As part of WeAreTheCity’s commitment to support various charities around the world, last year, WATC’s founder Vanessa Vallely embarked on a trip in November 2011 with 3 of her mentees and her 10 year old Daughter to Forever Angels Baby Home in Mwansa, Tanzania. As part of the trip they raised a total of £7,500 which enabled the home to purchase much needed equipment for the babies and supplied running costs for at least a year.
The Forever Angels Baby Home provides a stable, loving home for up to 50 orphaned and abandoned babies and infants from 0 to 5 years, who are severely disadvantaged. It is staffed by trained and dedicated Tanzanian carers and trainees and provides nutrition, love, health care, physical and emotional support until the child is either fostered, adopted or reunited with their family. The baby home was set up by the amazing Amy Hathaway, who in turn has adopted 5 of the children as her own. Click here to find out more.
During the visit, the group also visited a number of schools as well as working shifts in the baby home. One of these visits was to the Cheka Sana Street School. Cheka Sana is a school that provides shelter for vulnerable boys that live on the streets of Mwansa. Vanessa was horrified that the restrictions on funding that prevented Vicki, the 23 year old project manager from making basic repairs to the street centre. She also showed Vanessa a proposed space to house additional boys, however work had stopped due to lack of funding and disrepair. Upon returning to the UK, Vanessa was determined to find a way to help Cheka Sana get the 2nd bedroom up and running as this would provide additional beds for at least another 20 boys. Vanessa was subsequently asked to speak for both Accenture and HSBC Private bank as part of their staff’s development programme and to celebrate International Women’s day. Vanessa requested that rather than being paid a speaker fee, that the companies made a donation to Cheka Sana in order for the boys home to be repaired.
We were so overwhelmed to received photos from Vicki this month showing the boys in their new bedroom and demonstrating just how far a small amount of money can go and the amazing changes it can bring.
If you wish to donate to either the street school or Forever Angels, please click on the following links
