Category Archives: News

e-link bulletin No.11 Jan 2017

by

Peacemakers e-link Bulletin 11   Jan 2017

We have had some exciting news leading up to Christmas.  From all the letters we sent to companies and embassies requesting financial support for the future of Peacemakers, The Irish Embassy responded, visited our Resource Centre, and was so encouraged with what they saw, they pledged to sponsor us for around £5000.00 to purchase a greenhouse, a piggery etc. I also had news from Christine that our sow had given birth to six piglets, so the timing was perfect, a new family sty for them.  It just didn’t end there, somebody had anonymously nominated us for The Good Samaritan award, which is a prize that is awarded every year in Nairobi.  Peacemakers’ won it this year for the work we have done with the vulnerable over the year. Christine and three other Peacemakers’ were invited to dinner to the Kenya International Conference Centre and presented with the prize of around £1000.00.  Such a blessing and a BIG thank you for all our friends who have sponsored so regularly for these vulnerable children’s education.

This brought us into 2017 with great gusto to organise the ‘Walk’ that Isaac Gacugo has volunteered to do.  He did suggest walking from Mombasa to Nairobi, but it was felt that this route was too dangerous so another route has been planned to start on 23rd January and our Chief for the Embu District will start him off from Embu Town.  The walk will be across country for safety reasons around the foot hills of Mt Kenya and will take approximately 12 days staying overnight in arranged accommodation.   Others will be walking with Isaac and giving out invitations to come to the opening of the Restaurant on 25th March 2017 and bring their sponsored money with them, while newcomers will join the walk at Karurumo to finish at our Resource Centre on 4th February.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DATE OF THE RESOURCE CENTRE GRAND OPENING HAS BEEN MOVED BACK TO 25th MARCH 2017

I’m sorry, but the change of date for the ‘Opening’ was unavoidable because there is so much to arrange and we were just running out of time.  The last day of the walk on 4th February, will be re-walked again on 25th March to co-inside with the ‘Opening’.

Joan Rushton is visiting Kenya again in early February and will be one of those people who will be joining the walk on the last day and has a few friends who are sponsoring her.  Well done Joan.

Helen and Molly are also visiting in February, Molly for the first time, but Helen has been several times before and works very hard in raising money for Peacemakers within her church members, groups and friends.  Thank you Helen.

Hundreds of letters have been distributed and I’ve been told that Ben Muriria who works for the President of Kenya will personally take a letter to the First Lady for us, so wouldn’t it be wonderful if she came along to the opening.  Fanta from  Kigumo will help with media coverage.  Peter Wag will lend his bike (I don’t know who is riding this) and Christine will be driving ahead.

Grace Kaurma, who is the Secretary and Trustee of Peacemakers in Kenya, is visiting her family who live in the UK and I’m taking the opportunity of spending some time with her.  Grace has been the principal of a private girl’s school and is retired now.  She has been involved with Peacemakers for 30 years + and maybe this is the time that Grace could be more involved in taking some responsibility in the Micro Enterprise projects.

Grace is spending a week with me and I’m having a ‘At Home with Grace’ Wednesday afternoon 18th January.  I know its short notice but it’s an informal time to meet Grace and have Tea and Cake with her.  I know it’s a work day but do come if you can.

Please keep us in your prayers
Every Blessing
Brenda

Christmas Card 2016

by

What a remarkable year this has been. The 90th birthday of her majesty Queen Elizabeth. Was it God’s mercy on our nation with the Brexit vote? A new Prime minister and her government. Donald Trump President elect of USA; the political world is changing fast! The ongoing heart-breaking situation in Syria & Iraq and its consequences, not to mention the plight of so many suffering people in the world and in our own nation.

Unfortunately, the root of all this is not born out of God’s love, although his name is often used! We can however make a difference, by our carrying an ‘Olive Branch’ to our friends and neighbours and to love our enemies as God has taught us to do.

I’ve been amazed in the past, that nations who have been fighting and killing each other can have a ceasefire agreement over the Christmas period when we are celebrating the birth of Jesus “who is love” and then return to fighting again!

Perhaps this year we can pray for a breakthrough, for peace to remain with God’s unconditional love.

