Choko Newsletter

Mafete's story (rain water harvesting)

2012-01-09T12:54:00.000Z

Dear Friends

Thanks to your enormous support in fund raising, we have met our target for supporting the rain water harvesting project. We have heard how this has made a difference to one child and wanted to share the story with you.

Mafete was only fourteen years old when her mother went to look for a job outside Kodumela, leaving her to take care of two siblings. Mafete used to visit the (Area Development Project) ADP garden daily after school to irrigate and weed the garden, in return for some of the produce, but, at the end of the afternoon, she would disappear and they knew very little about her. World Vision Kodumela ADP staff noticed this pattern and became interested in Mafete.

They visited her home and found that there was no adult living there so Mafete had to manage the household, try to keep up her education and tend the ADP garden for food. “The ADP were able to give Mafete vegetables from the garden, but were unable to do more because our funds are committed for specific tasks”, said the Kodumela ADP Manager, Ledile Mphahlele.. As part of the water harvesting project Choko has funded, the ADP were able to prioritise providing water to a vegetable garden at Mafete’s home. This has now become a sufficiently viable economic enterprise to enable her mother to return and support the family from it, rather than needing a job out of the area, thus relieving the pressure on Mafete. The ADP has also been able to link her mother to a government-funded project which pays here a small stipend each month so the family are a complete and fully supported unit.

So, thank you again for the difference you have made.

We’ll be in touch next year about our next project – aspects of child health, including an education and advocacy programme to increase the level of child immunisation. This will have a critical impact on children in their early years, saving lives and improving prospects of these young people.

We wish you a happy festive season

The Choko Team

If you have anything you would like to see included in future newsletters please email us at newsletter@choko.org.uk .
If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Choko newsletter, please send an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Unsubscribe
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Piggeries project in Kodumela

2011-08-04T08:01:00.002+01:00

You may be interested in reading a report about a piggery project within the Kodumela project. Those who met him when he was here in May will remember that Stanley, from the World Vision Johannesburg Office was very interested in visiting piggeries in Oxfordshire.

The link at http://www.wvafrica.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=468:piggery-project-restores-dignity-&catid=57:latest-news&Itemid=86 describes the project and the passion of those involved in it. "It employs eight women and three men, representing a tangible, positive change in the lives of more than thirty children from the area." Ledile, the project coordinator Choko supporters know well, is also quoted in the article, saying "The lives of the men and women who work in this project have truly changed and this in turn mean better lives for the children in these families”.
All the best

Forthcoming events

2011-03-01T09:36:00.002Z

Hello,

Choko have several events coming up which we thought you might be interested in:

Choko AGM – for the latest news about the project
Thursday 10 March at 7:30pm
Cholsey Free Church

Quiz nightFriday 25 March at 7:30pm
Scout Hall
£6 includes a meal
Cash bar available
Enter your team by contacting Celia Merrill 01491 651344 / 07773 870651 or
celia_merrill@yahoo.co.uk

Cholsey festival “Question and answer” session where the Project Manager, Mrs Ledile Mphahlele and others from Choko will be able to answer questions about the project and Choko activities.
Wednesday 25 May at 7:30 pm
St Mary’s Church, Cholsey
All are welcome

Choko Beer FestivalSaturday 24 September
As usual, this promises to be a day of good fun, good music, good company and, of course, a good selection of beers, ales and ciders.

If you have anything you would like to see included in future newsletters please email us at newsletter@choko.org.uk .
If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Choko newsletter, please send an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Unsubscribe
If you have friends who would like to receive the newsletter, they can subscribe by sending an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Subscribe

Christmas Greetings from Choko

2010-12-10T08:38:00.002Z

Recently the Committee met with 3 World Vision representatives, who were able to give us some interesting feedback. The Rain Water Harvesting project we are currently supporting is focussing on training at present. 300 out of the target group of 840 households have now received training and are using the roof-to-garden watering system. A further 150 families have also implemented trench gardening and will be the next to receive the training and materials to harvest roof run-off. These gardens are producing sufficient vegetables for the families to sell produce on the local market, bringing in some income to support the family. More importantly, having the vegetables to include in their diets is contributing to the reduction of malnutrition which in turn means people are a bit more resilient to HIV.

In addition to the family gardens, nine communal gardens have been established, which supply vegetables to the Orphan and Vulnerable Children feeding schemes and also have sufficient to be sold.

We thought news like this would be a great Christmas present for Choko supporters! Thank you so much for your contributions to this success.

If you have anything you would like to see included in future newsletters please email us at newsletter@choko.org.uk .
If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Choko newsletter, please send an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Unsubscribe
If you have friends who would like to receive the newsletter, they can subscribe by sending an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Subscribe

Caring for your South African plants

2010-06-23T12:09:00.002+01:00

You may have been given or bought one of the South African plants from Choko. They may be needing attention now and Val Bolt has the following suggestions:

Sabi Stars ( the oval flat leafed plant)
If you look at the bottom of your pot and see white roots pushing through the time has come to 'pot up' your Sabi Stars.
They need a pot about 5" diameter now and some nice sandy, light compost.
If you would like us to do this for you (for a small donation to Choko) please contact me on 651864 or val_bolt@hotmail.com.
The Madagascar Palms seem quite happy still in the small pot, keep an eye on the roots at the bottom – however to re-pot these you will need a stout pair of gardening gloves!

Choko will have stands at the School event on 26 June and the Flower Show on 14 August. Also remember to mark Saturday 25 September in your diary for the Beer Festival!

Choko Newsletter June 2010 - Water Harvesting & Gardening update

2010-06-07T10:29:00.002+01:00

Water Harvesting & Gardening Update June 2010
In World Vision’s Kodumela Area Development Programme (ADP) villagers get water from local rivers. Most of these dry up in the winter and even those that do not dry up require digging in the dry riverbeds to form shallow temporary wells. The water is shared with livestock and wild animals and can easily be contaminated.

