Emma Tanner who is the patron of the charity MISHIS, which has been set up to help children in Kenya, visits the children at Hakika Hope Community School. “After a slow and snowy start we eventually left Manchester and the freezing temperatures behind and headed for the sunny and much warmer climate of Mombasa. After a very pleasant flight in Premier Class, (thank- you AFRICAN SAFARI CLUB for this -.the extra baggage allowance was used to the very last kilo!) we waited patiently for our suitcases. I discreetly removed the HEAVY label from my case as we headed for the Kenyan customs and nothing to declare aisle. Smiling sweetly at the officer and praying that he didn’t search my suitcase, how on earth do I explain 28 REEBOK backpacks , 20 cuddly toys , reading books , pens , crayons , hairbrushes , sweets and much much more! And then 48 hours after leaving snowy Spalding, we finally headed for the car park and our taxi. After un-packing, we were keen to head for the school and visit Berita and the children .The next day we filled the taxi with our gifts and arrived at the school before lunch. The children were expecting us and gave us a very warm welcome. The next few hours were just amazing, so many smiles, so many happy children, and so many thank you’s. Every child had something to hold and it really did feel like Christmas. We managed to disrupt the school day but Berita was just happy for the children to enjoy themselves and be happy. We even had sausage and chips for lunch – not quite turkey and all the trimmings but it was a treat for them and an experience for me to go to the Kenyan chip shop! (A cart on the street corner that somehow produced the food) It was a day we will never forget. Later in the week, some friends we met also visited the school and very kindly took more gifts for the children. It was quite a week. Before we left, we also met with and arranged for the local builder to start work on the toilet and bathroom area at the back of the building. A very big thank you for the donation received that enabled us to complete this basic but essential work. We look forward to seeing the work on our next visit. We would like to take this opportunity to THANK everyone that supported us on this visit and we look forward to our return visit in the near future.” Anybody who wishes to contact MISHIS can email Mishis.mtwapa@gmail.co.uk for further details on sponsoring a child or making a donation. A website is also currently in development www.mishis.co.uk www.africansafariclub.com
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