The work continues...
2nd Quarterly Report (April - June 2019)
Striving Against Starvation 2019
Our annual Striving Against Starvation drive takes place during May to July with the aim to provide aid to the poor, particularly widows and orphans, in destitute areas of we are supporting food banks which provide essential food to those living under the bread line.
Just £6 provides a family of four with a food parcel for one whole week. That’s just 86p for a substantial daily meal for a family of four! Our distributors are reaching the most rural locations despite battling conditions of torrential rain, cyclones, and debilitating temperatures of over 45 degrees.
We are pleased to share that we have exceeded last year’s total (£50,000), having reached a total of £54,000 so far! A huge thank you to all who have donated towards this worthy cause; every amount, however small, has gone a long way in supporting families during these summer months, providing aid to those who would otherwise struggle to put food on the table.
We would like to share some photos of the distribution of food parcels and water purification tablets that your generous support has enabled, which have now reached areas of Kenya, Tanzania, Yemen, India and the Congo.
Yemen Crisis
In our ongoing support of the crisis in Yemen, our partners foresee a yearly expenditure of $168,000 of which BCT continues to commit to $84,000 per year. Our monthly contributions support the following emergency relief;
Beta Baby Milk Appeal
Powdered high-calorie, high-protein milk powder for infants suffering malnutrition - 6 weeks of this treatment and the infant is already on the road to recovery.
Cholera Vaccine Appeal
Cholera vaccines - 5,000 further cholera vaccinations to be administered in the beginning of July
Food Aid
Food grains for those eligible, especially in remote locations that have little or no support from UN aid.
Warm Blankets Appeal
In anticipation of the colder months, warm blankets are distributed to those affected by the freezing temperatures
Yemen School & Medical Clinic
Our ground partners recently embarked upon the building of another much needed school and medical clinic in Yemen. Serving the orphans in the local province of Daykundi, the project is nearing completion. BCT has committed to provide the running cost of $50,000 a year, and are reaching out to its dear donors for their ongoing support so that we can continue working towards providing a decent and stable education to the survivors of this terrible war.
Eye camps Update
Cataracts is the leading cause of blindness worldwide and BCT is committed to supporting the establishment of medical clinics and mobile medical and eye camps throughout the World. Since April we have sponsored another 20 eye camps this quarter resulting in just over 700 further cataract surgeries. These life changing surgeries are vital in aiding the needy across rural areas of Kenya, Tanzania and India.
1st Orthopaedic camp
It is estimated that 1 billion people are disabled with the most common cause of disability being trauma. This accounts for 15% of the world’s population. The economic impact of such injuries not only comprises of the hefty bills generated from the lengthy hospital stay, but also the lost productivity of such patients who mostly are young, productive bread winners of their families.
Our ground partners in Kenya, held their first ever Orthopaedics Camp in Kiambu County. BCT donated 30 crutches towards the camp, which has aided in the rehabilitation of patients following surgery. These patients had been disabled and immobile for a long period of time. Hope was restored as they regained their mobility. Our partners aim to roll out more such programs and we endeavour to continue our support where possible.
ECD Classrooms – Benazaro Village, Chakama
It is estimated that over 46% of the Kenyan population live below the poverty line of $1 per day. Benzaro is one such village, located within Kilifi County, one of the poorest of the 47 counties in Kenya. The ECD (Kindergarten) children have for years walked long distances to study in a collapsing mud structure, seated on the bare floor without furniture, books or stationary.
BCT, have sponsored the building of 2 ECD classrooms and a vital toilet facility. These are now completed and the students have recently received books to aid their education.
Sufra NW London
Our friends at Sufra are committed to serving the community and we are very proud to have supported them from their very inception. Sufra provides essential services to people from all walks of life that have fallen upon hard times.
This quarter, BCT contributed a further £11,250, which has gone towards Sufra’s vital food parcel distribution, a film screening event which took place in May, as well as the essential day to day running of the charity.
These include the following services;
Community kitchen - providing a 3 course evening meal for anyone who turns up, regardless of their circumstances.
Food Bank – providing emergency supplies of essential food and toiletries to individuals experiencing acute crisis. Depending on the size of family, the food parcels typically last 5-7 days.
Advice surgeries – an in-house advice officer offers face to face guidance and support for people in crisis on a range of issues such as benefits, housing and employment.
St Raphael’s edible garden – a disused space that has been transformed into a thriving community garden.
Food Academy – a 6 week AQA course aimed at young people aged 11-18 years, teaching basic cooking skills, health eating and nutrition, as well as support with CV writing where necessary.
Pamoja Leo
BCT’s involvement with Pamoja Leo extends to supporting their nutrition scheme which provides healthy meals twice a day that the children they support need to combat malnutrition. We also support the entrepreneur scheme which facilitates the opportunity to primary care givers to use the skills they already have and turn them into a way of earning a living.
This quarter, BCT will supporting their Girls Group which facilitates sessions to empower young teenage women to make good life choices and in turn acquire the skills to deliver these sessions to other children, thus becoming peer mentors and increasing self esteem.
We at BCT are inspired by the work they do and the happiness they continue to spread whilst empowering the most vulnerable amongst society.
Water Wells
We are so excited that the wells that have been commissioned are providing vital water supplies to the driest parts of India, Kenya & Tanzania
These newly dug wells have been fitted with an electrical pump immersed so the wires and pipes are all buried underground and water is pumped straight to the reservoir tank which is connected to a tap where students fetch drinking water and/or water for washrooms usage.
Take a look at the images of our ground breaking solar powered pump in Vitongoji, Arusha, which serves 3 villages with 15,000 litres of water!
Visit our website for more information on these projects and many more.
http://www.betacharitabletrust.org/
To make a donation, please use the link below and ensure you provide us with your email address (for receipt purposes only).