By supplying water for crops and livestock as well as training in farming methods the Water Harvesting and Gardening project aims to reduce food insecurity in the ADP by 10% and also instill a culture of family food self-sufficiency.

The project so far
The Water Harvesting and Gardening project started in February. One of the first stages was training. Over 500 of the 1,000 households that have been targeted to start using the roof to garden rain water harvesting have now been trained in its benefits and over 80 households are testing the system that will improve their water supply.

Moreover 80 farmers from 10 communities were trained in the new trench gardening method that will produce more food for families. During training the community members were actively participating and sharing their indigenous knowledge of organic farming. Nearly two-thirds of the farmers that came forward for training were women, seemingly challenging the usual role of men in the community. The ADP will encourage more men to take part and begin to use these new methods that will better equip them to provide food for their families.

These trained, leading farmers will hold monthly meetings with the Development Facilitator to discuss progress and outline the challenges. The Development Facilitator will monitor the gardens through field visits where any problems will be addressed. Seeds were also distributed to the lead farmers to get them started.

The future
To set up the gardens and water harvesting, 100 bags of cement were purchased and will be distributed to the farmers for the construction of waterways that will direct water coming from the roofs to the trench gardens. The process will help to prevent soil erosion and gullies that might damage soil structure within the area. Plastic sheeting has also been procured to facilitate water flow for those farmers who cannot use cement to cover their trenches.

“The garden and rain water project is helping us a lot, as we were not able to harvest water from the rain ourselves.”
The Maake are a family of seven. The parents do not work and have struggled to have enough money to buy farming equipment and invest in new farming skills.

Choko newsletter June 2010 - Morabudi Centre

2010-06-07T10:24:00.003+01:00

Progress report on the Morabudi Disabled Centre in Sofaya

“Thank you so much for being there for us. The centre is so beautiful. Thank you for looking after us. You make us want to live, we never in despair because we know that somewhere some people care and appreciate us as we are. Thank you.”
Quote from the people attending the Sofaya Disabled Centre

Progress
Kodumela ADP has successfully completed building the disabled centre. The building has windows, window panes, is now roofed and the internal walls are plastered. Furniture which will be used in the centre has been purchased already like tables and chairs. The ADP will complete the doors, tiling and carpeting the floor, the plumbing and the installation of electricity. Once these things are completed the centre will be ready for use.

Background
In 2009 World Vision’s Kodumela Area Development Programme (ADP) started building a centre in Sofaya village in South Africa. The project is a special project funded by CHOKO in the UK.

The centre will be benefit 53 disabled children and young people. The purpose of the centre is to encourage the community to accept and integrate disabled children and not hide them away from the services that can help them develop. It aims to create a learning opportunity for all disabled children in the ADP area where young people can be trained on life skills.

The future
The centre is not currently receiving funding from the Department of Social Development, but its application has been approved for 2010-2011. As soon as the funding comes through the centre will be able to operate independently. The centre is also planning to establish income generating projects which will be able to support its activities even in the absence of funding. The ADP is supporting the centre with meals through the Social Department and ABSA bank funding. The centre is ensuring that all the disabled children in the area have access to nutritious food.

Breaking new ground
The centre is currently extending its services to other villages; two children who use wheelchairs have been admitted from Moshate, a village 5km from Sofaya.

Choko Newsletter May 2010

2010-05-19T14:37:00.003+01:00

James Butler of Choko is pictured presenting Jonathan Francis of World Vision with a cheque for £16,648 for the first half of a project to provide 840 households in the 10 villages in Kodumela with the skills and materials to save rainwater and use the saved water to grow their own food.
The money has been raised from product sales, the 2nd Choko beer festival, various fundraising events and donations – including support from Wallingford Rotary Club, in less than a year.

Choko Newsletter March 2010

2010-03-05T10:12:00.002Z

Dear Friend of Choko

The Choko AGM was held on Tuesday 2nd March 2010. I think all there echoed Sue Jeffs’ vote of thanks to Bev for all she does as Chair and we are all very pleased that Bev will be continuing as Chair.

In her report, Bev noted a number of Choko activities in 2009:

the many donors who have supported the project and numbers of people who have shown an interest in the project in various ways;
the Choko Games which were very efficiently organised by Louise Newell and the Games Committee;
the Beer Festival, with special note being made of the 2010 festival, which will be organised by Andy King and his committee and extensive range of helpers. Make a note now of Saturday 25 September!
the schools links, welcoming St John’s as a new school joining;
a number of talks which have been given by various people;
the sponsored parachute jump;
the money raised and work done by the merchandising committee.

Of special note were:

The very successful 2009 trip, in which 26 Choko members and 3 World Vision staff were able to visit the project and see first hand the difference the money raised by Choko has made, for example in the Morabudi Special Needs Centre. We were also able to note the progress of the activities like the Lafata Women’s Enterprise and the general improvement to the infrastructure of South Africa. Much of the road to the project had been tarred in the period between the trips.
Our new position in the Churches in Partnership department of World Vision, which is a suitable home for Choko as it is geared for partnership programmes (not just by churches) so understands the aims and approaches of Choko.

After the AGM, we had a group discussion on the options for a future trip to the Kodumela Project. This will be discussed further at the next Choko committee meeting on 22 March, as planning may need to start soon. To assist with this, could anyone interested respond to the following questions to Bev (info@choko.org.uk) by Saturday 20 March.

Do you want to go on the next Choko trip? This is not a commitment, purely an expression of interest.
Do you want it to be 2011 or 2012?
Does the answer to the first question depend on the answer to the second question (for example you would go in 2012 but not in 2011)?

With best wishes from the Choko committee

Choko Newsletter February 2010

2010-02-12T10:31:00.002Z

Dear Friend of Choko

We have two invitations for you in this message:

The Choko AGM will be held at 7:30pm on Tuesday 2nd March 2010 at the Cholsey Free Church. All are welcome. We will be reviewing the successes of Choko and starting to discuss the next trip to visit the project.