Wishing you Joy & Peace this Christmas

With love

Brenda & the Peacemakers team

e-link bulletin No.10 Sept 2016

by

We are moving towards the Grand Opening of the Resource Centre and have settled on a date of 25th February 2017, which is usually a dry season!  At present I'm unable to travel to Kenya because I have a couple of leaky heart valves and so cannot cope with the high altitude, remember Nairobi is 6000ft above sea level and the Peacemakers site is on the edge of the lowlands of Mt. Kenya. Consequently, I'm trying to find a person(s) of some standing in the communities to ‘cut the ribbon’.  I’m in touch with my MP Sir Oliver Heald, to help us in establishing a working relationship with the MP responsible for Kenya. It was Nick Hurd MP but since “Brexit” there’s been a reshuffle and it's now James Wharton MP, so I will extend an invitation to him.

So far, we’ve had a few responses from the 34 companies we wrote to in Kenya for future sponsorships. They've sent forms for us to fill-in, which we will return a.s.a.p. We have also recently written to the British Embassy in Nairobi and other Christian organisations.

craft-fundraiser-7

 

craft-fundraiser-9

We recently had a couple of fund raising events in August.  Saturday 6th was on our Resource Centre in Kathageri, Kenya, and raised an incredible 142,000 Ksh (£1,150). This shows the support there is with the locals who are benefitting enormously from all the projects initiated through Peacemakers.  Then on the Monday the 8th we held a Craft and Tea Event at Clare and Phil Stokes’ house and raised a further £500.00

 

 

Thank you to all for attending – you now know

what that money is going towards.

Jackie in Kenya, read on below!

You saw in our last Bulletin No..9 that Jackie North, the mother of Sophie was visiting Kenya for the second time.  She was not disappointed and has come back inspired and wants to help with some of the organising leading up to the ‘Opening’.  The main part of her involvement is to keep people in the UK informed of the ‘Walk’ from Mombasa to the Resource Centre arriving 25th February.  An elderly Kenyan, Isaac Gacugo, has volunteered to walk 570 km for Peacemakers, to make it known to all the districts he’ll be walking through, just what Peacemakers have done and brought to his people for free. it will take him 3 weeks; He cannot thank God enough.  So that’s Isaac’s part, Jackie will send out a special bulletin shortly to explain her ideas of how we can all be involved.

The 2 young students, Alice and Hannah have now returned from their visit to Kenya and were involved in the Fund Raiser Day.  They couriered lots of items for us to have a stall on the day, and have returned excited and wanting to help further with the very needy in the area.  More news later.

Update on the progress of the Resource Centre:  We have moved on with the kitchen and restaurant (see pictures below) and now doing grills for security, but we need funds.  The plan is to get to Hygiene level, register for tax and business, train for certificate and inspection, all by October!

It’s now getting very exciting and may I extend an early invitation to you to join all the other Peacemakers to the ‘Opening’ Celebration!

Access to the restaurant!

 

 

 

Above are a couple of pictures showing a new addition to the resource centre! A young heifer, donated by Sammy to supply milk for use at the centre. She's been named 'Mpwenda' in Swahili and when she's old enough she'll be sired, the resultant calves will be placed with schools or groups in the area to supply milk for the needy. She was lonely and pining when she arrived on site, so the handler brought his own calf along to keep her company, ahh! It's also great to see the "Pickup", paid for by a generous friend of Peacemakers, still working hard after all these years!

An update-bulletin will follow shortly.
Every blessing for now,
Brenda.

Announcement.

by

Christine Allison, a neighbour of Brenda’s and a friend of Peacemakers, died suddenly after a short illness on 13th August 2016.  She was a lovely fun loving person and supported Peacemakers in many different ways.  She was also instrumental in raising money for a ‘Cow for Kenya’ and travelled out to Kenya with Brenda to place the cow with a Women’s Self Help Group and made life long friends with them.  She was also very talented and had a beautiful operatic soprano voice and was the leading singer in The Ware Operatic Society and even had an audition at Glyndebourne.

At her funeral at The Parish Church in Watton-at-Stone, The Ware Operatic Society sang ‘Hail Poetry,’ her son Richard sang ‘Angels’ and there was a recording played of Christine singing ‘Vilja’ as her exit music.  Very beautiful and very moving, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the church.

Christine Allison

Rest in Peace Christine.

e-link bulletin No.9 July 2016

by

Sorry for the delay in our latest news letter, some members of the team have had health issues. This hasn't however stopped work forging ahead towards completion of the Resource Centre; we have had a few extra donations this year, which have enabled us to move nearer to the ‘Grand Opening’ -  a big thank you to those people!  We are now looking for Sponsors that will help maintain the continuance of the Centre and it’s many projects in the community. 

