Minutes:
TRUSTS FOR AFRICAN SCHOOLS
MEETING OF TRUSTEES ON THURSDAY 19 JULY 2007
6.30 PM AT PORTCULLIS HOUSE ROOM ‘Q’
Present: Norma Empringham, Ben Howland, Heather Flint, Tim Flower, Gill Marshall-Andrews,
Apologies: Will Jones, Tom Marshall-Andrews, Johnnie Morris, Luke Morris,
1. Minutes of meeting on 14 May 2007 were agreed.
2. Update on local trusts.
Eburru
School going very well. Water tank is complete and now three quarters full after late rains. Electricity is installed in all classrooms so evening study and adult classes are possible. The school is clean and the gardens are well tended. The new teachers are doing well and the government has agreed one more teacher. The unqualified teaching staff may now have to leave but the position is unclear. The school has put in several ambitious proposals for funding including new science laboratories and tuition block, IT programme and 10 bursaries for 08 intake.
Asako
Not all good news from here. The headteacher has been away from school for 3 months. No-one knows where he is. The school is therefore drifting. No maintenance has been done so the termites have caused the doors to fall off. Because he is the only signatory, there has been no access to the meagre government funds for curriculum resources, so books, pencils etc are even scarcer than they usually are. The community reps agreed to contact the Regional Education officials and report the situation.
The meeting at the school in May has, however, galvanised the trustees into action. Since then the windpump has been completed and the piping to the school is under way with help from the Kenya Wildlife Service. Tony Fitzjohn has installed solar panels which should shortly be operational. Staff have agreed to try and open bank accounts so they don’t have to leave school to collect their salaries each month.
And progress is being made in other areas. The new community built nursery classroom is in use with around 30 pre school children taught by the two TAS funded teachers.
One of the nursery teachers now runs an adult literacy class for women in the afternoons. The two TAS funded female teachers are still in school and the numbers of girls enrolled is rising (exact numbers were not available due to poor record keeping and headmaster’s absence).
By the next meeting in September it is hoped that a new headmaster will have been appointed and funding for new projects agreed.
Green Park
It is believed that work has started on the new building but no photos are available. More detail after the next meeting of the trust in September.
The intractable problem of how to fund transport for local children to the get to primary school 6km away remains. Options are still being considered including hiring taxis, and purchasing a second hand bus.
TAS has sent out £1600 for clearance and fencing of a games / play area beside the new school.
3. Developments at Bishangari
A detailed report had previously been sent out. It is likely the name of the school trust will change to Kimphe Langano School Trust as the name ‘Bishangari’ is apparently copyright!
There are complications with the 7th Day Adventist charity L’Esperance which is contracted to fund the school for 5 years – till end 2008. They have not been fulfilling their contractual obligations and the school is in difficulty unless they do so. It seems the Education Bureau will not agree to take over the school till the contract has ended.
The Education Bureau were involved in meetings to discuss setting up the trust; so too is the businessman who owns the local tourist lodge. The potential trustees have been identified and it is hoped to establish an informal group if not a legal trust by November when Will Jones is going out again.
There is around £10k ready for use at the school once a structure has been established.
4. Website
This continues to evolve and is much complimented.
5. Finance
We have £6583 in the bank and £2862 expected from Gift Aid next week. A further £1500 Gift Aid should be available in September.
The annual return has been approved. It was agreed that this should go on the website with a link to the Charity Commission site. TF will liaise with TMA.
6. Fund raising
Several corporate possibilities are being pursued. Journeys by Design are donating safaris to several finance houses and hope to have some influence on their charitable giving. The TAS leaflets have to be reprinted soon so they can be included in various mailings.
Fujitsu is not responding. Betterplace the internet platform is evolving slowly. TAS is one of the pilot organisations but we have not so far managed to work the system out and get our projects onto the platform!
DfID have refused our application. We are trying to get feedback and will try again.
GMA presented a fund-raising document which grew out of the DFID application. There was discussion about the implications of this – whether and how TAS should grow the number of local trusts. It was agreed that this should be the main subject of discussion at the next meeting.
Arrangements for the Garden Party on 30 September in Heather’s riverside garden are in hand. All agreed to send out the invitations and encourage friends and relations to attend. There will be a band, food and drink.
6. Disbursements
It was agreed to send :
£1500 to Eburru for IT programme
£1050 to Eburru for 10 bursaries for the 08 intake ( first of four years)
£650 to Asako for 3 bursaries for secondary school (first of four years)
£1300 to Asako for 4 more trustees meetings
£200 to Asako for lockable storage
£250 to Asako for nursery books and resources
Plus £1260 to Asako for fuel efficient cookers ( when the proposal arrives)
8. Next meeting 6.30pm Tuesday 16 October 2007 in Portcullis House.