The Wallingford Rotary Club has arranged " A Valuation Evening with Jonty Hearnden" (from the TV programme Cash in the Attic) for Tuesday, March 23rd at 7.for 7.30 p.m. in the Sir John Hedges suite at the George Hotel Wallingford.

Tickets cost £10 - there will be a cash bar, nibbles will be provided and items for Jonty to look at can be taken. Obviously he will choose a selection as he cannot "do" lots! There will also be a raffle.

Tickets can be obtained from Wallingford Town Information Centre, Ray Park Family Butcher, Cholsey, the Newsagent in Benson and Marilyn Dyer-Lynch (marilyn@dyer-lynch.freeserve.co.uk).

The proceeds will go to Choko and a ShelterBox for disaster areas.

Choko Newsletter January 2010

2010-01-27T10:42:00.024Z

Dear Friend of Choko

Choko is now 5 years old! We put together a presentation for our fifth birthday, and we have included the slides in this newsletter.

But before we get to that, can I remind Friends of Choko that the 2010 subscription is now due. You can request a form from info@choko.org.uk, by phoning 01491 202245, or use the attached one which has been sent to all Friends who have provided email addresses.

Another reminder – the Choko AGM will be held at 7:30pm on Tuesday 2nd March 2010 at the Cholsey Free Church. All are welcome. We will be reviewing the successes of Choko and starting to discuss the next trip to visit the project.

Choko Newsletter November 2009

2009-11-17T08:28:00.006Z

Thanks to the very generous support of so many, we are really pleased that we have already raised over £10,000 towards the Water Project (details can be found in the blog at http://chokonewsletters.blogspot.com/ on the 2/9/09 posting). This is fantastic progress towards the $50,000 which is needed (clearly the pound equivalent keeps changing with the currency fluctuations!).

The Choko Games have ended for this season, with a few carried over to 2010. They have been great fun for all who have taken part, as well as raising over £800 towards the project.

Christmas is fast approaching so we will be selling Choko products at various functions, including the PTA Christmas Market on 20 November 2009 from 6:30 to 9.30. There will also be Choko stalls on the Forty from 10:00am to noon on Saturdays 28 November and 12 December. Special mention must be made of the notelets, including a new Cholsey range, and the Christmas Carol CD. Either the packs of five notelets or the CD would make a good Christmas gift (or you may want to keep them for yourself as your own treat!)

If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Choko newsletter, please send an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Unsubscribe

If you have friends who would like to receive the newsletter, they can subscribe by sending an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Subscribe

2009-10-01T08:13:00.007+01:00

Choko Games Update October

Pool, Rounders, The Fun Water Event, The Balloon Race, Cricket, Netball & Skittles have now taken place.

Next are:
Game: Whist
Venue: The Old School

When : Thursday 7th October 7pm

Who to contact: Jenny Jeskins 651579

Game: Fun Quiz

Venue: Laurence Hall

When : 10th October 7pm for 7.30 start

Who to contact: Louise 652120

Game: Race Night
Venue: The Red Lion
When: 14th November
Who to contact: Louise Newell 652120

The following games are still to take place, it is likely they will happen during the spring and early summer of 2010:
5-a-side football, Tennis, Aunt Sally, Pub Games evening & Tag rugby

If you would like to organise, help at or take part in a game please let us know.
Val 651864 or Louise 652120

Choko Games update

2009-08-10T13:15:00.005+01:00

Choko Games update: Pool, Rounders, The Fun Water Event, The Balloon Race, Netball & Cricket have now taken place.

Choko Games Balloon Race
Proudly sponsored by http://www.painlessbusiness.com/

Balloons released 27th June 2009, closing date 27th July 2009

Results
8 tags returned or notified:
3rd place – Braziers Park, bought by Olive Williams
2nd place – Chiltern Aerodrome, bought by Charlotte Cowell
1st place - Lincolnshire- bought by Paul Jenkins

Tags also returned from:
North Stoke- Hetta Ovey
Ipsden- Maggie Atkins
Silly bridge, Cholsey- Maggie Atkins
Station Road Allotments, Cholsey- Richard West
Mary Mead, Cholsey (x2) - Nancy Newell & Katy Thraves

Thank you to everyone who took part in the balloon race, raising £240 for CHOKO, going towards our water project target.

The following games are still to take place:

Game: Skittles
Venue: Scout Hall
When : Fri 21st August 7pm start
Who to contact: Val 651864

Game: 5-a-side football
Venue: Cholsey School field
When : 22nd August
Who to contact: George 652154

Game: Fun Quiz
Venue: Laurence Hall
When : 10th October 7pm for 7.30 start
Who to contact: Louise 652120

Game: Pub Games evening – darts, crib & dominoes
Venue: FMSSSC (TBC)
When : TBC
Who to contact: Bett Stopp 652379

Game: Tag Rugby
Venue: Cholsey School
When : TBC
Who to contact: Louise 652120

Game: Whist
Venue: TBC
When : October
Who to contact: Jenny Jeskins 651579

Game: Crib
Venue: TBC
When : TBC
Who to contact: Betty 652479

Game: Tennis
Venue: Cholsey Tennis courts
When : TBC
Who to contact: Louise 652120

Game: Aunt Sally
Venue: FMSSC
When : TBC
Who to contact: Louise 652120

If you would like to organise, help at or take part in a game please let us know.

Choko Newsletter, July 2009 (Cholsey School focus)

2009-07-08T12:38:00.015+01:00

As Choko is a community linking project we thought that it would be interesting in this newsletter to focus more on the Cholsey side of the link and tell you what has been happening in Year Four at Cholsey School.

Over this half term the children in Year 4 have been studying water, including what it is used for in Cholsey and in Kodumela, how to save it, move it and what may affect how it moves. Val Bolt has written this report of what they have been doing.

