Once again, very many thanks to all those who have supported Development Direct over the last months, whether it’s been in regular giving, one-off donations or selling books etc to raise funds. Every penny raised goes to the projects that have been set up.
The following is a brief summary of developments since the last newsletter.
School Links
Schools in Kenya broke up for their long holiday on 24th October. Eligible pupils stay on to take their end of year exams. Schools will re-open in early January which will be the start of a new academic year.
Sponsorship of Secondary and Tertiary Students
Regular donations and the sale of books enables us to continue our support of students through their education. It’s very pleasing when we hear of students that Development Direct sponsored through secondary school and into further education who have now graduated from college or university. For many young people, their education would have been limited without the support of our regular donors. Our congratulations to Dickson who graduated from Pwani University this month with a Bachelor Degree in Geography. We know that there are still far too many young people unable to access secondary education and beyond as a result of poverty. Any help you are able to give can transform their lives so please help if you can.
Lempintira – The School
The nursery school continues to provide a sound education for Pre Primary 1 (PP1) and Pre Primary 2 (PP2) pupils. The teacher accommodation has been instrumental in retaining the good teachers. The community are now in the process of raising funds to extend the school to Class 1 which will mean young pupils wouldn’t have to walk the long distance to the nearest primary school. This is evidence that the community are seeing the importance of the school and wish to further its development without asking for support from Development Direct. Further evidence of their involvement is the introduction of a school uniform which helps pupils identify with their school.
Recent visitors were permitted to engage in a ‘football kick-about’ with pupils during their Break Time, under the watchful eye of the staff. Everyone was impressed with the skills of such young pupils when some impromptu games skills developed.
One problem encountered at the school was the bees’ nest that appeared over a weekend in the Resources cupboard in PP1. This necessitated closing that classroom until the nest was relocated well away from the school – not an issue often encountered in schools in the UK!
Lempintira – The Camp
Recent visitors have reported back that they were delighted to find the camp in good order. The staff have maintained everything so that toilets flushed and showers were hot. As visitors have increased, the full financial support from Development Direct has lessened. It was always the intention that the Lempintira CBO would be a sustainable community enterprise, independent of Development Direct.
Future plans include:
- Replacing the original water tank at the borehole as it is showing signs of wear
- Removing the old tank carefully so it can be used for water harvesting at the nursery school once guttering has been installed there
- Tiling the kitchen floor, ensuring it is perfectly level, and purchasing and installing stainless steel wok surfaces in the kitchen
- Purchasing and installing storage cupboards in the kitchen
Lempintira – The Garden
The garden is located in the fenced area around the borehole. Most of the vegetables have been harvested and the final harvesting of the maize crop has been carried out. The garden is critical for food security for the local community. They are encouraged to take what they need for their family.
The banana plants were a gift from William Luka who runs the local hospital. They are planted close to the standpipe as they require a lot of water.
The ground will now be prepared for planting of the next crops.
This is truly an organic garden – no chemicals have ever been used on the ground or on the plants for pest control.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the aspects of the work of Development Direct and thank you once again for your support.
Please feel free to forward this to anyone who may be interested in the work of Development Direct. Should they wish to support financially, the bank details are:
Development Direct
Ac No: 24922374
Sort code: 60-09-47
The Development Direct AGM will be held on Wednesday 10th December 2025 at 7.00pm at The Badger, Ponteland. We hope to see you there!
Please keep an eye on our website which will be updated more regularly.
With best wishes
Gill Blissett
Trustee