Logo Designed by Salim Said
Mwamasumbi - Teacher at Ngonzini School
Anne & Les Dymond welcome you to SmileKenya.org.uk
When we visited Kenya on our holidays in 1998, 1999, 2001 & 2004 we have always been enchanted how Kenyan people always seem to smile regardless of their circumstances.
We claimed this domain as a means to support those who have helped Kenya smile.
Anne & Les enjoy travel and have a small Leisure & Travel Consultancy and trade as www.greatplaces.co.uk
We were inspired to try to help the school at the small village of N'gonzini near Kwale when we visited the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary with our friend and excellent driver Patrick Thoya who can be located through Travellers Beach Hotel in Mombasa.
Please ask us about the Emelia Daisy Tree Project that we have set up in conjunction with The Born Free Foundation to assist Salim Said Mwamasumbi - A Senior Teacher at N'gonzini School - with his projects in educating and leading children at the school to understand our natural world and its hazards and more positively its joys and benefits.
Some children from N'gonzini School with us at the
Emelia Daisy Tree during our visit in February 2005
Salim can be seen to the left
Click here to see more of our 2004 Holiday Photos
Photos from our 2005 visit to follow - watch this space
Our support of the Ngonzini School was small by comparison with Mark Orchard - whose story follows - but we were able to find footballs at Travellers Tiwi Beach Hotel in 1999 with the help of Rufus the Sports Instructor there that we arranged be sent to the school.
Our Driver Patrick with the teacher and children who
greeted us at the entrance to Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary near Ngonzini.
Rufus with one of the footballs that he repaired and we sent with Patrick to Ngonzini
One
of the loveliest stories of how people support communities in Kenya
Is that of Mark Orchard and his colleagues in his company Clayton Construction
at Hutton in Somerset who have turned holidays
into a new School and Medical Centre in the village of Dabaso
On 02/02/02 - Again Bon Voyage & Good Luck Mark Orchard
We sent our best wishes to Mark Orchard and his team who again left for Kenya on 3 February 2002 for a further visit to the village of Dabaso in Kenya where - in 1999 - they built a new classroom for the village school.
Mark receives a helping hand from local workers during
the construction of the new classroom in 1999.
This last visit lasting through the month of February 2002 was to commence the creation of a much needed Medical Centre for the village.
It is the intent of this web domain to support Mark and his team in any way that we can - please e-mail the publishers - dymonds@btinternet.com - with any ideas, suggestions and offers of help that could be used by Mark and his colleagues.
Mark is particularly anxious to find a commercial sponsor to assist with the cost of the provision of a container filling with it with medical equipment and transporting it to Dabaso.
Mark, who runs Clayton Construction near Weston-super-Mare, hit upon the idea while on holiday in the country and managed to persuade his tradesmen to join him.
On arrival back in England he discussed his plan with workmates, who were keen to help. Plasterer Chris Fisher, bricklayer Andy Difford, ground worker Reg Daniels and painter Dave Rayner all agreed to work for free if Mark could raise the cash to finance the trip
Once the classroom was completed the village elders informed Mark and his colleagues that they were to be made honorary elders of the tribe. Mark was given the Swahili name of Ngumbad, meaning 'hero'.
Mark and his project team in 1999 from left to right -
Mark Orchard, Reg Daniels, Dave Rayner, Andy Difford and Chris Fisher
Mark, Reg, Dave, Andy and Chris were named People of the Year 1999 by Prime Minister Tony Blair in recognition of their achievements and visited 10 Downing Street in December to receive their award.
Mark and his team (right) outside Number 10 Street with
Tony Blair and other award winners, including Barbara Windsor and Heather
Mills.
The company website at www.claytonconstruction.co.uk has a photo album of the Kenya Project
Please read about their 1999 project at the following web locations:-
http://www.fmb.org.uk/publications/masterbuilder/june99/18.asp
http://www.fmb.org.uk/publications/masterbuilder/december99/18.asp