“I had the good fortune of talking to the Year Four children not only about the changes in Kodumela since the last visit but also our current fundraising project about learning to save and use rainwater. I took the puzzle we have made to show the parts of the project.

We started by discussing how you would need to explain to the people who will benefit from the water project how it will work. “This is a good idea but if you don’t understand it, it must be hard to do it” sums up the excellent level of understanding of these children.

We moved on to explain about harvesting rainwater from the roof using plastic sheeting to collect water – right up their street as they had already tried it, so comments included
“We’ve done it Mrs Bolt”
“It was very hard depending how you hung your sheet and what container you tried to collect, it in”
“Yeah we saved 21L,”
“We only managed 6L”
and so on ensued.

“Great. As we need 2L per day who managed to save enough over the month so provide the recommended amount?” I asked, allowing time for the maths. No one had been able to save enough water for the month, in a country with (normally!) good rainfall.

The children looked at pictures of Mamokaile School and wondered where the gutters were as they would be necessary to gather the rain water. [The gutters are lying behind the building waiting to be put up..]

Then we were ready to think about the next stage - giving the seeds and plants out. The gardeners from gardening club cottoned on quickly that you needed to show people how to save the water before giving them plants and seeds – because if you can’t water them they won’t grow or will die.

An excellent understanding of the terrain and lack of tarmac roads and soil type in Kodumela was shown. We bought back a sterilized soil sample which could be examined under a microscope - these children agreed with Harry Butcher that with a combination of sandy soil, not good enough foundations and a water tank on a high platform filling up quickly meant that it was bound to fall, as of course, the one at Mamokaile School did.

Using cement-lined trenches to move the water to irrigate crops comes next – rather than carrying the water yourself. They had recently attended an overnight residential where they had collected water from a river and moved it to where it was needed using various containers holding around 2L. No one carried it on his or her head though! They definitely agreed that some method not involving human effort would be preferential. One of our girls would like us to try some trench gardening at gardening club next year (so look out for this …)

The fifth part of the project depicts purchasing a motorbike for the project facilitator to travel around the project area to see how things are going. They could understand that with the dirt roads this would be better than a car. There was plenty of discussion and a lot of knowledge about the possible machine Suzuki, Yamaha etc. giving a happy digression until I had to admit that no, unfortunately, I didn’t know what cc it would be!

This is the fourth year these children have been involved in Choko and it shows by the level of interest in the project and stream of good investigative questions and reasoned answers. In fact some of the children wanted to write about how important it is to save water and about their experiences of this in Cholsey in the next pack of work to be sent to Mamokaile School.”

Our thanks to Val and the others at Cholsey School and also to Barbara O’Dwyer for what she is achieving at Crowmarsh-Gifford School.

Choko games lists and sponsors

2009-06-12T08:44:00.003+01:00

Here are details of the Choko games planned so far !

Game: Pool doubles
Venue: Red Lion
When : Tues 16th June
Who to contact: Louise 652120

Game: Balloon race
Venue: Cholsey School summer event
When : Sat 27th June
Who to contact: Celia 651344

Game: Darts
Venue: Red Lion
When : Wed 8th July
Who to contact: Louise 652120

Game: Crib
Venue: Red Lion
When : Fri 17th July
Who to contact: Betty 652479

Game: 6-a-side Cricket
Venue: Rec
When : 26th July
Who to contact: Richard 838265

Game: 5-a-side football
Venue: Rec
When : August date TBC
Who to contact: George 652154

Game: Netball
Venue: Flower Show
When : Sat 8th August
Who to contact: Karen 201738

Game: Skittles
Venue: Scout Hall
When : Fri 21st August
Who to contact: Val 651864

Game: Dominoes
Venue: TBC
When : TBC
Who to contact: Louise 652120

Game: Aunt Sally
Venue: FMSSC
When : TBC
Who to contact: Louise 652120

Game: Pub Quiz
Venue: Morning star
When : TBC
Who to contact: Harry 201611

Game: Tag Rugby
Venue: TBC
When : TBC
Who to contact: Johnie Cuffe

Game: Whist
Venue: TBC
When : TBC
Who to contact: Jenny Jeskins 651579

Game: Tennis
Venue: Cholsey Tennis courts
When : TBC
Who to contact: Louise 652120

For further information contact any of the above.

Choko would like to thank all of the Choko games sponsors:

Rounders – Cholsey 1000plus
Car Treasure Hunt – Richard Hinkins & Alan Newell
Pool – Cholsey 1000plus
Darts – Cholsey 1000plus
Aunt Sally – Cholsey 1000plus
Dominoes – Cholsey 1000plus
Crib- Cholsey Parish Council
Balloon Race – Kit James Butler of james@painlessbusiness.com
Balloon Race - Medals - Cholsey parish council
Cricket – Cholsey Parish Council
Football – GRK Engineering
Skittles – GRK Engineering
Tennis – Louise Newell
Netball – Wallingford Bookshop
Pub Quiz – Pettits and champions of Wallingford

The generous support of these local businesses, people and organisations have allowed the Choko games to take place

Programme for Choko Social 16 June 2009

2009-06-12T08:41:00.001+01:00

Dear Friend of Choko

We now have a tentative programme for the Choko Social at Cholsey School on Tuesday 16 June.
There will be some drinks and nibbles available from 7:30 and throughout the evening.

We will start speaking soon after 7:30, with short illustrated talks by various members of the Choko team on:
Choko as a community project
The school linkages - Cholsey School with Mamokaile School and Crowmarsh-Gifford School with Masekane School
Two major success stories - the Lafata Women's Enterprise Group and the Morabudi Special Needs Centre
Visits to sponsored children
The rain water harvesting project
We will also show a 10 minute video of the trip.

