Minutes:
TRUSTS FOR AFRICAN SCHOOLS
MINUTES OF THE MEETING ON 21 SEPTEMBER 2006
AT PORTCULLIS HOUSE WESTMINSTER
Present: Norma Empringham (Chair), Heather Flint, Tim Flower (Treasurer), Ben Howland, Will Jones, Tom Marshall-Andrews, Gill Marshall-Andrews (Secretary), Johnnie Morris
Apologies: Luke Morris
- Minutes of the meeting on 25 May were agreed.
- Update on local trusts
Eburru School Trust is going well. Renovations at the school are completed and the school is looking very good. A prize (an outing) is being offered to the class which keeps its classroom cleanest and another for the class that produces the best garden.
Two female teachers paid for by TAS have been recruited and are soon to be re-housed in the school building.
The cooking pots are sensationally successful. In place of a dark smoky room with pots of food boiling on open fires a new kitchen has been built with a cement floor and corrugated iron roof. The 3 highly efficient stoves have been mounted on plinths and the cooking is done in a clean smoke-free environment. The woodstore that was expected to last for 2 months is now likely to last for 2 years! A wonderful improvement.
The rainwater collection project is about to begin now that tenders have been received. £4k more is required.
Electricity has come to the village and is about to be stepped up to the school. The cost of wiring the school is likely to be presented as a project proposal soon. The computers (laptops) have arrived and Lily’s (the chair of the board of governors) nephew is a computer wiz who will set them up and care for them.
The community has begun to take a real interest in the school and parents evenings and open days are being planned. Also inservice training for the staff.
More project proposals will be presented at the next trust meeting
Green Park School Trust
5 acres of land has been identified for the new school building which is to become a children’s centre not just a nursery school. It will offer a library and resource area as a homework club for children attending primary and secondary schools off site and for adult literacy classes. The design has been agreed after considerable discussion at a meeting of trustees.
Also agreed was the recruitment of a new member of staff to lead the new development. He/she will also be responsible for arranging sports and arts activities in the holidays. A project proposal will be prepared in time for their next meeting in November.
Asako Primary School Trust
This was set up on 12 September. Juma Ali Dido (community leader) was elected chairman, Anthony Gross ( lawyer) has agreed to be the treasurer and Lissa Campbell the secretary. A bank account will be opened initially in Nairobi. The Board of Governors will develop some project proposals for consideration at the next trust meeting.
There was lengthy discussion about how to fund the transport costs of trustees coming from Nairobi to the school for meetings. Trustees need to meet together on a regular basis for the first few months to build trust and establish procedures. It was agreed that the local trust would be asked to apply to TAS for the funds for regular flights for a limited period and in the meantime GMA will pay £450 for the next flight on 11 October.
- Website
All agreed the website was looking good and TMA was congratulated. BH suggested that donors should not be named on the site unless they had given their permission. It was agreed that the list of donors would be taken down until donors had been contacted.
GMA will write a newsletter and send it out to donors. She will try to assemble email and postal addresses for donors wherever possible.
- Finance
Current funds in the bank are around £3k. HF presented a cheque for £400 from Waldegrave School. Other recent payments including through the website should bring the total up to around £4k. Nothing has been received from BH’s friend Alex who was doing a marathon. This should amount to around £2500. BH will pursue.
TF will sort out the accounts and gift aid, liaising with TMA and GMA.
- Fund raising
We will hold a corporate fund raising event at the House of Commons on 23 November. Need to invite Fujitsu, Bestinvest, Bridgepoint, Macfarlanes and any other possible corporate donor.
(Post meeting note: Venue confirmed Room S in Portcullis House 6pm 23 November. Refreshments to be ordered later).
We will seek sponsorship for unavoidable transport and management costs.
GMA is visitng schools. BH will approach Kings Wimbledon.
- Disbursements
It was agreed not to send anything out now but wait till the account is clearer and project proposals have come in from Asako and the other schools.
(Post meeting note: Barclays have refunded £182 which was taken from the £6000 sent to Eburru in July.)
- Computers and communications
There was a discussion about ways of establishing email communication in Asako. This will be discussed with possible sponsors on 23 November.
- Books
NE’s books will be transported free by someone in Wembley. A list of titles is needed. More details later.
- Next meeting
5pm Thursday 23 November Room S at Portcullis House.