When the construction work is completed there will always be overheads, such as building maintenance, renewal of registrations to the Kenyan Government, insurances etc., We are already registered with the Kenyan Government as a CBO, also CADA (Campaign Against Drug Abuse) is a CBO in its own right.  Perhaps through these registrations we may get some funding from the Kenyan Government!

Brenda has written to her local M.P. asking for financial help who in turn has passed her email onto Nick Hurd M.P. who is involved in a very similar way in Mombasa with the Kenyan Government.  Because of his involvement with the government he cannot help us personally, but he has given us a list of potential Kenyan business sponsors whom Brenda has written to in Kenya.   We are awaiting their response!

Nick Hurd letter

 

Christine and the Trustees in Kenya are having a “Fundraiser” on August 6th to raise money to help finish the construction. It probably won’t raise a great amount as money is scarce, It's great however that they want to be part of the work to improve life in their community. We are sending invitations to all the Business Companies who we've invited to become sponsors. It will be a great opportunity for them to view the resource centre and find out about it's value in the community. We pray that they will respond.

Peacemakers UK are having a Craft & Afternoon Tea Fundraiser on the 8th August.

Handmade cards flyer

Click Here to see Flyer. 

Please let us know if you would like to attend or maybe send a donation!

People visiting the Resource Centre this summer are Jackie North (below), she has been before and fell in love with Kenya so wants to return. Also two students Alice and Hannah will be going out, they will help with some of the projects hopefully develop an understanding of the needs and poverty which others live in. All three are being couriers for us, taking out lots of children’s clothes, a computer for training room, plus a variety of craft materials and more books for Library.

Jackie

I do like to encourage young people in their gap year or any young person who would like to serve in a very different and needy community, to volunteer themselves to a Life Changing Experience.  You will Bless others and be even more Blessed yourselves!

Student 02

Peacemakers would like to extend an invitation to all our friends and sponsors to become

“Friends of Peacemakers for Life”

By making a regular standing order donation, however small or great, say £5, £10 or £15 a month, it will enable this wonderful resource in Kenya to be maintained and hopefully grow into the Wellspring that it has started to become. Improving the lives of the poor and needy, young and old alike.

Click Here to open Standing order form or Right-click and "Save target as" to save and print.

This will enable and guarantee Peacemakers to have a future in Kenya.  Remember the land for the Resource Centre was selected and purchased because of the poverty and great need in the area.

Since we have been there we have seen a drop in the death of new born babies also abandoned babies, provision of mosquitos nets in shambas and help through training in many more areas. You can see on our website, the extent and depths we have reached in the area due to your love and generosity.

The Resource Centre is like an oasis and is used as a ‘Drop in’ for help daily.  These people will eventually take on the practical side of the mission, but we need your help, to be sponsors for overhead costs.
Please consider sponsoring the work in Kenya, or even coming to Kenya and being a part of the help which makes such a difference.
Every Blessing until  next time, Brenda

Christmas e-bulletin 2015

by

Welcome to the Peacemakers Christmas e-bulletin. With so much bad news in the world, we hope we can lift your spirits with news of the great things you’re helping us to achieve in Kenya. With all the promise and support given at the end of last year, 2015 has turned out to be a challenging but very rewarding year!

The projects that the French embassy in Kenya contributed to or sponsored, were finished on time with a mammoth effort from Chrissie and the Kenyan Peacemakers team.

The French ambassador to Kenya (above) came to the inauguration ceremony of the I.T. training room, non-lending library, study room, craft room, reception and disabled washroom, on the 5th November.

new facilities

Disabled access to facilities (above),
  Non-lending library(below)

library

toilet

We’re hoping that the Grand opening of the whole facility will take place in 2016. If you’re able to come along please stay in contact to be advised of the details. It will include the opening of the Restaurant, health Clinic and Cyber café which are just waiting to be furnished with equipment!

 

restaurant

These added fantastic facilities will help to further education, equip and empower the local community to becoming even more self supportive, leading to less poverty, healthier and happier lives for young and old.

Training

I.T training room (above),
 Craft room (below)

craft room

Chrissie

Christine relaxing for five minutes! To See more photos of the new facilities, click on the "Photo Galleries" menu item or clicking here (this will open a new tab!).