After the talk, there will be the opportunity to visit stands and talk to members of the group. There will be stands for:
ADP centre, including the water project, dairy, veg production
Morabudi special needs centre (then and now!)
Child sponsorship
What has changed (including the Lafata women)
Orphan feeding
Fuller video of trip and chat about the trip in general
Child-headed households
Mamokaile school
Masekane school

We look forward to seeing you then!

Please also see http://chokonewsletters.blogspot.com/ for information about the Choko Games which are currently running.

If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Choko newsletter, please send an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Unsubscribe

If you have friends who would like to receive the newsletter, they can subscribe by sending an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Subscribe

Invitation to Choko Social Tuesday 16 June

2009-05-29T09:03:00.004+01:00

Dear Friend of Choko

We look forward to sharing more details of the recent trip to South Africa, reporting back on the progress we saw there and discussing the new Choko project with you. We invite you to join us at the Choko Social at Cholsey School at 7:30pm on Tuesday 16 June. There will be drinks and nibbles on hand, we will have an illustrated “report-back” session to the meeting then give the opportunity for guests to speak to the Choko representatives about specific aspects of the project and trip and view their photos.

To whet your appetite, we will be sharing our photos and experiences from:

Masekane School, which has now linked with Crowmarsh-Gifford School;

Mamokaile School and their on-going link with Cholsey School;

The Morabudi Centre for which we raised funds during 2008 for the building and equipment;

Sponsored children and the effect sponsorship has on their lives and their community;

Lafata Women's Enterprise Group, who are now totally independent but who Choko supported initially;

The many and various activities in the Kodumela Area Development Programme compound – a grinding mill, goats, a dairy, a resource centre, a market and trading area;

A visit to a child-headed household;

The new rain-water harvesting project;

And also some great photos from our pre-project time in the Kruger National Park!

We look forward to seeing you then!

Choko Games

2009-04-29T15:25:00.007+01:00

For any information about the Choko Games please contact Louise Newell on 652120

Event: Tennis
Venue: Tennis courts
When happening: TBC
Organiser: Louise or Tennis club
Categories: Juniors boys, Junior girls, Ladies, Men, Mixed doubles

Event: Darts
Venue: Red Lion
When happening: 8th July time TBC
Organiser: Kath Walker 651295 or Louise 652120
Categories: Singles men, Singles Ladies

Event: Pool
Venue: Red Lion
When happening: 10th June Time TBC
Organiser: Kath Walker 651295 or Louise 652120
Categories: Singles, doubles

Event: Crib
Venue: Red Lion
When happening: 19th July time TBC
Organiser: Kath Walker 651295 or Louise 652120
Categories: doubles

Event: 5 a side football
Venue: Rec
When happening: August times TBC
Organiser: George Crockett 652154
Categories: 5 –7, 8 – 11, 12 – 16, Adult

Event: Netball
Venue: School
When happening: TBC
Organiser: Karen Silkstone
Categories: Primary age, Adult

Event: Tag Rugby
Venue: Rec/ school?
When happening: TBC
Organiser: Johnie Cuffe/Wall rugby club?
Categories: 5 – 7, 8 - 11

Event: Quiz
Venue: TBC
When happening: TBC
Organiser: Harry Bonner?
Categories: Adult

Event: Balloon race
Venue: release at Big Event:
When happening: 27th June winner announced at Flower show 8th August
Organiser: Celia Merrill 651344
Categories: Mixed individual

Event: Aunt Sally
Venue: Red Lion
When happening: Sun 24th May 3.30pm
Organiser:
Categories: Junior, Adult

Event: Dominoes
Venue: Red Lion
When happening: TBC
Organiser: Kath Walker 651295 or Louise 652120
Categories: Doubles adult

Event: Skittles
Venue: Scout Hall
When happening: Fri 21st Aug 6.00 pm
Organiser: Val Bolt 651864
Categories: 5 – 7, 8 – 11, teenager/Adult

Event: Rounders
Venue: Rec/school?
When happening: Sun May 3rd
Organiser: Louise Newell 652120
Categories: Mixed

Event: Car Treasure Hunt
Venue: Around village
When happening: Sun 24th May Morning time TBC
Organiser: Richard Hinkins/Alan Newell 652120
Categories: Adults Max team of 5

Event: Cricket
Venue:
When happening: TBC
Organiser: Richard Williams
Categories: Teams of 11 adult

Choko Newsletter April 2009

2009-04-29T07:55:00.007+01:00

Dear Friend of Choko

The Choko team has just returned from a visit to the Kodumela Area Development Programme (ADP) project in Sekororo region, Limpopo Province, South Africa. This trip will provide the basis for many newsletters in the next few months. We will send future newsletters on specific aspects of the projects and give an overview in this one. If you would like more information about anything mentioned in this report, please contact any of the people you recognise in the trip photos or write to newsletter@choko.org.uk.

Choko Social
Everyone is invited to the Choko Social, at which there will be a full report back from the trip, accompanied by slides. This will be at Cholsey School at 7:30pm on Tuesday 16 June.

The report below follows the itinerary of our visit, which was arranged by the Director of the World Vision Kodumela Area Development Programme (ADP).

Masekane School
Crowmarsh-Gifford School has now linked with Masekane School and the head teacher from Crowmarsh Gifford, Barbara O’Dwyer, was able to spend time in Masekane School. Masekane is clearly a very poor school, even by local standards and is lacking in basic school furniture and resources. Barbara was able to leave them some materials, which were very gratefully received.

Performance at Masekane School

Morabudi Centre
Many members of the Cholsey (and environs) community have contributed towards the funding we raised for a special needs centre. Choko funding has been provided to build and equip a purpose-built building for them, on a large plot of land they have been allocated by the local Chief. We were able to see the foundations and first stages of this building. Of special note is that it includes a gymnasium, for physiotherapy, and indoor plumbing connected to a septic tank (the first building we have seen in the area with this).

We were able to take over a plaque for display once the building of the Moradubi Centre is completed. The fund raising for this is has truly been a Cholsey community project and we would like to pass on the gratitude of the Kodumela community to all concerned.

