Thursday 16 October 2008

Help!

Malaria test kits have arrived - how will I get all this into our luggage allowance!! Also been given some fantastic magnifying glasses to help those with poor vision, but God knows how I will find room!
Will just have to wear one set of clothes!

Wednesday 15 October 2008

Jambo

Glow Star arrived today - 2 solar panels - hope they work - will need to order mobile phone charger as well! Finished albums, 5 years of photos! Just awaiting Optimal test kits now!

Sorted out some things for Patrick, Francesca, Rose, Jedidah, Coletta and Eunice. Will have to try and get some footballs etc for the schools. Probably over weight already!

Tuesday 14 October 2008

only 10 days to go!

Well, time speeding by as usual. Glow Star hasn't arrived yet or the Malaria Test Kits but hopefully both will be here by the end of the week. Rom has asked for Glico meter slides ! We'll have to try and find those! Richard has even marked day he needs to take his Malarone and I haven't even got my Doxycycline!
Sallie and Nor have done some fantastic fund raising with concerts, meals and walks - over £2,000 in the Friends of Buburi account. All I've managed to do is spend what I have in the account!
Rom and Paul have been in touch to say that the team of well diggers are doing well and about to reach the water - they are also going to install a pump - hope this all happens! Apparently they've started a new well as the old one became to unsafe to work in ( hardly surprising after two years!)
We haven't heard from the girls and I do hope all is well with them.
Sallie has emailed Rom today to ask whether Rose has prepared a pharmacy list so that we can get everything ordered from Ninad and pick it up promptly on Tuesday morning.
Paul tells us that he is now volunteering in a secondary school in one of the slums outside of Kisumu near the airport - we may be able to visit but I have a dreadful feeling this will be worse than Usoma school and we'll be wanting to try and help with this school as well!!!!
We had a dinner at home Saturday before last with friends - Richard took some stick over what he is going to encounter either in the house or the long drop!! This should be interesting!
Need to get to bed now ready for another day x

Sunday 5 October 2008

Preparation and planning continuing

A busy week again trying to organise and order all necessaties. Glow star solar panel light ordered and paid for at last after difficulites with not being able to pay on certain cards! Just awaiting safe delivery now and hoping it will fit in luggage!
Problems with ordering Optimal Malaria Test kits still not sorted! After looking at finances we felt we could manage to pay for 1000 kits costing £2,177.28, however on receiving invoice proforma requesting bank transfer we found out they wanted VAT on top of that! This amounted to nearly £400.00 in addition! I tried the sympathy bid but company said they were unable to remove VAT charges by law EXCEPT if we ordered through a Registered Charity and complied with certain conditions!
So I looked at the Charity Commision rules for qualifying as an eligible body for zero rating VAT and found that we did qualify if St Mary's Hospital Isle of Wight Juba Hospital Southern Sudan Charity ordered the Kits. I checked with the other Trustees and all in agreement so have sent a letter to TCS claiming Zero rating on our purchase of Malaria Test Kits because we are using them for Medical purposes and all money used to purchase kits has been donated. We await!
Also creating an album for them of many photos over the last five years since the building of the Health Centre - I hope they like it and enjoy looking back to see all the progress.
Miserable wet, cold and windy Sunday here today - can't believe we spent last Sunday on the boat over in Beaulieu River and I was swimming!!!!
Jo

Friday 26 September 2008

Discussion flowing well - planning meeting

Part of the process is reminiscing......and we have done a lot of that...

We are looking forward to the culinary delights of Buburi...couscous with weevils and Ugali..which tastes worse than it sounds....
Bats in the sitting room, bats in the belfry, cockroaches in the sukumo wiki and mongoose(mongeese) in the long drop!!
Cumbai (flying ants) which apparently tast of vanilla or bacon which was an ant too far!!

When we had tired of the village life we retired to the plush Hotel Inca in kisumu...which had in the "best " room a toilet seat and a mosquito net with large holes in.. but had the only cold beer in the region and the best curry in Kenya.

More planning to do and maybe better after a good nights sleep.

more news tomorrow

Quahari! xx

Thursday 25 September 2008

Friends of Buburi

Hello everyone, thank you for viewing this blogspot.
We are busy getting ready to visit the lovely people of Buburi again. Sallie and Noreen are coming over to this evening and we're going to have a great reunion and chat over a glass or two about our plans for October.
We are flying out of Heathrow on October 24th 2008 and arrive in Nairobi on Saturday 25th October at 6am. I can't wait to feel that African dawn and see those wide open skies and feel Africa again. We hope to be able to get an Internal flight to Kisumu at 8am that morning and arrive in hot and sunny Kisumu at about 9.30am. We're looking forward to meeting up with Rom and hearing all his news then off to the luxuries of the Inca Hotel - can't wait!
After getting supplies and hopefully visiting Usoma School we are planning on driving out to Buburi on Tuesday 28th October to greet all our wonderful friends at Buburi.
Must rush to work now as I'm late! Jo