Last year our charity action activities raised £15,000 for Haller. It has made a meaningful difference to the lives of a great number of people in Kenya. They focused this on the needs of children with the aim of improving health, nutrition and access to learning. Some of the funds raised were used to support daily IT classes, a porridge breakfast programme which ensures that each child gets at least one protein-based meal each day, and a programme of environmental activities.
Previous to our fundraising the people of Haller were having to source water for washing and cooking by carrying what they could from rivers and ponds and had to buy their drinking water. The increasing frequency of periods of drought, unreliable rainfall patterns, and the inability of the county government to provide suitable water infrastructure creates a circle of on-going poverty. During the year 2014-2015 we managed to raise enough money to provide a community with access to water via a rain-fed dam and a well, supporting 900 people.
Having a well for clean drinking water has improved overall health, reduced incidents of disease and mortality and freed up many of the girls from the task of carrying water meaning they are now able to go to school.
Farmer training is also being delivered as parts of the Heller model which means families are able to feed themselves much more and incomes are on the increase since they have vegetable produce to sell in the small kiosks that have been set up.
It was amazing for us to hear that recognition of this, the community have elected to register themselves with the county government as the ‘Sevenoaks Community’!
