1990's, Kenya has experienced slow decline. This is mainly due to inept government, corruption, drought and civil war. In 2007 - 2008 occurred the Kenya Crisis following the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki. There were allegations of electoral manipulation. Opposition supporters went on a violent rampage in several parts of the country and there was much targeted ethnic violence. By February 2008, more than 1,000 people had died. 
Kenya has more than one million people estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS comprising about 7% of the population. The average lifespan of Kenyans is 56, compared with 77 in the UK. The unemployment rate is about 40% |
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One severe problem for the people of Kenya, particularly in rural districts, is the lack of availability of education for the children. There are many reasons for this, including;
This is where we try to help. |
In February 2002, Angie Cundale and a group of friends from Silverstone, UK, went to Watamu, Kenya for a holiday They saw first hand the total poverty that so many Kenyans live in, and the poor conditions that many children were in. They were all greatly moved by what they saw. They decided to sponsor some children and pay for their education. Angie befriended Janet Kahindi and asked for help in finding some suitable children. Janet arranged for some of the group to visit a village in the forest to meet a family who had young children in need of schooling. The children, Ian, Mary and Rosie started school at Watamu the very next day. Because the children lived far from the school, Janet took them to live with her and her husband Allan. Angie kept in touch with Janet, and heard how well the children were doing at school. In 2004, they returned to Watamu for another holiday, and were amazed at the difference in the children. They just knew they needed to do more. During the trip, they organised the installation of a water tap in the village the children came from, which improved the quality of life there, greatly reducing the distance they had to walk to fetch water. By this time, Janet and Allen had become part of her family, and they part of hers. They are the most kind and selfless people that you could ever wish to meet. They now had about eight orphaned or vulnerable children living with them. One evening on a visit, Angie saw some coral blocks stacked in the garden. Janet said they were collecting them to fulfil 'the dream', of building a school. Well, that was it, they knew what they needed to do! Back home they started fundraising to help achieve the dream. |
The school opened on 8th May 2005 with 1 classroom and 9 children. It was officially declared open by Angie Cundale on 16th February 2007, by which time there were 5 complete classrooms, enough for 200 children. The opening party brought lots of story books, pens, colours, toys and text books for the children worth £1000. They also commissioned 60 desks for the new classrooms from a local carpenter; the desks were boldly inscribed with the name of the donor (see photo gallery). |
The school now has 10 classrooms and a kindergarten block. There are 250 children aged from 2 to 16 years old. 25 of these now live in the School House and are looked after by Janet and Allan. The headmaster, Daniel Mkare, has a team of 15 teachers, a school secretary, kitchen staff, and a driver for the school bus. The kitchen and administrative block were donated by Towcester Rotary. The ongoing project at the moment is to build 10 toilets and 4 shower rooms. The fundraising has begun and we hope to see this completed before the end of Autumn 2009. The creation and development of this school is a truly remarkable achievement, considering it has been funded mostly from voluntary efforts. Contributions have come from around the globe; not just the UK but from also Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Australia and America. Holidaymakers frequently visit the school, and donate anything from pens and pencils to sacks of cement. We are eternally grateful for the vast goodwill of all our friends, without which none of this would have been possible. Our need for funding continues, as many of our children are unable to pay the school fees, and we continually strive to improve and enlarge the school. Maybe you can help? |
We are not the only ones fundraising for the school at Watamu. Our Italian friends shown here have succeeded in sponsoring 20 children. Here, with Janet, are, from left to right, Cinzia, Claudia, Helena, Jerry, Daniele and Rita. |
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Many of the children at the school are in need of support. This may be because their family is too poor to send them to school, or they may have only one parent or are orphaned. We have organised sponsorship schemes whereby you can help in various ways ... To make arrangements, please get in touch with Angie (see Contacts). We can if you wish set up a Direct Debit to the school account. There are absolutely no charges taken by the organisers to run this scheme. Everybody contributes their time and effort free of charge and every penny donated goes direct to the point where it is needed. |
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You can help an individual child We will give you a dossier of the child's details and background, and keep in touch with you so you can see how he/she grows up and develops. We will send the child's school report directly to you, and update photographs annually. You can select a child out of those shown in the section "Children available for Sponsorship". The cost is £15 per month. Please note, this act does not imply any legal obligation towards the child. |
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You could opt for an Open Sponsorship You might want to help in a similar way to sponsoring an individual child, but don't want to single out anyone in particular. We will select a needy child to benefit from your donation, or use the money for uniforms and books. |
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You could help us with the food fund or the school bus Many children are malnourished in Kenya; their families simply do not have enough money for food. The cost of staple foods such as maize and flour have doubled in price in the last year. We make sure that all pupils have two meals a day whilst at school. For may of the children, this is the only food they get all day. We also operate a school bus to collect and return children who live too far away to walk. A regular payment of around £5 per month, or indeed just a lump sum, will ensure we can continue to provide these services. |
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The following are a few of those that have contributed in many ways to the creation of the school at Watamu.
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Angie Cundale (organiser) John Firth (webmaster) |
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Links to internet websites
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