Cambodian Childs Dream Their main mission is to promote sustainable village development in partnership with Cambodian people by helping to provide clean water, sanitation, educational opportunities, health care from birth onwards, improved nutrition, and economic empowerment. The cost of helping these rural war-ravaged communities is modest: water wells (£170) latrines (£150), child annual school fee (£90), bicycle for school (£35), school starter kits (£15) anti-child-trafficking comic books (£30/class; £60/community). Education of small children in hygiene, anti-trafficking and domestic violence is achieved through shadow puppetry and comics. Several SI clubs have raised funds for water wells and latrines that are now dedicated in their name, including SIGBI SI Stratford-upon-Avon has contributed funds for a well and latrine. http://www.cambodianchildsdream.org
Family Nurse Partnership The Warwickshire Family Nurse Partnership provides intensive support for young (under 19) first-time mothers. Mothers are entitled to 65 home visits from a qualified nurse until the child is two years old and the baby’s father is also supported where appropriate. They are helped with parenting, health and well-being issues, and advisors also ensure educational needs of the parents are met to improve their opportunities in the workplace. Following successes in the USA this NHS service is now available in 100 counties in the UK. The Warwickshire team was established in 2010 and money donated by our club goes towards supporting a young mother in Stratford who needs to complete her education to ensure a self-sufficient future for herself and her baby. Family Nurse Partnership www.fnp.nhs.uk South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust www.cyp.swft.nhs.uk/family-nurse-partnership
Endometriosis This condition affects between 1.5 and 6% of women of child-bearing age and occurs when endometrial tissue from the womb lining finds its way to other parts of the body. It is not life threatening but can be both painful and very debilitating. The condition is treated with hormone therapy or by surgery. Our awareness evening was brought about following a proposal at the last SIGBI conference in Newcastle to increase knowledge of the subject and to help women gain help. The charity Endometriosis UK have an excellent website ( www.endometriosis-uk.org ) and there is a support group in Kenilworth.
Human Trafficking The Adavu Project aims to facilitate a local response to human trafficking in the West Midlands and beyond www.adavu.org.uk . It is a Birmingham Methodist District project, describing human trafficking as the movement of a person from one place to another into conditions of exploitation, using deception, coercion, the abuse of power or the abuse of someone’s vulnerability. Awareness is a key factor in success of anti-slavery work, and Kerry emphasised the importance of alerting police to concerns by dialling 101 or, where immediate action is needed, 999. Where anonymity is important Crimestoppers (0800 555 111) can be used. Adavu is a member of the West Midlands Regional Anti Trafficking Network consisting of people working for different organisations (statutory and non-statutory) all over the West Midlands, who might come into contact with trafficked persons through the work they do.
Mary’s Meals We support the charity Mary’s Meals by contributing back-packs for girls. Their website explains: Most of the children who benefit from Mary’s Meals and the Backpack Project have suffered war, poverty, famine, or natural disaster. Very often families cannot afford to buy basic things like pencils and copy books, or even suitable clothes for their children to wear to school. And so their children miss out on school and an education. A simple backpack with educational materials can be a lifeline to these children as studies show that an education is the best way a chronically poor child can escape poverty in later life. www.marysmeals.org.uk
Welcombe Hills School On Monday 11th November 2013 club President Judy Klinkenberg presented a cheque for £1200 to Chloe Willis, Head of Art at the Welcombe Hills School. The money had been raised during the summer by holding a musical evening in the gardens of Hill Close in Warwick. Chloe explained how the money would be used to promote the skills and development of their students. About half will be spent on sensory equipment and the rest will be put towards training and equipment in using clay. The artwork on display demonstrated both originality and ability and our club was delighted to support the impressive and diverse work done by the school. Welcombe Hills is a school for young people from South Warwickshire with a variety of special needs. It takes 160 pupils aged 2-19 with various – and sometimes multiple – physical and communication problems. www.welcombe-hills.co.uk
Chernobyl 2000 was our President’s charity for 2012-13. It is based in Worcestershire and started in 1998. The purpose is to run humaritan aid convoys to Belarus and organise recuperative visits for Belarusian children to the UK through education and performance art links.
Belarus was the country most affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. People living there still suffer from the after-effects and most of the land is still contaminated to some degree making it difficult for them to grow safe foods for domestic consumption and for trade.
Sreepur Village was our President’s charity for 2011-12. It is a small UK-based charity supporting a non-political, non-religious organisation in Bangladesh that works with destitute mothers and children to give them health, knowledge and skills to enable independence. They design and make greeting cards to sell: they even make the paper.
Remap was our President’s charity for 2010-11. Remap works through a nationwide network of dedicated volunteers who use their ingenuity and skills to help people with disabilities to achieve much-desired independence in some aspect of their lives, or to enjoy leisure opportunities previously closed to them. They make unique pieces of equipment tailor made for an individual: these are given free to the people who need them. They help 4000 people with disabilities every year.