Founder of Morabudi Centre, Mrs Mashumu, with some of the children

Soccer team
Soccer is a major form of entertainment and the ADP encourage the children to play soccer, as children have so many household chores and responsibilities, there is little time for recreation for them. We were able to take uniforms for the players, who really appreciated the interest shown in them.

Soccer team in their new kit

Sponsored children
Those members of the team who have sponsored children in the area were able to visit the homes and families of the children and take gifts and food to them. These visits were very moving and have allowed sponsors to see the context in which the children live, so are able to make gifts and letters more meaningful. Anyone wishing to sponsor a child can do so through World Vision but should specify that they want a child in the Kodumela ADP. Sponsorship money ensures that the child does not lack any essentials but is shared between the child’s household and the overall project.

Kodumela Area Development Programme compound
A number of the ADP activities take place in their compound. Choko provided the original funding for a grinding mill, they have now purchased another and are kept busy running both mills. Since our last visit, a dairy has been started, currently with 3 cows (one in calf) and 3 calves. Milk is sold and the funds are put back into expanding the project and training more people to keep and milk cattle. A group of boys are being trained in keeping goats and their herd is housed at the ADP. The ADP vegetable garden continues, fertilized by manure from the cattle and goats. Among other things, they produce lemon grass which is believed to boost the immune system of HIV/AIDS patients. There is a market area, where villagers can sell their produce. This also serves as a depot for produce being sent to the more lucrative Johannesburg markets. The structure is used as a centre for community training on days when there is no market. Children visit the ADP regularly to use the computer centre and library.

ADP market and training area

ADP dairy

Lafata Women's Enterprise Group
Having received initial seed funding from Choko, this group is now self-sufficient, producing and selling beadwork, tie-and-dye cloth, scones, eggs and also running a feeding scheme for orphans and vulnerable children. The food quality at the feeding scheme has improved dramatically since our visit in 2007.

Food served at Lafata Feeding Scheme

Mamakaile School
There has been a long link between Mamakaile School and Cholsey School. Rosina, the Head of Mamakaile, was delighted to see Val Bolt representing Cholsey School and they were able to spend time together discussing lesson planning and the use of the teaching materials Val had taken over. We were distressed to see the damage caused to a classroom when a poorly erected water tank fell over in the night in the sudden hard rains, destroying the roof and contents (books, furniture, food and seedlings) of the classroom.

Children welcoming the Choko group to Mamakaile School

Child headed households
The ADP continue to work with other local agencies to support child headed households (where parents have either died or are away working). A noted case was Mhardee, who is caring for her own baby and 4 siblings. ADP provided funding for building materials for a 2 roomed house for them, but Mhardee carried all the sand and water needed for the building from the nearest river. The 2 photos were taken from the same place to try to show the distance and terrain she has to cover. Now the house is built, she, at 21, has returned to school. We will tell more of her story in future newsletters.

Mhardee carrying water home

Rain water harvesting project
The next project to be supported by Choko will be the rain water harvesting project, initially focusing on the households of the 4,000 sponsored children in the area, thus reaching around 20,000 people, but with the opportunity to cascade to other households. There were very good rains during the 2008/9 season so those tanks which have already been installed are full.

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Choko Newsletter March 2009

2009-03-02T07:54:00.007Z

We thought you would send you a report from the Choko AGM on 23 February, which was, as in the previous year, a most enjoyable event.

The highlight was the Chair’s report where Bev went through the aims of Choko which had been agreed in a committee meeting on 28th January 2008, where we discussed the form the project should take up to the World Vision anticipated end date in 2015.

The aims were (and, except for the special needs centre, still are):

Build cohesion between communities
Become an easily recognisable brand and be known as providers of good events and products
Raise money
Fund the special needs centre
The long term aim is to make a sustainable change to the lives of people in Kodumela

She gave the following examples of how each of these was being achieved.

Build cohesion between communities

The forthcoming trip where over 25 people will be visiting the project
Link between Cholsey School and Mamokaile School
Link between Cholsey Pre-School and Mankconyane Creche
Link between Crowmarsh School and Masokane School

Become an easily recognisable brand and be known as providers of good events and products

Beer festival – greatly enjoyed by many, including all the volunteers who helped out so capably. It truly was a family event and we hope for similar good weather for this year’s beer festival on Saturday 26 September 2009.
Notelets, CDs, gift catalogues – 105 Christmas Carol CDs sold in about a week!
Big Food Event – the quality of the food was good but would not necessarily be welcomed as a daily diet by those sampling it!

Raise money

Beer Festival was a great example of this and also allowed Choko to give a gift to the Cholsey Styleacre house
Hilary Handley raised money on her sponsored Dale’s Walk
Students at York University (with Lizzie O’Dwyer) are raising money to support an agricultural project
Product sales on the Forty and elsewhere continue to raise income
There have been a number of donations made to the project
The Women's Enterprise Group and the Goats Project are now sustainable

Fund the special needs centre

This was founded by a mother as there was no provision in the Kodumela area
The building and equipment have now been fully funded by Choko so they will be able to move out of the derelict church pictured below
We will be able to see progress during the forthcoming visit
A plaque has been donated (and will be fixed on the wall of the Centre) to say the centre has been given to the area by their friends in Cholsey and South Oxfordshire

Make a sustainable change to the lives of people in Kodumela

The new rainwater for crops project will definitely make a sustainable change
200 early beneficiary households (20 per village) will be established as examples of the Roof To Garden Rain Water Harvesting system.
25 of them will be taken on an exposure visit to Hammanskraal where the system is being implemented with great success.
The entire group of 200 will each be given 20 metres of PVC sheeting to line Rain Water Harvesting furrows at their houses and 3 pockets of cement each to build reinforcing walls along the sides of the furrows.
Training will be given to 40 leader farmers on trench gardening, a highly appropriate farming methodology that has proven its worth in a number of World Vision Projects
These 40 leader farmers will be early beneficiaries with a proven passion for sharing their knowledge and expertise.
Having been trained, each of them will train up another 20 farmers within the first year.
The 840 farmers will also be provided with limited seeds and seedlings to get them started.
This will require a total of $50,000 to be raised by Choko to complete the full project. As it will be implemented in phases, it can start once we send the first instalment.

