1. education
2. school

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GB EDITION
FIELD NOTES
THE BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER FROM FIELDS OF LIFE www.FieldsofLife.org
SPRING / SUMMER 2015 ISSUE 4
U
O
Y
D
L
U
O
W
E
WHICH ON
?
K
N
I
R
D
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
CHANGING LIVES
TRANSFORMING
COMMUNITIES
BUILDING HOPE
GIVE WATER,
GIVE LIFE
CHARITY BARN DANCE
CLEAN WATER FOR
1 MILLION PEOPLE
UPSKILLING UGANDA
WATER IS LIFE IN
SOUTH SUDAN
MEET MAGGIE ... AND MORE!
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GIVE WATER, GIVE LIFE
As I sit to write this our 4th edition of Field Notes, I’m reminded of all of the wonderful support we’ve
received over the last year and while focusing on all of the truly remarkable activities that are already
being planned for 2015. With so much to report where do I start?!
I have not long returned from an incredible trip to Uganda and Rwanda. I arrived as our 7th Annual
Education Conference in Lira drew to a close. As a team, we were delighted that over 90% of Fields of Life
supported schools were in attendance to share good practice, fellowship and learn from the excellent line up
of speakers, all sharing the common goal to improve school performance. It is with great delight that I can
report back that many of our schools are amongst the top performing in their districts and some even at
national level.
It’s always a privilege to visit our water drilling teams – these men are our heroes. Their commitment,
dedication and desire to bring clean water, to remote community is exceptional. I truly believe that their work
is vital in the fight against waterborne disease. Witnessing the transformation of communities and the young
lives that will be saved is truly humbling. As we break through the barrier of 500,000 people accessing clean
water since we acquired our first drilling rig in 2009, we remain committed to reaching 1,000,000 people by
2020. And with your help we believe this is within our reach. So we invite you to join with us on World Water
Day, 22nd March 2015, when we are launching a new campaign, ‘Water for Life’, and will be asking supporters
to save the life of one child every single month by committing to £4 per month to support this essential work.
Please consider completing the Direct Debit form enclosed and show your support to the vulnerable women
and children who walk long and arduous journeys simply to get a drink of water.
Rwanda is an amazing country of such contrasts – unimaginable breath taking scenery and some of the
worlds’ most phenomenal people. It was an honour to meet our teachers, students and partners working
together to rebuild following the atrocities of genocide. Later this year Comic Relief will fill our TV’s full of
stories of regeneration across East Africa – if you would like to join us and experience first-hand the
tremendous welcome that awaits you at our projects then please do get in touch. We are hosting a number
of fact finding trips this year and dates and details are available.
I would like to thank everyone who is already playing a part in our
life transforming work. We hope that you will share this newsletter
with your friends and family. Please encourage them to join in at
some of the fun events that are coming up over the course of this
year, and help change the world for someone.
Yours faithfully,
Debbie Cameron
Head of Development and Fundraising GB
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CHARITY BARN DANCE
It’s time to dust off those cowboy boots and join us for a hooting-tooting evening!!
The Hearing Hope Project are holding a Charity Barn Dance to raise money to drill a fresh water well for a
remote community in Uganda. The evening is being held at the All Saints Church Hall in Whitstable on
Saturday 28th March 2015.
If you would like to book tickets for this fun filled evening, you can do so by either
paying online at www.justgiving.com/thehearinghopeproject stating your name
and the number of tickets you require. Your tickets will then be emailed to you.
Alternatively please contact Charlotte John on 07545 893 801 for more details.
I really hope you will be able to join us for what promises to be a great night.
Tickets are limited so please make sure you book early.
DENTIST FROM HIGHWORTH
WILL GET HER TEETH
INTO A CHALLENGING
CHARITY CLIMB
In April 2015, Magdalena Kreft, a 36 year old dentist from Wiltshire, will be taking part in a Himalayan
expedition to climb Island Peak, which stands at 20,340 ft above sea level and is located only a few
miles from Mt. Everest. As part of her personal challenge, she is supporting Fields of Life Mt. Everest
Primary School in Uganda.
