We are always taking part in charity fayre's, jumble sales, and various other events to raise money and gift donations. We also arrange for members of the Samburu Maasai to visit with us in Wales to educate and raise awareness of their plight. We are also, at times, able to arrange for Maasai warriors to make educational visits to schools. For more information please contact us...details can be found on the contacts page..



WATERLOO PHASE II - DEC/JAN/FEB/MARCH 2009

• Met at airport by Kaseti & Family.Put our baggage into storage at railway station Nairobi.Took taxi to Girraffe centre to spend some time untill train was ready to travel to Mombassa overnight. Sleeper train with meals served on board.

• Arrived severign sea lodge beach hotel Bamburu to celibrate new year with the family for three days. Travelled overnight to Nairobi and matatu to Thomson falls. took lunch.

• Travelled to yare safaris club maralal, family returned home,

• Drought bitten hard obvious food shortage was so evident in the faces and bodies, rains not expected untill april, SERIOUS PROBLEMS !!

• First of all repair vehicles, mecanics were awaiting parts we bring from uk, unavailable in Kenya. Africa time this will take days and a loss of patience and funds. trial and error, and many return visits to garage. Precious time wasted other than on odd days, manage to carry water for communities, visit links schools etc.

• Ladies desperate walked to lake, to perform rituals to bring rain, on return came to home of Taita, to ask for a sheep to slaughter, made sheep stew sang & danced for hours.All had a share, clouds gathered, strong winds, but only a few drops of rain spitted out of the vast skys.

• Turkana & Samburu raiding cows in desperation to keep alive families. James security at yare was delighted to learn from our ultra sound donation, his wife is expecting twins in just two weeks!!

• Delivered school jumpers to langarn nursery school and shared biscuits as no food aid has arrived from world food program, children leave early.

• Teachers not paid, striking soon. New head master for Lukuroto primary , awaiting his arrival. New deputy head received our donation of school jumpers and requested a wheelchair for a teacher involved in an accident recently.

• John at Nairobi visiting High Commission - Embassy - British council - Batuk headquarters and Lions club ( Host ) meeting Jeff and Sammy at Nairobi airport on saturday night.

• Delivered 4 wheelchairs to Rose's clinic, delighted with these!! Sponsored children meet at Neiry primary school '' Lavender springs''. Grass scorched dry, white everywhere, people gaunt.Kaseti's two girls call me mamgu Margaret but when I visit school they call me mamma Margaret. They are reluctant to share me with others - even near to tears!!

• Kaseti as ever the proud dad, he and Daniel show concern for the morran helping madam to teach - he has had no pay - so all community agree to donate a small amount each.

• Our ship carrying aid has arrived at Mombassa port. John will make arrangments for delivery to Nairobi then to Samburu, whilst in Nairobi now!!

• The swimming pool was full at Maralal safari lodge, for the musungos the white visitors.

• But they were happy for that - as they are relied on to help their hard hit economy!! They welcome any support as their M.P seems to have forgotten them, he is never in his district they say!!

• Delivered uniforms Lukuroto primary school, and eye glasses - case full to eye clinic. They still use large gages attached to face to form glasses at clinic.

• Lions club Nairobi donated to us a case of vitamin A for children with cataracts up above Passaloi, lack of fruit etc. This should then clear eyes - Ladies at home & school teacher have made pouches to hold vitamins around their necks for safety.

• Carry water almost daily & purchase maize etc food aid to communities. Young boys up in the mountains cutting leaves to keep alive cows, living on ugali they mix with water for months on end.

• Mothers with babies camp over 40km away with their young babies, caring for sheep & goats, young elders to and fro to market to buy and sell , raising only 50 shillings 50p to feed famillies some days, sometimes nothing at all.

• People gaunt now and weak still smile bravely, hoping rains will arrive in april as expected. We carried young lambs & weak goats to these far off places as mothers have no milk now.

• Ropasy managed to squeeze a drop for babies en route.

• Assisted a family af six taking home their 14year old son home high up in the hills of Operoy on donkey back, obviously close to death they had tried to get answers from three hospitals 86km apart, to no avail, so were now returning home to use traditional medicines.

• Nothing left now no food no money, obviously caring deeply for their son not themselves!!

• Teachers striking for pay got our support some have turned to selling shanga illegal brew to feed their own children.

• Police & Soldiers often no pay, turn to corruption frequently.

• But on a good note we have a new district commisioner who is taking pride alongside the town councillors and are trying to uplift this empty desolate frontier town.

• Our efforts of encouraging Micro farming has paid off , as small fields are being fenced off ready for ploughing, and lowering numbers of livestock being kept, but a better quality providing in future milk - meat & vegitables - fruit chickens & eggs.

• All beehives succesfully provided up to 40kgs of honey, delighting all and encouraging others, freeing up children to eagerly attend school outside times of drought.

• John has been asked to visit Nairobi to meet the Major General and also meet our shipment of aid by the Army, plough - gearbox and eight huge crates of medical & educational aid again - with their kind assistance.

• Very hot & dry now with strong winds whipping up dust storms

• Lack of water to everyone & every where thick with dust. Its like walking in sand and the dry grass remaining is like walking on frost & also slippery!! and scorched white,quite eery.

• People smile and wince saying when eating their starved animals they will also remain skin and bones, and wont need so much to fill their bodies.

• Many people are sick now they slept up to four in hospital beds when we arrived.

• We moved many families back to their homes on the Pokot border from where they fled during skimishes.

• We attended the stadium to listen to the rally of the security minister who landed with his entorage by helicopter.

• His vehicles were robbed en route on their return, we drew the press attention to this which brought good coverage about the problem which is usuelly kept under cover, ( to the delight of the locals ).

