Malindi

Our link with Malindi on the coast of Kenya began with Revd Ian Lewis and his wife Audrey (members of our church) who worked in the area in the late 1950's.

On a visit 4 years ago they were made aware of the struggle to progress the building of a Methodist Church. As part of our outreach we decided to assist them. This we did in 1999 and provided them with sufficient funds to put a roof on.

Three years later, Ken and Anne Hopwood visited Malindi and were overwhelmed by the welcome and gratitude, the committment to God and the vision for the future.

However, they saw the desperate lack of equipment in two primary schools. One had absolutely nothing for the 5 and 6 year olds other than a blackboard, tables and benches. Evidence of learning was limited to rote learning from oral instruction by teachers who could not be guaranteed payment for their work.

As a result we raised and sent £1,000 to the New Vision Academy School in September 2002 to help provide education for the children who would otherwise struggle to grasp the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, or even attend school at all.

It is envisaged that we shall continue to support Malindi in its work for a number of years.

Dresden We have a link with a Methodist Church in Buehlau, Dresden, in east Germany. Their minister is Revd Uta Uhlmann and we are in contact with her to develop understanding and friendship with Christians in a different culture. We also wish to share faith, prayer and matters of common concern such as problems arising from the floods in Dresden during the Summer of 2002.

Ntombozuko & Zokelwa
playing with Lego bricks donated by
Easingwold Methodist Church

Monika von Plato is a farmer's wife in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The nearest towns are Komga, 17 miles away and East London, some 44 miles away. The nearest school for the rural children was 6 miles from the farm, so in 1993 another school was built on the farm with money from the South African Emmanuel Mission and a group of German sponsors.

Now the "short legged " children can start school at the age of 5 or 6, the distance to the other school being too far for them. There are two big classrooms, a Kindergarten, a house for two teachers and a kitchen, some outbuildings, play areas and a garden.

The great problems of unemployment and now of Aids/HIV are devastating families in the townships and in the rural areas. There are many children whose parents have died from the disease. A social worker in Komga picked up 4 street children and took them to the Plato's farm, where they slept in the school and were given regular meals and education. Now there are some 20 street children, aged between 5 and 14, who are being cared for in the school and on the farm.

With some of the money that was given by Easingwold Methodist Church in December 2002, bunkbeds have been built for the children so they no longer have to sleep on the floor in the school. Toys were sent from our church - poor African children have no toys. Most children go back to Komga's township at the weekend. Some stay at the farm because they are too frightened to go back to abusive or alcoholic or sick parents. They would have to go back to the streets. On the farm they are safe. The social worker collects them and brings them back.