Against all odds

Against all odds

He is a very brave little boy. He is only 5 years of age and he always greets strangers with a smile, despite the difficulty this causes him.  This little boy has a debilitating chronic condition which has left him confined to a bed. He finds it challenging doing simple tasks that we take for granted – like chewing and swallowing. But he is a very determined and resilient boy, and under his mother’s watchful eyes he will try to raise his hand to greet visitors and smile and laugh.

His name is Wayne Kiprop Kogei, the only child of Samuel Soi, a driver at Elsa’s Kopje – one of us in this large Elewana and Cheli & Peacock family.

Wayne suffers from cerebral palsy, a condition marked by impaired muscle coordination and other disabilities, typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth.  As a result, he suffers from convulsions and has delayed development milestones.  In addition to this, he has breathing difficulties due to enlarged adenoids, the mass of tissue that sits above and behind the nose.

Unfortunately, his immune system is currently too weak to allow him to safely undergo surgery.  His doctors will be monitoring his progress in the next three months and reevaluate his case again thereafter.

Despite his illness, Wayne has a fighting spirit and has become an inspiration to many, and that is why we are asking you to stand by him today.

Wayne requires three sessions of occupational therapy per week, as well as a supply of anticonvulsants to help prevent or reduce the severity and frequency of seizures and monthly follow up with his paediatrician to check his progress.  Due to financial constraints, Wayne’s parents cannot afford a nurse, let alone meet his medical expenses.  His mother has been his primary caregiver since birth and so Samuel is the sole breadwinner for this young family.

To date, the Land & Life Foundation have donated sitting and standing aids to help strengthen his muscles and leg braces to enhance his mobility and help him to get around. Elewana has pledged to provide an additional 20 sessions of occupational therapy, which will cover the next six months for him to attend twice a week instead of only once.

If you would like to know more about how you too can help Wayne, please contact us today. He, and we, would appreciate your support!

A win for Shanga!

We are delighted to announce that our sister foundation, Shanga, has been awarded an award for “Outstanding Sustainability” at the 2016 Minor Awards of Excellence ceremony. Being placed 2nd from 32 submissions, Shanga was recognised for its outstanding contribution to the community and positive impacts on business, society and the environment.

Shanga, the Swahili word for bead, is one of Arusha’s hidden gems. It was started in 2007 as a small one person project and has grown into a large and effective organisation today, employing nearly 60 people, over half of whom are disabled. Shanga works to empower people living with disabilities through training and employment, giving them the chance to support their families and develop a successful career.

Shanga is now supported by Land & Life and Elewana as part of our commitment to the people of Tanzania. Shanga is located at Arusha Coffee Lodge where the workshop houses a range of disabled employees and showcases activities including glass-blowing, weaving, sewing, tinga tinga painting, bead-making and metal work, as well as a shop showcasing handmade Shanga products.

We are exceptionally proud of Shanga and all its employees and would like to congratulate everyone once again on doing such a great job. Keep up the good work, everyone!

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A well deserved game drive!

Late last month, six children from Ololomei Primary School near Elephant Pepper Camp were delighted to win last term’s Wildlife Warrior Program Poster competition. The six drew a very creative and impressive poster that captured the theme ‘Living with Wildlife’, and presented the poster as a team, discussing the many themes of human-wildlife conflict from the unique perspective of young people living on the border of a wildlife-rich conservation area. All of the students produced wonderful posters, of course, and the winning team were proud to have been chosen from such a high standard of selections.

A well deserved game drive

The winning students were awarded with a game drive to Mara North Conservancy and a brief tour of Elephant Pepper Camp.They were accompanied by two of their teachers and by the look of things they really had a really grand time! A special ‘Thank you’ to Patrick and Sophie for organising this outing for our warriors!

 

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Over $20,000 for Plaster House!

Over $20,000 for Plaster House!On Friday 24th March Land & Life Foundation co-hosted a Fundraising Gala at Arusha Coffee Lodge. With beer generously provided by Tanzania Breweries Limited and wine kindly provided by Upper Zonal Trading, there were plenty of drinks for everyone, and the lodge provided a fine spread of snacks for all guests. Prizes for the silent auction were donated from a wide range of generous sponsors including Coastal Aviation, Serengeti Balloon Safaris, Elewana Collection, Sopa Lodges, Salt Restaurant Dar es Salaam, Nomad Tanzania, Amani Forest Camp, and many more.

The event was a huge success and we raised over $20,000! This amount is being donated directly and in full to the Plaster House Arusha, a rehabilitation home for children recovering from life changing orthopaedic, plastic or neuro surgery. Plaster House will be using the funds raised at this event to purchase a Toyota Hiace van, and this will be used to transport  the sick children and their carers to and from the hospital for surgery and appointments.  Everyone is thrilled, and the staff and patients and Paster House would like to thank everyone who attended the event and contributed to the successful evening.

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Toilet project at Embiti

Embiti Toilet

Sanitation and hygiene in schools contributes to better health and educational outcome among school going children.  But just for a moment, imagine attending a primary school with no toilet!   This has been the situation at Embiti Primary School near Sand River Mara since the school was founded six years ago.

That was until last year when a very supportive group of young people staying at Sand River Mara, the Young Presidents Organisation (YPO), visited the school. Having seen the school and talked to the staff and students, the YPO group decided to donate US$ 1,000 towards a toilet project.

We are now thrilled to report that we have overseen the successful construction and completion of 4 toilets and 1 urinal for the children and staff. On a recent visit to the school, the toilet facilities were just about to be completed, and the staff and students are delighted with the improvement in their facilities. It is thanks to generous donations such as this one that the Land & Life Foundation is able to continue to make a real difference to the lives of communities living in and around wildlife areas.