Minutes:
TRUSTS FOR AFRICAN SCHOOLS
NOTES OF THE MEETING ON 23 SEPTEMBER 2009
Present: Lissa Campbell, Norma Empringham, Heather Flint, Ben Howland, Will Jones, Gill Marshall-Andrews, Tom Marshall-Andrews, Johnnie Morris, Luke Morris,
Apologies: Tim Flower,
1. Trustees welcomed Lissa Campbell as a new Trustee. Her experience in Kenya establishing the Asako Primary School Trust and supporting the whole TAS operation in Kenya will be of great value to us in UK.
2 The minutes of the meeting on 15 July 2009 were agreed.
3. Developments in Mwingi / Kora
The four new school trusts are now well established in the exceptionally dry and poor area in the Tana River region of Kenya.
The new trusts have been set up and ably supported by Stephen Kameti, who works jointly for Kenya Wildlife Service and TAS. He helps KWS to engage with communities around Kora National Park and at the same time works alongside the new trusts in this very remote and arid area. Without him and the KWS administrative and logistical support it would be difficult to reach these schools. It is likely that KWS will take him on as a permanent member of staff and upgrade his post if TAS can continue to pay his basic salary. The Director of KWS Julius Kipng’etich and the Senior Warden of Meru and Kora Conservation Area Mark Cheruyiot are fully supportive of TAS.
4. Other developments
i) Asako – water disputes between school, community, and KWS continue. KWS is working to resolve the situation.
ii) Madogo – the dormitory renovation funded by the CDF is complete. The soil block making machine has been delivered and it is hoped that students will start making blocks for a wall round the school very soon.
iii) Eburru - the science lab is under construction. A holiday revision programme was run this August
iv) Green Park – the children are in the new school. Still no fence or playground.
v) Kimphee Langano –the Self Help Group has a new external ‘trustee’- Yohannes Assefa, MD of Red Jackal Tours based in Addis. Funds have been sent for additional teachers and bursaries for the start of the school year. Other projects, eg a plant nursery and a mill house, are being developed. £30k is still available for the classroom block and Will is hoping to find further funds to complete this project.
vi) Buheezi – no further developments
5. Finance
LM handed GMA cash and cheques totalling £1440.60. This was much welcomed.
Bank account stands at around £51k.
6. Project funding
The following allocations were agreed.
Asako – pre school teacher training £190
Mivukoni – 10 bandas £1300
Eburru – Science lab £12,050
Usueni – 3 Additional teachers for 2 years £4800
Kalumu – 4 additional teachers for 1 year £2400
Ikathima – 4 additional teachers for 1 year £2000
Kimphe Langano – 4 radios £340
Total £23,080
This will leave a balance of around £30k, all of which is ring fenced for Kimphe Langano. So we badly need to raise more funds.
7. 30 November 2009 – Fund raising event
TheVice President looks as if he will come to the event. BH, WJ, LM, TMA, GMA will liaise as a sub group to send out invitations, prepare presentations and leaflets, and publicise the event. BH will co-ordinate the replies.
Action: BH, GMA, WJ, TMA, LM
8. Leaflets
Journeys by Design have sent out around 2000 of the new A4 Story so Far leaflets and around 350 invitations to the 30 Nov event. Replies will be collated by BH.
Four new leaflets for the new trusts were drafted and taken out to the schools. They were enthusiastically received. They will be amended and printed to be available for 30 November.
Action: WJ and GMA
9. Criteria of Success
The Document prepared by Norma was taken out by GMA and given to the Headteacher at Asako to look at. He would be able to complete the numbers - % staying on, student and staff attendance etc but very hard to do the rest of the form. The Ministry of Education issue a new self assessment form for all schools to complete and it was agreed that we make this the basis of our Criteria of Success.
GMA will pursue this.
Action: GM
10. Science Equipment
We still hope to get this equipment out to one of the secondary schools with help from Aviation without Borders and the Min of Education who have said they can waive the customs charges.
Action: GMA
11. Website
JM has drafted and re-drafted some docs for the website using Stephen Kameti’s observations about Identifying a New School and Setting up and Operating a School Trust. These were welcomed.
All are asked to look at them and comment to JM or GMA
Action: ALL
12. Trustee support for trusts
LC agreed to be the main point of contact for the 6 trusts based in the Mwingi / Kora / Garissa area.
(Post meeting note: NE had previously agreed to be Eburru’s contact, WJ is Kimphe Langano’s, and JM was Buheezi’s)
13. Next meeting 6pm Monday 9 November 2009 at Portcullis House Room M
