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Below a summary of the latest developments about our
project. The newest additions are listed at the top of the page.
May 2005
Our website receives top honors in the annual international
internet contest CyberFair 2005. Hopefully more schools around the world
are willing to support our project!
Spring 2005
Janet (and Aldert), Corine, Anja and Ruud contacted Rene for more
information. They had two nice meetings and decided to join their efforts
to help the local Ukunda schools. So, we founded the Foundation Ukunda
Schools Project.
On the photo, from left to right: Corine, Janet, Rene and Ruud (May 2005)
January 2005
In the first week of January 2005 Rene and Joke de Vries
visited Ukunda. Rose Anami accompanied them the whole week. Rose is our contact person in Kenya.
We were happy to see each other again in real life. We met also director Rigga of elementary school Mvindeni. On Thursday 6 January, we
bought more than thousand textbooks in Mombasa. We also bought some better chairs and two desks for the teachers. And we had to negotiate sturdy over the cost price of a new school classroom.
The school of Rigga is almost collapsing! We will begin with the building of one new classroom. Expenses: approximately 3000 EUROS. We seek sponsors for the remaining 19 classrooms now!
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Rene and Rose
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Friday morning we handed over the books and furniture officially to parents, pupils, school council and
others of Ukunda. About 800 pupils were welcoming us and sang a song when
we arrived at the school. A whole experience… as if we were pop stars!
We also paid a visit to Bongwe primary school, to see what has to be done
to support this school.
On friday noon and on Saturday, we negotiated with the harbor management. There was a package from England but they
did not want to hand over it unless we pay at least 500 EUROS (meanwhile the value of the package
is approximately 75 EUROS). Naturally we do not want to pay.
During the evening, we were invited to have dinner at Rose's home. For us, this became surely the high point of the trip!
Click here for an extensive trip report.
October 2004
The project receives an award from the International Students
Media Fair (ISMF). The judges honered our project with the special award:
Judges Favorite.
September 2004
We sent our first news letter to about 700 schools all around the
world. Hopefully we will get more particpants!
Juli 2004
We received an extra donation from Childnet! And we also received a
Global Pro Modem... would be great to get a laptop too for our African
co-workers, so we can set up a more regular contact.
May 2004
We updated the complete Ukunda Schools Project section and added
contributions from Hilder Anami about the village Ukunda and more.
10 - 18 April 2004
We are in London and we have great days during the Childnet
Academy. Click here to see photos and read more about our stay with
the wonderful people from Childnet and the Childnet Academy winners from
all around the world.
February - 8 April 2004
We try to get VISA for our co-worker Mrs. Rose Anami and for head
teacher Mrs. Mwanajuma Rigga. We sent a lot of faxes, emails and made
several phone calls with British High Counsel / British Embassy in
Nairobi. Childnet did the same. Rose and Mwanajuma were invited by
Childnet to come to London for the Childnet Academy Week. However, for
unbelievable reasons the British Embassy was not willing to give the
VISA's. The British Embassy employees (Mr. Claude Edwards, his secretary
and the interviewer from desk no. 1 - counter no. 1) do not know the
difference between poor and non-profit organizations (a shame for England,
to our opinion). Another official (!) reason to refuse the VISA for our
co-worker Rose was the fact that she is female, 26 years old and working
in a hotel. She even was told to go back to hotel and just do her job:
work girl. We wonder if these grounds to refuse a VISA are
against the European Union laws and against the International Human
Rights. So, very frustrating.
20 March 2004
We updated the site (more Mvindeni primary school info, thanks
Rose) and we received the first money donation: Thanks HBM middle school
(this is the school of Frank)
16 February 2004
The Ukunda Schools Project is a finalist in Cable & Wireless Childnet
Academy 2004 Click on the Childnet logo to find out more about this award.
More news will follow.
12 February 2004
We added the list with titles of English books which the students need
most. The list was sent to us by our Kenyan contact person Rose. Rose
contacted the principal of the primary school about this list. So, please
have a look at the MOST NEEDED page to see if you can help the students;
they need these books badly!
5 January 2004
Frank finished the website, we are ready to launch the project.
1 January 2004
Rose is sending the most updated list of the most wanted, most needed text
books for the primary school.
August - December 2003
Frank is designing the website for this project.
12 augustus 2003
GSN and the coordinator of Ukunda Schools Project (René de Vries) sign a "MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING between Global SchoolNet Foundation and Ukunda Schools Project".
5 augustus 2003
Global SchoolNet Foundation (Encinitas, CA, USA) is willing to be
the educational and strategic partner. GSN is a California non-profit 501c(3) education organization.
1 augustus 2003
René and Frank work hard to design a website about Kenya and the
Ukunda schools Project.
July 28, 2003
René and Frank de Vries, Birgit Stuijver, Klaske Meijer and Martie Sanders
visited the Mvindeni Primary school and P.D.S. Schools in Ukunda, Kenya.
We came with the idea to raise school supplies and money on the schools of
René, Birgit and Klaske for the schools in Ukunda. René agreed to be the
co-ordinator of this charity program. Our travel guide Mrs. Viola v/d
Voordt agreed to be contact person in Kenya. Rose Anami agrees to be local
contact person in Kenya. |