• Only wildlife we see now are a load at Mugi reserve, other than zebra - hyeana - ostrich and a few at Maralal Lodge.

• Lenangurom says their baby gets diorea if his wife eats corn and was eager to buy half a kg of meat to make soups.

• James paid £50 before the ambulance would take his wife 86km to hospital and £ 50 to the hospital to deliver twins.

• He had to borrow by Mpessa over the phone before they would act - now in debt. James a Turkana is security at yare and also a church pastor. What happens to those who dont have contacts?? Babies are named John & Margaret AGAIN!!

• First wheelchair given out this time was given to a heavily pregnant mamma without legs.

• The district Commisioner requested this for her as her old one was a complete wreck, hard for the three children to push her around the shops gathering food for themselves!!

• Many many follow us looking for assistance in paying hospital bills many in excess of £90.

• They get given an offical letter to plead part payment from friends towards overall amount, most have nothing even for food.

• John sumoned to Nairobi batuk headquarters by Major General we met in all his regalia at the Royal Welsh.

• And invited into his office at Brecon Barracks when taken by army to museum to see O'Roaks drift, reward for Samburu promoting warrior tanks in culture, at Margam Park.

• Head of DIFID Nairobi has promised to find us funding by week wednesday. Low loader bringing aid to Maralal from Nairobi on friday hopefully.

• Colonel Jock has news just flown in from uk, Stackwell in Maralal

• Taking children to Maralal Lodge tomorrow & Agate, take their minds off drought for a moment.

• Carry water & ploughing like '' L ''' Typhoid patients to hospital weekly.

• As water dried up in the river beds. Ropasy had to climb with Ladies down the escarpment & unfortunatly lost her footing carrying water. Five months pregnant she rolled down the steep embankment, we had to travel 40km to collect her to hospital.

• Young moran are buying motor bikes to use as taxis paying on the never never, as they take fares - approx £500 purchased locally imported from China & India, some use to arrive at markets early and from further distances, carrying passangers to cover fual & walk back animals, breaking down frequently.

• We left 5 am to buy hay from Mugu Ranch to help the very desperate, but those who have fenced off areas have eeked out enough grazing for a few animals, until now. Talking now of selling the rest of their stock is being discussed every day, open bank accounts & sell future stock before the drought arrives, hopefully for the hotel trade - Nairobi or Mombassa. Chickens & Bee hives are sort after also tools. Lots more Iron sheet roofed homes in community in faver of cow dung, and planting of fruit trees.

• Water abundance would surely move them forward in leaps & bounds.

• Sakaye Kings African Rifleman who met our 17 year old Queen in Kenya - told me how he planted that tree at Mallaso viewpoint on the year I was born - waw - we were attending the market with Samburu suppliers, aiding the Pokot raiders who had encrouched on their land and without supplies for the families, 79 Ladies & 15 Pokot men came!! Keeping the peace, as killings broke out some weeks previous, when Samburu reconised a gun being carried by Pokot that they had used to kill his brother during a raid. Even the families gave shelter that night to members of family who had a member killed. We admire the restrain of these dignified Samburu people!!

• We attended many markets to assist Samburu sell their products gained from micro farming & sold some items for a few shillings to raise money for seeds to sow after ploughing, if items are all free then people grab as many as possible to sell some for shanga, illegal brew and some are left in the dust to waste. If they pay five or ten shillings then they value them even more, and put to good use!! Showing respect to one another, and many need seeds as most are eager to plough, although dont have enough to assist us with diezel - promise to pay 1,000ks from their future crops. PLEASE - PLEASE RAIN. We need so much to have easy access to water supplies through out the district, land is fertile enough to export crops even.

• Two matatus smashed & robbed in front of us en route back to airport - Drought brings insecurity.

• Two Kikuyu killed a friend by cutting his head off and leaving his body in a sack up in the mountains, ( Just to sell his motorbike )

• Another two filled a sack of stones and swung at a Samburu motorbike rider to steal his motorbike.

• A hideout village was built up in the hills within two circles of enkans with portable loos provided, to protect Samburu from raiding Pokot in another area, children & families delighted with our visit and assistance - resiliant folk!!

• Armed roberies carried out wearing Samburu culture of warriors to throw the blame onto Samburu. ( Arrested others ) People hungry & desperate during severe droughts. No sigh yet of rains expected!!

• pokot greeted us warmly at the market, promised us a goat for items provided, asked us for medical & educational assistance. We suported the new Catholic father who was rather nervous , and in awe of these sleek masuline Pokot warriors, we were aware of the allertness of the Samburu home guard in the background - eyes peeled - guns on the ready. They had already confided in us, we left b4 the beer started to flow in the local bar, provided to encourage friendship - foolhardy??

• Concern by council of insecurity bad management - drugs & drunkeness - neglect & corruption at camp towards oversea's guests & ngo workers.

• Court case in progress to remove management without licence for illegally tradeing.

• Pressing us smwa to be patient and prepare to lease !! Any day.

• District Commisioner is organising a day of litter collection in town on good friday on our suggestion to remove mullions of plastic bags strewn every where - disapointed we had returned home. Hope they also replace ( plastic bags)

• We hoped the have nots would have a means of income!! Seems shop keepers & schools have agreed?? and animals domestic & wildlife will benifit. He is a very nice guy and new to the area we are sure to get along well & respect all our efforts. Coming from the coast he has a new take on things offical buildings have already begun having a make over - good to see.

• Thanks to Jeff & Sammy for all their hard work and support, helping with repairs and eagerly moving our links forward. Jeff with agriculture machinery knowledge and Sammy with students & school children and visiting cronic handicapped, looking forward to your next visit with friends & colleagues.

( Invited to Royal Garden Party )

Thanks Waterloo

Kindest Regards

John Chairman s.m.w.a.