We are so thankful to you all, our friends and supporters, who’ve helped us to achieve these wonderful results in these financially difficult times. Helping the Kenyans work their way out of poverty with these great facilities for their health and education, not to mention fostering a great community spirit! Let’s thank God for his blessings and allowing us to continue being part of the answer to people’s needs.

A Happy Christmas and prosperous new year to you all.
From Brenda & the team.

e-link bulletin No.8 Sept 2015

by

 The Afternoon Tea and Craft Fund Raiser on 29th July 2015 in Brenda’s garden was a great success and raised £650.  There was over 30 people who came along and were very eager to get down to making decoupage boxes, stones and tins having a break for refreshments.  The comments that were heard was “what a lovely way to spend an afternoon, meeting people and making new “friends”.

Craft Fundraiser

 So a BIG THANK YOU to Clare Stokes, Jess Peyton-Jones, Ruth Wheeler and Valerie Adams who helped to organise it, make sandwiches, baked cakes and served.

Great response to funding appeal with supporters giving several years’ worth of donations in advance. This means we’ve been able to provide funds to Chrissie in Kenya to move more quickly in completing the outstanding work on the Resource Centre.  With all the facilities completed this will enable the Centre to increase its income and become self-sufficient sooner than otherwise expected.  If you feel able to advance your future planned donations please contact Brenda.  This additional funding now will be much appreciated and see the projects completed and fully operational in time for the French Embassy to launch the projects that they have sponsored on November 5th 2015.

Reading Project: The French classes’ project held in the Craft room and in schools is now underway with sponsorship from the French Embassy obtained for one year.  This combined with the general reading work reported last month is producing benefits in the community but does need help with more books please!  The Craft Room will also become a non-lending Library, a place where the locals can come to read and study.  This room needs shelving and a lot more books.  Various groups are using the Craft room including the Stress Free Group who are very impoverished.  Most are widows, some have dilapidated houses and some are being pushed off their land by family members. A Knitting project is planned for them and for the youth, whilst single mothers are hoping to start jewellery making, flower decorations and even tailoring once resources allow. Can you help in any way?

 The recent heavy rains have caused a few flooding problems, even though we collect the rainwater for daily use and irrigating plants etc.  The overnight deluges have damaged fencing and is very noisy on the tin roofs.  The Peacemakers’ youths are hoping to construct a small pond for fish in the shamba, at the bottom of the site, where the water collects.  We are also growing much of our own food with some left for selling.  We have greens, maize, tomatoes and passion fruit. We have also planted an area for a tree nursery.  We will use this produce in the Community Restaurant, including the Chickens and Pigs that we are rearing.

Building Progress:  The Community Restaurant roof is now complete it looks great. Kissimani House is now secure, important as there have been reports of break-ins recently.  We now ‘need’ a bread oven (note the pun!) for the Bakery and a proving cabinet. We are also going to require all the other bits and pieces necessary to serve the restaurant and catering for weddings, which currently take place on the site utilising the Prayer House and gardens. When we can supply the catering, it will be a great bonus in helping the resource centre become self-sufficient! 

Restaurant

(The photo shown above was taken before completion.  It looks even more beautiful finished.)

Still to be completed are the Clinic, Craft room and porridge mill / fruit juicer room.  Cyber café; we still need an experienced IT man + computers / laptops.  Some Small repairs need to be made to Kissimani House. The Watchman’s hut is now complete and in use.

The Resource Centre is looking so beautiful I would love you to see it for yourself.  Maybe every volunteer who gave of their time and talents over the years, will consider visiting the Resource Centre sometime next year, when we hope to have the official opening of this incredible project that we have all contributed to.  Thank you, Brenda

Thanks for coming to the craft fundraiser!

by

A great big thank you to everyone who took part in the Craft & Afternoon Tea fundraiser at the end of July. 

Craft Fundraiser

Everyone seem to have a lovely time at Brenda’s home, making decoupage boxes stones and tins. Afternoon tea was pretty scrummy too! The final count is now in and we raised £655 for the Kenyan projects. A huge thank you to everyone who helped & supported us.

Craft Fundraiser

To see more photos from the day, click here to look at the gallery.