Having conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro last year, wearing 4 inch heels, Magda explains why she has decided to
do something more challenging! “I am on a very intense training regime at the moment and getting ready
to face the mountain. I hope that with the support of my friends, family and my patients I cannot only
reach one of the peaks in Himalaya but also change some lives and bring hope for those who need it.”
She will be going to Nepal with one of our ambassadors and experienced climber Ian Taylor. The expedition
is to the summit of Island Peak, which stands at 6,189 meters. The team will leave Kathmandu on Easter
Sunday and, after climbing in the Himalayas for 14 days, they will make summit attempt on Island Peak.
Anyone wishing to support Magda can do so via www.justgiving.com/magdalenakreft
We wish her every success in her climb and journey mercies for her safe return.
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CLEAN WATER FOR
1 MILLION PEOPLE
Clean accessible drinking water is a basic human right, essential to life yet over one eighth of the world
does not have access to it. Many people suffer sickness and death due to waterborne diseases and
valuable hours are lost fetching dirty water over long distances.
Fields of Life is committed to addressing the vital
need of supplying safe, clean water especially
amongst the vulnerable and marginalised groups,
mainly women and children and in 2009 purchased
its own drilling equipment. The new rig drilled the first
well in January 2010. We set an ambitious target to
drill 1,000 wells within a 10 year period providing
1,000,000 people with clean water. This year, 2015,
we are approaching our half way mark.
THAMES PATH
CHALLENGE
12TH–13TH SEPTEMBER 2015
The team at Sinclair & Rush are hosting a
charity 50km walk along the Thames Path
the trail is unique - varied & beautiful
scenery that's steeped in history and a
superb backdrop for an Ultra Challenge.
Perfect to enter as a Team of friends, family
or colleagues, or join as an Individual - and
you'll be fully supported by our team all the
way. All you need to do is sign up, raise a
minimum of £295 and pop on your walking
boots! Please contact me for further
details of this unforgettable journey.
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• Fields of Life purchased a second rig in early 2012
enabling our teams to drill up to 10 wells each month.
• In 2014 our teams provided more than 100
communities in East Africa with access to clean water.
• Each day last year, more than 330 people received
access to fresh water.
• Over 120,000 lives were saved through receiving
the gift of clean water in 2014.
• Since our first well was drilled in 2010, more than
500,000 people have received clean water.
• Will you join with us this year as we step closer to
reaching our target of providing 1 million people with
clean water?
g
Throughout 2015 we will be planning a number
of events and campaigns to raise vital funds to
further extend this work. We would love for you to
join with us. For more information on any of our
events or campaigns please contact
debbie.cameron@fieldsoflife.org
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NEVER TASTED
CLEAN WATER
Lera Atar community received the gift of a borehole through the Fields of Life water drilling
programme. The village is located in Adennokwok Sub County in Lira district in Northern Uganda.
Mr Woro Patrick of the Lera-Atar village tells us their story:
“The biggest problem in the north of Uganda is access to safe clean water, in fact, many areas have not
tasted or even seen clean water. The consumption of contaminated water is a way of life for people in
Northern Uganda, due to the fact that the region suffered insurgency for the past two decades. Many are
now returning from the camps and are trying to resettle, but access to safe clean drinking water is still a
big challenge. Fields of Life has been involved in changing lives and building hope through the provision of
clean water and this has been a blessing to all the families.”
Patrick explains, “My family has 7 children, 4 girls and 3 three boys. My family has been suffering from
water borne diseases like typhoid, hook worms, diarrhoea and bilharzia for a long time. We would spend
much time at hospital and a lot of the little money we could save from subsistence farming was spent
on medication as a consequence of drinking water from an open well.”