Other items discussed in the AGM included:

Finance
Many thanks to Estelle Brown who is handling what is now a substantial budget, with over £25,000 being raised and disseminated in 2008.

As all held funds have all be used on the Special Needs Centre, we are effectively starting from scratch on the new project.

World Vision
Many thanks to Annette Humphreys who has been our contact at World Vision since the project started. She has now moved job, so we are pleased to welcome Mim Shaw as our new contact point. World Vision will be doing a project review and re-design on the Kodumela Area Development Project during 2009, which will give us a clear picture of potential activities for 2010-2015.

Ongoing merchandising
Notelets and Gift Catalogues will be available year round, at Choko events or by contacting info@choko.org.uk. Online shoppers are asked to put a link to http://www.buy.at/choko into their Favourites and go through that to place orders with Amazon and many other online shops. At no cost to the shopper, the site then makes a donation to Choko. Very nice!

Forthcoming events
7 March – Dance at Cholsey School
Now and throughout the summer – Choko Games
16 June – Post trip information and social evening at the school
26 September – Beer festival

Choko consititution
This was amended to reflect the wider interest in Choko. “Cholsey” has now been replaced with “Cholsey and South Oxfordshire”.

So, to sum up, a great evening celebrating a great project!

If you have anything you would like to see included in future newsletters please email us at newsletter@choko.org.uk. Thank you.

If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Choko newsletter, please send an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Unsubscribe

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Choko newsletter February 2009

2009-02-09T13:23:00.004Z

We start with some invitations

Choko AGM will be on Monday 23 February 2009 at 7:30pm at the Cholsey Free Church, Honey Lane.
Come and hear about our 2008 successes with fundraising for the Special Needs Centre in Kodumela and the Styleacre house in Cholsey. Learn about our 2009 plans for a water project, where local farmers will be trained to show fellow farmers and villagers the techniques needed to bring water to 850 households in the area.

There will be a chance, over refreshments, to chat to the Choko committee and others planning to visit the project during this year.

Beer Festival 2009
There is an open evening at 7.00pm on Monday March 2nd in the Red Lion Cholsey for everyone who volunteered to help out at the next Beer Festival (Sept 26th). The evening is particularly for those who put their names forward on the day last year, & to see how we can build the festival as an opportunity for businesses in and around Cholsey to be involved. If you haven't yet volunteered and want to come along you are very welcome!

Invitation to Choko dance Saturday 7 March

The Dance will be a joint event with Cholsey 1000+ and the School.

It will be held on Saturday 7 March, when “Shadowlands” will be playing in the school.

Tickets are available from Ray Park Butchers at £8 (including a cold buffet).

Choko Social
A report back session and social will be held in the School on Tuesday 16 June – we are giving you good warning so you can mark it in your diary and plan to come along!

And a reminder about the Choko Games
If you have a team which would like to enter the Choko Games, which will be taking place throughout the summer, please contact Louise Newell louise60@hotmail.com

Special Needs Centre
The good news is that the funding for both the building and the equipping of the special needs centre is complete. A group from Choko will be visiting the project during 2009 and will be able to report on progress first hand at the post-trip social.

Which means we need to consider the next Choko project….

Water Harvesting and Gardening Project
World Vision have identified this scheme as a suitable project for Choko. The goal of the project is to improve the water resources in the Kodumela Area Development Programme (ADP) through improved access to potable and productive water. 840 households will be targeted, equating to over 4,100 people.

The project will appoint 20 Leader Farmers per village (there are 10 villages in the ADP) to establish Roof-to-Garden rainwater harvesting systems. These will be supported with the provision of 20 metres of PVC sheeting and three pockets of cement to construct furrows from their homes to the gardens.

These households will test the trench gardening system of crop production. They will receive basic seeds and seedlings.

A development facilitator will run this project and will be provided with a motorcycle to do his duties.

The leader farmers will each train up other farmers in their village, so the project will cascade, to reach the 840 households and more.

The project is modelled on an existing, very successful system at Hammanskraal.

The project is expected to cost US$50,000. Training of leader farmers and provision of materials can be funded in phases and we are investigating the option to sponsor specific items like training for one farmer or resources for one household.

There is more information about this in the blog entry entitled “Water Harvesting and Gardening Project.”

If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Choko newsletter, please send an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Unsubscribe

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Water Harvesting and Gardening Project

2009-02-09T13:15:00.004Z

Water Harvesting and Gardening Project
Kodumela Area Development Programme
South Africa

Brief Project Description
This project will target 840 households in Kodumela, including about 235 orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). Since the average household within the Area Development Programme (ADP) is 4.9, this translates to 4,116 people. The total budget for this project is $50,000.

The overall goal of this project is to improve the water resources in the Kodumela ADP through improved access to potable and productive water. The project will:
1. Appoint 20 Leader Farmers per village (there are 10 villages in the ADP) to establish Roof to Garden rainwater harvesting systems and these will be supported by 20 metres of PVC sheeting and three pockets of cement to construct furrows from their homes to the gardens.
2. 840 households, including orphans and vulnerable children, will test the trench gardening system of crop production and will received basic seeds and seedlings.
3. A development facilitator will run this project and will be provided with a motorcycle to do his duties.

Project Rationale
The 99,212 inhabitants of Sekororo in the Limpopo Province of South Africa are mostly poor and unemployed. More than 700 are Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs). Most engage in subsistence farming for survival, but rainfall is low and erratic (500 – 600 mm per year). Farm yields are low. Global warming could exacerbate this.

