Wow! What a trip!
So how did it go?
This trip surpassed all of my expectations. The volunteers; James, Simon and Tyrone, worked their socks off for the eight days and delivered a fantastic experience to the kids of Botswana. Initially each of the guys said that they were not sure how they could help or the value that they could add. They need not have worried because all of the work they did was appreciated and certainly very memorable.
What with the cinema experience and the daily activities, I’m not sure who got most out of the trip, the kids or the volunteers. Derek James the National Director of SOSCV orphanage’s said "the trip was a resounding success. The children thoroughly enjoyed all of the activities that we put on and the village mothers were pleased for the break, but also enjoyed the bead making". He was very impressed with the level of organisation and the effort that the guys put in to give the children a fantastic experience.
One of the highlights was creating a cinema and showing Monsters inc to the children in every village. If you can imagine that some of these children have never been to the cinema before and a few subjected to local television this was a real treat. The sweets were donated from the UK and drinks were provided by a local businessman who we managed to hijack for 500 carton drinks.
I cannot remember hearing so many children laughing at once and seeing the sheer joy and delight on their faces and the pleasure they got from simply watching this film. A big thank you to Tyrone from Genesis Cinema for providing the film and technology to make it happen.
You can get a flavour of our trip by looking at our pictures to see what happened at each of the villages. In addition I have created a travel log for a day by day account of what happened in each of the locations. This will give you a good indication of what to expect if you were to volunteer and come on our trip next year.
Building Project
We have just sent over £10,000 as part funding for the Project Volunteer house that is being built in Serowe. This house will house a further 15 children and 2 carers.
As you will see from the pictures of Serowe from last year to this year 5 new house have already been built housing 70 children and there are plans for a further four.
We need to raise in the region of a further £30,000 to complete the building and also fully furnish the house. The guys who went will all tell you that this is a worthwhile project and deserves the funds, and by supporting through PV you are guaranteed that all of the funds go direct to the building project and that you can at anytime go and see the progression of what we are doing. Transparency is the key here and I am very proud of what we have achieved this year.
We are still looking for donations to assist the project and pay for ongoing support of the children so if you have a spare £1 or more please feel free to donate online at the following
http://www.justgiving.com/projectvolunteer/donate
Events
Please check back to this website for details of up and coming events, we have in the planning phase; PV golf day, annual ball on the 11th July 2009 a cinema evening and of course next years trip.
If you are new to this website and want to find out more or have any questions about Project Volunteer or wish to help in any way then please leave a message on the 'contact us' page.
On behalf of the committee, the children and SOSCV team in Botswana I would like to thank you for your continued support.
Kind regards
David Villa-Clarke
Sep 2009 Update
Summer News
Summer Ball
Well what a summer we have had so far this year. The annual ball raised a staggering £4500 and a good time was had by all. The Keady Irish Dancers set the tone for the evening with their high kicks and exceptional dance moves. These moves were later replicated on the dance floor by one or two revelers who clearly had a bit too much to drink as they did not quite have the same style and finesse.
Once again the food served was outstanding and the band played excellently. The feedback has been fantastic and I did not have to use my money back guarantee.
Special mention to our sponsors, for their wonderful auction prizes. Silver Experience, for donation of some fantastic pieces of Jewellery. Genesis cinema for their donation of a private cinema viewing. Monica Dan for a holiday villa in Sardinia.
In addition to the ball fund raising Dawn Bushnell ran a product sales day at her company HIT entertainment and raised £1100. Pearla Boyce completed her sponsored slim and raised £1048. We also received some anonymous donations to go towards our building fund.
2009 Volunteer Trip
This year’s trip leaves on the 24th of September and I am taking 11 volunteers this year. The guys and girls have been busy collecting, sports kit, toys, arts and crafts and to take out for the children.
We have had an absolutely phenomenal response from a wide variety of companies and organizations who are donating. Everything from musical instruments to sporting clothes. Special mention to John Richards who contacted the football youth league for Sussex and received over 400 shirts and shorts which were kindly donated. These shirts will be cherished by the kids in Botswana for years to come. We will feature pics of this year’s trip on the website in October.
If you are interested in coming along on next years trip, then please contact us early enough for an information and application pack so that you too may be considered, as we already have a waiting list.
This year we will continue with the mobile cinema at each of the orphanages and put on daily activities for the children.
We will also be having an opening ceremony of the PV house where we are planning on having a carnival party and evening bbq with local concert. This will take place on Botswana Independence day, so a double celebration for the kids.
Outstanding, Fundraising, Outstanding!!!!!!
Ella McNeill our 12 year old junior representative on our committee, this summer put together her own fund raising day, which involved a home bake and dog competition, followed up by car washing. This day Ella raised £170.45 which will go a long way towards helping the children. You can view Ella’s story here and see how she put together her fundraising day. http://www.simplesite.com/builder/pages/preview.aspx?pageid=10281798
Committee News
We have also had some changes to our committee;. Claire Jackson, who is currently taking a maternity break after the birth of her daughter Grace. Dave Moore, has moved back to South Africa to pursue business opportunities and personal interests. We thank Dave for his contribution in helping to set up PV. Claire will be back with us shortly.
I would also like to introduce two new committee members, Simon Hasler, who came to Botswana last year and Charles Takawira, their bio’s are on the committee page.
Fundraising
Our"Donate a Quid to help a Kid campaign". has generated 72 new donors over the last 2 months. Please pass on our details. The idea is to encourage everyone to go online to our just giving website, donate £1 or more and send the link onto as many of their friends as possible. Alternatively if you are feeling generous please click on the link here and give what you can.
http://www.justgiving.com/projectvolunteer/donate
and finally......
If you are new to this website and want to find out more or have any questions about Project Volunteer or wish to help in any way then please leave a message on the 'contact us' page.
On behalf of the committee, the children and SOSCV team in Botswana I would like to thank you for your continued support.
Kind regards
David Villa-Clarke
MAY 2010
UPDA
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Annual Trip
Once again we are off on our annual trip to Botswana in September for 10 days and again it promises to be a spectacularly motivational event for the kids and volunteers alike. The dates are 25th September until 3rd October. so if you are interested in coming along please email us for an application form. The closing date for applications is 30th June 2010. as spaces are limited we do hold a selection interview to ensure that the trip is right for you and also for the children in Botswana.
Brighton Marathon.
This year we had two ladies Jane Musiol and Nikki Richards, run the Brighton Marathon and collectively they raised a staggering £1155. Thank you both for your efforts. Jane completed the course in 5:06 minutes and Nicky 4:36. Both have said never again but i'm sure that they have one more marathon left in them at least.
Jane Musiol was a volunteer who went to Botswana last year and experienced at first hand the work that we do. See our 2009 blog page.
London Triathlon.
We are entering a team into this years london triathlon and so far have 5 guys doing the olympic distance and a team of 3 doing a relay. If you are interested in entering a team or trying it by yourself then please let us know. we have 4 guaranteed entry places left with a mnimum fund raiser of £400. Last date for entry is the 30th June.
We will keep you updated with our progress towards the August 7th and 8th race dates
Annual Ball.
Our ball will be held on Saturday the 11th September at the Holdiay inn in Coram Street London. Each year the ball has got bigger and better with incredible value at £60 per ticket. Please look at our album pages to see evidence of previous years functions. You are most welcome to come and bring guests and enjoy a brilliant night out for a worthwhile cause.