Mr Cogan Okello, a leader within the village told us, “Due to a lack of a safe water source for the village,
accidents of snake bites were reported due to bushes covering the path and the water source being in a
swamp. I joyfully receive this new water source with both hands as a gift from God. I believe we will no
longer receive any cases of children being bitten by snakes and this will allow our pupils to go to school
and the standard of living in my area will improve”.
Patrick finished by saying, “My family had never tasted clean water before and now this new water
source is why my children have been saved from all sorts of water borne diseases, and they will be able
to attend school.”
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UPSKILLING
UGANDA...
... PARTNERSHIP
WITH SERC
UPSKILLING UGANDA is an exciting new venture and partnership between South Eastern Regional College
(SERC) and Fields of Life. The objective is to build and equip a new Vocational Training Institute in the underdeveloped region of Northern Uganda, where not everyone has even the opportunity for primary education.
SERC is a top UK College promoting an
inspirational, innovative and inclusive learning
environment, which empowers and enables
individuals and businesses to fulfil their ambitions
and contribute to the prosperity of Northern Ireland.
SERC currently has over 35,000 students and works
with over 5,000 local businesses annually.
Northern Uganda was a war-torn region devastated
by the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army.
Today many areas still lack basic services. Fields of
Life has been working there for more than 20 years
building schools, drilling boreholes, providing
sanitation and hygiene training – helping to
breathe new life into impoverished communities.
Working in partnership with Fields of Life, SERC
hopes to enrich, transform and inspire the lives of
those living in Northern Uganda by providing an
opportunity for students from Fields of Life schools
to pursue a vocational education at a new purposebuilt Vocational Training Institute.
Not all children from Fields of Life schools have the
opportunity or academic ability to pursue a third
level or further education and are often left with no
options upon completing school. In Uganda the
majority of girls don’t even complete primary
education because of the demands of home,
tending the garden, collecting water and caring for
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siblings. By providing a Vocational Training
Institute, students will be given the incentive and
opportunity to continue their studies and gain skills
to pursue a career, something many students in
Ireland take for granted!
In order to support Fields of Life and upskill the
young people of Uganda, SERC aims to maximise
the technical knowledge and experience of their
staff to provide advice and guidance throughout the
development of, what will be known as, the SERC
Vocational Training Institute – making it a centre of
educational excellence. SERC will also help Fields of
Life to raise the necessary money to build and equip
the institute in a bid to Upskill Uganda and impact
thousands of young people’s lives.
g
To find out more please email
upskillinguganda@fieldsoflife.org
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WATER IS LIFE IN SOUTH SUDAN
One of the pledges made to our partners during the Fields of Life fact-finding visit to South Sudan in
November 2013 was to drill six boreholes. We are delighted to report that despite nearly fourteen
months of in-country conflict, a total of nine wells were drilled in January 2015.
After a long delay because of insecurity, changing the
drilling company and the nine-month long rainy season
preventing travel by road, eight boreholes have been
drilled in Ibba and one in Nzara, another town west of
Yambio, Western Equatoria State, South Sudan.
Ibba can best be described as a drive-through town.
People rarely stop on their journey to and from Juba, the
country’s capital, or Mundri and Maridi to the State
capital Yambio. The county’s population is 41,869
made up of 21,545 males and 20,324 females, it
consists of 5 Payams and 15 Bomas. The Diocese of
Ibba is 170 miles north to south and 41 miles east to
west. It has 4 Archdeaconries, 21 Parishes, 36
Churches, 32 Pastors and 315 Mothers Union members.
According to the State Water and Sanitation authority,
Ibba County has only 59 working boreholes while the
adjoining counties of Yambio and Maridi have 339 and
249 respectively. This unquestionably highlights the
great need for water in Ibba and, in fact, one of the four
archdeaconries, located near the DR Congo border, had
not a single working borehole.
David Gough (Fields of Life, International Development
Manager) relays a story from the South Sudan visit. “As
we walked to see some of the Diocesan projects on the
outskirts of Ibba, we came upon a boy drawing water
from a dirty pool on the track. Some of us spoke to him
to discover that the nearest borehole was one mile
away and that he was bringing the water back for his
mother to cook dinner. Unfortunately, this is all too
common in water scarce communities in impoverished
remote rural locations of South Sudan.”
