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Teacher Beth
Teacher Beth is Lizpal's heart and soul. She has been working there 12 hours a day since its inception in 2000. She teaches pre-schoolers; she finds great
satisfaction teaching little ones how to hold a pen, how to sit on a chair, how to wash their hands, how to eat. She occupies an important role in the early
lives of many children and she is so grateful to PaR for having made her job easier.
She has more classrooms and electricity in them. The kids receive a balanced diet, they focus and perform better. She has nice clothes to put on, the cooks
have a real kitchen, everybody enjoys clean water, books, furniture, blackboards and the well trained teachers. She's "happy, so happy" now that PaR
supports her school.
Her favorite moment in the day is the morning when she welcomes the kids to school and sees that none is missing. Her least favorite moment in the day is
whenever she sees the large apartment building being slowly erected right behind the school. That means rent will increase or that the landlord could decide
to evict them on a day's notice. She looses sleep over the thought that one day she wouldn't have anywhere for the kids to go. The solution is simple but
costly: for Lizpal to own its own land. She only has one dream and that is it.
"All the children here they will achieve their dream. [...] It's up to me to back up the vision of the children and I can't back up the
vision of the children when we don't have a place, where they can come every morning."
Education is everything to Kenyans. Without it, without a certificate showing they went to school, they can't even secure a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant.
That is why it is so important to her to preserve Lizpal. Her final word to potential donors: "I request them they continue the same spirit of helping and
transforming other people lives, not only the children but also us grown ups."
Written by Carolina Cabanillas
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Birthday Dinner
On the evening of Saturday 5 March, the Porridge and Rice committee met for dinner at Mosaico to celebrate Porridge and Rice's
second birthday.
The food was excellent and the wine kept the conversation flowing freely. It has a wonderful journey, and it was a lovely way
to celebrate the achievements of the charity.
The charity has grown rapidly from supporting 250 pupils at Excel Emmanuel 2 years ago to over 2000 pupils in 6 different schools in different
districts in the urban slums of Nairobi.
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Sweet Potatoes
Thanks to the commitment of Evanson Njeru, head teacher of Compassion School, Porridge and Rice
now grows all the sweet potato it needs.
According to the WHO, vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children in Africa. In addition, vitamin A deficiency
increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections.
Porridge and Rice regularly provides pupils with sweet potato because it is extremely high in Vitamin A. The charity no longer has to worry that
sweet potato is relatively expensive to purchase.
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Beans
Again, as a result of the efforts of Evanson Njeru, Porridge and Rice is now growing Nyayo Beans, important because they are extremely high
in Iron.
The WHO estimates that about 40% of preschool children are anaemic. The major health consequences for children include impaired physical
and cognitive development, increased risk of morbidity and reduced work productivity, all a serious barrier to a child obtaining
a sound education.
All Porridge and Rice pupils receive Nyayo beans each day to meet their Iron needs.
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Rotary
Jude Hanlon and Ken Surridge continue their visits to Rotary clubs from Lymm to Kingston, to talk about the work done by
Porridge and Rice in the urban slums of Nairobi.
The Rotary clubs visited have been welcoming and the presentations well received.
Individual clubs have also provided support to the charity as a result, both financial and practical.
Porridge and Rice is very grateful to the members of Rotary for supporting the work of the charity.
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Carolina Cabanillas
After volunteering with Porridge and Rice in Nairobi, photographer Carolina Cabanillas, produced profiles with accompanying photographs of
some of the teachers and pupils at Porridge and Rice schools.
The wonderful profile of Beth, featured in this newsletter, in one of the profiles Carolina produced. Several others have been featured on
the Porridge and Rice Facebook page.
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A Lick of Paint
Excel Emmanuel, the first Porridge and Rice school, received a much needed lick of paint this month making it look bright and welcoming.
Excel Emmanuel has expanded considerably since joining Porridge and Rice. Pupil numbers have increased by nearly 30 per cent,
the number of class rooms has doubled, and the teaching staff has grown. The school continues to go from strength to strength.
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Visit the PaR
Facebook page for more pictures and details about the work done by PaR.
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If you have any questions or comments, please email on info@porridgeandrice.co.uk
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING PORRIDGE AND RICE
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