Welcome to the Peacemakers website.

by

Please feel free to contact us with any questions, suggestions or donations you may have for Peacemakers, it’s always good to hear from you! Your help can make a lot of difference to many people, so feel free to volunteer or make a donation of goods or money. Thank you

e-link bulletin No.7 June 2015

by

The Dennis Marshall Foundation (DMF) is an inspiration to all, not least the local Kenyan community. They have responded well to become deeply involved in building and developing the final phases of this project under the guidance of our site director Chrissie Gibbard, but we need more expertise and additional funding. Those who visit are overwhelmed by the impact of the project and easily become immersed in the works and activities that take place. The reports below give you a flavour and a list of projects or items that need funding.

How can I help ? We urgently need your help to complete this exciting project, CAN YOU :
    .Organise an event at home or work etc. to raise funds
    .Visit the centre in Kenya for an enthralling time with Chrissie and the team
    .Donate towards projects or general funds

Reading lessons 2Liz Darlington’s visit; Liz and her daughter Emma picked up the vision at a Peacemakers event and raised their own funds before travelling to Kenya. They had a wonderful Kenyan welcome and an exhilarating experience working with the community and helping with the reading programme for the young school children. They also met the HIV ladies who get together to knit and were delighted with balls of wool that were brought over. They met the team working in the nursery growing trees and plants which are sold to raise funds and they enjoyed working alongside the building team who are completing the work on the restaurant, cyber café and craft room. They treasured the experience and were blessed to be in such an inspiring and beautiful place.
Read more details and see the photos from Liz’s recent visit

Liz’s Story:

Read here  ——  Photos here

Chrissie’s Building Progress Report: Kaka Boniface, who is the foreman on site, and his team have made excellent progress with the roof of the main community building and the internal brickwork and plastering. A Study Room, Library, Disabled shower/toilet and Reception area will be incorporated within the building and as a joiner Kaka will then complete the furniture. The Craft Room is in use already but needs shelving and storage. The room for the Ouji Mill (it makes a kind of porridge from a cereal crop) is ready for windows and door and we need to add a sink etc. The Community Café has begun but needs the roof completing and floor concreted. Kaka will build and fit the kitchen but all the equipment and chairs will need to be acquired.

Activities at the CentreCraft room: The Craft Room is now operational but Chrissie would welcome more materials to develop the activities there. Wool for the HIV knitting group is always useful especially green for local school uniform jumpers and if anyone had a knitting machine no longer required this could be refurbished by TWAM (see below) and sent out. There is also a Women’s Coop Group who meet to support the poor, a Prayer Group and the bi-monthly Minister’s meeting. Local groups often meet outside under the Mango tree except when it rains and this can be really heavy. The rain water needs to be collected and more piping and tanks are required to save this valuable resource.

jiggersCommunity Support: There is much being done to support the local community including the poor, the widows and the disabled. Small items of clothing, shoes, blankets and medical items are provided but funds are limited. Children suffer with ‘jiggers’ a worm that enters the feet can be very debilitating but can be cured if treated early. We are also supporting a boy who needs a cornea implant and another who needs an operation to remove a growth on his head. There are many disabled who need guidance with the paperwork to get help including one young student whose father was murdered last year and whose mother struggles with arthritis and scrapes a living selling avocados and bananas. There is also good news about some of our UK sponsored students who have graduated and are now making their own way. We are hosting a National disability forum in June to bring forward many local issues.

Animals and Plants: In the grounds we have pigs, sheep, rabbits, goats, ducks, chickens and beehives all helping to provide food or funds for the Centre. In addition we have a tree nursery which has become a popular place to buy seedlings. One of the disabled boys helps to graft passion fruit trees, tomatoes and avocados. A greenhouse is needed for more delicate plants and to extend the range of vegetables.

Cyber Café: We are asking the local mobile phone provider, Safaricom, to sponsor our Cyber Café but will need computers for it. We are looking for anyone with IT skills for help set up on site or advice on how to equip it.

Reading lessonsReading lessons 3

 

 

 

Reading Project: This is Chrissie’s priority following the French Embassy’s sponsorship last year. This is for the young school children and 10 youths have been trained to help the poorest readers. We have a small collection of graded books but need more. Can you help?

 

 

 

 

TWAM: UK based – Tools with a Mission, refurbish tools and machines free which are then transported in a container paid for by Peacemakers. This is a great help and if funds allowed it would be good to continue.

CAN YOU HELP IN ANY WAY ?
Please contact Brenda by e-mail Brenda.marshall@ntlworld.com