Bishop Wilson Kamani of Ibba continues, “The eight
boreholes are truly wonderful news, my people have
been suffering for too many years with little or no
access to water.”
Thanks to a number of extremely generous donors,
Fields of Life has been able to drill a total of nine wells,
using a local drilling company, three more than we
originally planned, bringing fresh, safe, clean drinking
water to over 10,000 people.
g
To find out more about our work in South
Sudan please email: david.gough@fieldsoflife.org
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MEET MAGGIE
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“I am Margaret, fifth born of seven, three sisters
and three boys in my family. My mother could not
send me to school because she had to take care
of the family. My father had no interest and placed
no value on our education. He thought there was
no point of educating a girl if she was to get
married anyway. This made our life very hard as
we had to struggle to make a living.
I went to live with my aunt who tried to send me to
school but it was not easy. Through all the
struggles, I made it to secondary level with good
grades as I always wanted to be a social worker.
My aunt got to hear about a Fields of Life school
that was supporting children like me who could not
afford to pay tuition. I got sponsored through Fields
of Life and was given scholastic materials, fees and
a peace of mind that I wouldn’t drop out of school.
This whole experience turned my life around and I
could feel that it was going to be different.
It doesn’t matter how small or big the contribution
from a donor is, it makes a big difference for a child
to go to school. The change affects a whole community.
I was able to go to University and graduate.
I believe I am a testimony to my family and the girl
child out there, because there is hope for them to
have a better future regardless of what our culture
and perception is for a girl child. Being involved
with I AM GIRL means a lot to me because I believe
we can make a great difference as educating a girl
is educating a nation.”
The I AM GIRL project was launched in October 2014
and aims to address the frightening statistics
surrounding girl retention at school in Sub Saharan
Africa. Only 1 in 5 girls make it to secondary school
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and in Uganda, a staggering 71% of girls drop out
of school before completing Primary 7 and 85% do
not complete secondary school.
The I AM GIRL project is committed to ensuring girls
are empowered to complete their education and to
grow into strong, healthy young women and that in
time their children will have the same opportunities.
The project aims to educate both girls and boys,
women and men, within our school network in East
Africa to address the challenges faced by young
girls today.
g
For more information on how you can Cherish
A Girl and Change Her World, please contact
Helen D’Arcy on helen.darcy@fieldsoflife.org.
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PARENTA TRUST DRIVE
TO BUILD A SCHOOL
Over the last 2 years the Parenta Trust Rally has been the talk of the town, and, this year, is by no
means an exception to that rule! The PTR Drive to Build a School is set for the 17th -21st June 2015.
And what a drive it is… 8 countries, 2,000 miles in a car worth around £350! A minimum sponsorship
of £1000 per car and a route that takes in some of the best roads that Europe has to offer. So if you
are looking for an adventure with a few friends or your loved ones, then, fix the date in your diary.
Further details of how to register are available online at www.parenta.com/charity
Since the first Maidstone to Monaco Rally back in
September 2013, the charity have raised enough funds
to commission the build of 3 nursery schools across
Uganda. The trustees have exceeded all expectations,
with the target of one a year for the next 10 years.
The first nursery school was sited in Luwero, at Good
Shepherd. The second, currently under construction, is
in Dokolo, at Opilitok. The latest to be commissioned
will be sited in Luwuuka, alongside Dean Rolland
Primary School in Uganda.
Commenting on the commissioning of its third nursery,
Andrew Cooper, Chairman of Parenta Trust said:
“Being able to commission our third school has far
exceeded our hopes and aspirations for assisting preschool aged children in Eastern Africa, and we are
beginning to see a real impact on the ground.”
The third school will accommodate around 150
children under 5. This will bring the total number of
pre-school aged children being provided with a quality
education through Parenta Trust to 450.
