DEVELOPING TIMES 

KENYA - students: Our second year in Narok area. The group commuted daily to almost unpronounceable Olaimutiai carrying their pre-cooked lunch and sitting under a tree at midday to admire the results of their efforts which must have been imresive. "It's absolutely wonderful" remarked a local lady. " It looks as if this building was planted here just overnight." They saw wilderbeest - and maybe ate some as a treat.

Fr. Edmund, our contact in Narok wrote: "It is very important for you and the people who support you in these projects, to know that their support has done wonders in the Olaimutiai area. The people are absolutely happy and proud of the achievement."

KENYA - teachers:  A group of teachers and other employed or time-limited persons spent 3 weeks in Nyeri doing construction work and helping out with the street children programme. The group raised £10,000 over the preceding year and were able to fund two building projects, a dormitory for the street children and renovation and extension for the staff houses.

UGANDA: A return to Mugalike after a two year gap. The previous group was still remembered favourably, fortunately since 2 of that group were returning! They worked hard on two houses for teachers and when work on the roofs became out of reach for some the transferred their energies to the adjacent primary and secondary schools.

SRI LANKA: The deterioration in the relationships between th Tamil Tigers and the government menat that only one teacher made the usual trek up to Mannar. Once there, Mike Horgan was sheltering in the Brothers, house along with all the resident students when it was invaded by armed unidentified gunmen, who were agressive and about to open fire. In the nick of time the police officer in charge appeared and persuaded his men to leave and no one was seriously hurt, unlike in other neighbouring places where massacres have occurred. The situation is still tense and most people have to put up with many restrictions and live in fear of the armed personnel of both sides.

RWANDA: Our first project in this country but it proved an easy place to settle into and to move around in. Even the work wasn't difficult - a modest sized house to lodgeteaching saff and the climate was friendly to Brotsh sensibilities. The group made friends with the secondary stdents, taught English, got lost in a tropical rain forest somewhere and fetched up lots of water from down in the valley - ho, thereby hang the tales of many an overstretched arm or two!

GHANA: The 21 hour drive north to Wa is approaching the record, but a least there was work waiting to stretch the group. The cemented, creosoted, cleaned and scaffolded around the large dining hall complex that groups have worked on for the last four years. The before the end of this year's project, for the first time, water flowed from a tap inside Gregory House - te water system was functioning! To get things that far had involved digging trenches for pipes and hauling a 1,250 gallon water tank up to the top of the 8 metre high water tower. Thegroup played cards (energetically?) to recover from the work sessions.

INDIA: Finding the right platform and trian at Madras station was the group's first initiative test. They passed, just, and were rewarded with a five week stay at Reaching the Unreached (RTU) in Tamil Nadu. The exceptional organisation at RTU enables the gropu to see ten village houses completed and to discover that even in the 40 degree heat they have house warming ceremonies. They also shared in the life of the families in the children's village and enjoyed (?) curry for breakfast as well as other meals and wore saris, the girls, that is.

_____________________________________________

THE TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON BUILDINGS IN 2006 CAME TO £35,500 (EXCLUDING THE £10,000 FOR NYERI).

The John John Trust generously contributed £4,300 for the completion of the Ghana water project. With thanks to all those who donated and to voluteers, the families, schools and parishes who supported the projects. We also have a debt of gratitude to our generous and welcoming host communities in the project areas. General donations to projects are used soley overseas.