Allan Presland, Founder of Parenta Trust and MD of
Parenta Group, paid tribute to those who had
contributed to raising the funds: “My thanks go out to
those members of our amazing Parenta team who
have helped raise funds for the charity or who sponsor
some of the children at the nursery schools, as well as
to local businesses and friends who have done so
much to raise funds. I am truly touched that so many
people have supported this cause.”
So if you feel inspired to get involved in the drive to
build the 4th Nursery School, then, please don’t
hesitate to contact us. The rally is enormous fun and
for such a worthy cause.
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FIELDS OF LIFE ADVOCATES
Fields of Life have many active and dedicated
volunteers who have served Fields of Life faithfully
for many years. It is our desire to tell more people
about the work of Fields of Life and to engage new
audiences to partner with us as we seek to
transform the lives of vulnerable people throughout
East Africa.
A Fields of Life Advocate will be a main contact for
Fields of Life within local churches, businesses,
SAVE MORE
THAN MONEY
Save More Than Money is a new telecoms tariff
that Amelix Telecom has developed aimed at
benefitting communities in East Africa. The
premise of the initiative is simple; we will save
you money on your phone bill and give 50% of
our profits to projects in East Africa.
schools, youth groups and will have the
opportunity to raise vital support. Advocates will
be given appropriate training by Fields of Life staff
and will be provided with all the tools, resources
and information necessary to be able to effectively
communicate and share our story.
g To find out more about becoming an
Advocate for Fields of Life in GB please contact
debbie.cameron@fieldsoflife.org.
• No lengthy contract you just need to give 30 days
notice
• Save up to 50% on your phone bill (compared to
BT’s standard business rate)
• Save lives and improve futures with every call
you make
• No difference between local and national calls
• We will donate over 50% of our profits to
improving lives of children in Africa
• Every call billed by the second.
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Please call 0844 801 99 55 or email
telecoms@amelix.co.uk for further details.
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S
WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE?
Fields of Life is committed to seeing meaningful
and real change occur in the lives of whole
communities in East Africa. It is our desire to
empower those living in extreme poverty and to help
them help themselves.
By leaving a gift in your will to Fields of Life, you
will be helping to raise up the change makers of
East Africa.
Fields of Life appreciates that when making a will it
is important to provide for your loved ones first –
your family and friends. However many often find
that even after they have done this, they wish to
leave something to a worthwhile cause that is close
to their heart.
By leaving a gift in your will to Fields of Life, small
or large, it is a wonderful opportunity to join in our
mission and bring hope to vulnerable and
marginalised children across East Africa.
COME AND SEE!
Throughout the year Fields of Life co-ordinate
and lead Five Day Fact Finding Trips (Thursday to
Monday) enabling people to travel to Uganda to
see our work on the ground.
You may be interested in funding a specific project or
would simply like to learn more about the different
projects we are involved in and see our team in action.
The five day trip (2 days travelling and 3 days on the
ground) is ideal for those constrained by time and can
only spare a few days away. This trip will give you a
flavour of life in Africa and the life-changing work of
Fields of Life.
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OUR MISSION
CONTACT US
Fields of Life is committed to sharing
the Christian faith by collaborating
with local communities and
churches in East Africa to bring
about positive change through the
provision of quality education, clean
water, health promotion and other
community based projects.
GREAT BRITAIN
FIELDS OF LIFE GB
1090b Galley Drive,
Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne
Kent, England ME9 8AG
Telephone: +44 (0)1795 474262
Email: infogb@fieldsoflife.org
RWANDA
2015
CULTIV8 Rwanda team dates have been confirmed: 21st July – 1st August 2015.
If you are interested in finding out more information or joining the team please
contact claire.andrews@fieldsoflife.org or visit www.fieldsoflife.org.
Find us on Facebook
www.facebook.com
Charity Number UK: XR 18278 ROI: CHY 13573
www.FIELDSofLIFE.org
FOL Field Notes GB 2015 v2
Follow us on Twitter
@FieldsofLife