The Kodumela ADP is situated in Sekororo at the foot of the northern slopes of the Drakensberg east of Trichardtsdal between Tzaneen and Hoedspruit. Many farmers produce crops on the upper slopes of the mountain because the mere presence of clouds means that they receive some moisture, while the villages down below might be suffering from drought. These fields are, however, remote and traditional farming methods put soils at risk of erosion while depleting soil fertility.

Where families are totally reliant on farming for their survival, parents virtually live on the mountain slopes, leaving their children in the village to fend for themselves. The area has a high incidence of HIV and AIDS and the number of orphans and child headed households has been increasing. Survival for these children is tough and they are at risk of exploitation and abuse. For survival, many of them engage in practices that increase their risk of being infected by HIV.

Over the past ten years WVSA has erected some 2,000 Ferro-cement rainwater-harvesting tanks to capture water from rooftops in a limited number of Sekororo villages. This has proven to be a Godsend for people struggling to find a drop or two of potable water. As yet, all the villages do not have Ferro-cement tanks, but the Government is putting in place a grant to allow all households in the country to do so.

Description of focal problems
The primary problems that will be addressed by this project are water and agriculture (water for agriculture).
* The water availability decreases towards the east in the ADP, with Enable, Worcester, Ga Fani, Turkey and Butšwana being the driest.
* Villagers get water from rivers. Most of these dry up in the winter and even those that do not dry up, according to the villagers, require digging in the dry riverbeds to form shallow temporary wells. The water is shared with livestock and wild animals and World Vision colleagues have seen a donkey urinate a metre or two from one such water point from which children were busy filling their containers.
* Borehole water in many villages is saline, with laxative properties.

PROJECT FRAMEWORK
Project Description
Geographic areas: The project will cover all 10 villages that make up the Kodumela ADP. The ADP is situated in the Sekororo tribal area running along the northern slopes of the Drakensberg mountain range, within the Limpopo River basin Direct project beneficiaries: 840 Households will participate and benefit directly from this project within the first year.

Indirect beneficiaries: This project represents the piloting of new technologies in the area and participants / direct beneficiaries will be selected according to their profile to ensure that those who are able to implement their new learnings immediately, are chosen. Over time, the later beneficiaries, people who by their very nature wait a year or two to see new technologies prove themselves, are expected to follow their example. This means that most of the people in Kodumela will be indirect beneficiaries over the longer-term.

* The intention is to establish 200 early beneficiary households (20 per village) as examples of the Roof To Garden Rain Water Harvesting system. Firstly, 25 of them will be taken on an exposure visit to Hammanskraal where the system is being implemented with great success. The entire group of 200 will each be given 20 metres of PVC sheeting to line RWH furrows at their houses and 3 pockets of cement each to build reinforcing walls along the sides of the furrows.
* Training will be given to 40 leader farmers on trench gardening, a highly appropriate farming methodology that has proven its worth in a number of WVSA ADPs. The training will be done by the Food Gardens Foundation, a South African non government organisation that is the leader in the field of trench gardening.1 These 40 leader farmers will be early beneficiaries with a proven passion for sharing their knowledge and expertise. Having been trained, each of them will train up another 20 farmers within the first year.
* The 840 farmers will also be provided with limited seeds and seedlings to get them started.

Project Activity around Cross-cutting Themes

1. Christian commitment – addressed through the Channels of Hope programme in the ADP.
2. Disability – nothing pertinent to disability, although children with disabilities are included in the OVCs.
3. Environment - the trench gardening method that will be introduced is an organic farming method. Organic fertilizers and non-genetically modified seeds will be promoted. Also, reducing run-off by increasing infiltration is likely to reduce erosion.
4. Gender – This project is not focusing specifically on gender. However, 211 of 748 households surveyed in May 20052 (28%) are looking after OVCs. Given the gender balance of these orphans (28% male against 72% female), including OVC households as beneficiaries automatically implies focusing on girls.
5. Peace building and conflict resolution - area is particularly peaceful and therefore this dimension was not considered at all.
6. Protection - The issue here is that of child protection: Since the common practice of leaving children unattended for months on end while parents care for their crops on the upper mountain slopes leaves girls at the mercy of human predators and so at particular risk of HIV infection, as the productivity of household gardens and “low land” farms improves this project is expected to have a long-term positive impact on improving their lot in life. (Being long-term, this is beyond the scope of this project to assess.)

MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
This project builds solidly on best practices from other programmes. The trench gardening method is significant in at least 6 of our 15 ADPs, to date. These have been hugely successful.

Knowledge Management
The sharing of learnings has become a standard operating procedure in WVSA, facilitated mainly by the Quality Ministry team, who act as “cross-pollinators” of best practices as new projects and programs are designed and redesigned. Also, as news of best practices is carried abroad, the eyes of the sub-region often get focused on what we’re doing.

In Kodumela, knowledge management takes on a special meaning when it comes to water and agriculture, because of the relationship with the stakeholders and local associations.

SUSTAINABILITY
Two components of sustainability are in question here: Sustainability of the impact and sustainability of the project itself. Firstly, regarding the impact:
* The project is focused directly on introducing imminently sustainable water resource management and farming technologies, making it very sustainable.
* Project sustainability will be ensured through the focus on building the capacity of the community itself to deal with its own vulnerabilities and problems, effectively putting the reins in their hands.

Your support is invaluable to our project work, thank you so much for all your marvellous fundraising efforts for World Vision activity in Kodumela. The impact Choko support is having is truly valued by us and the children and families whose lives you are changing as a result.
Thank you!

Invitation to Choko dance Saturday 7 March

2009-02-04T15:08:00.004Z

The Dance will be a joint event with Cholsey 1000+ and the School.

It will be held on Saturday 7 March, when “Shadowlands” will be playing in the school.

Tickets are available from Ray Park Butchers at £8 (including a cold buffet).

Choko AGM

2009-02-02T11:43:00.003Z

You are invited to the Choko AGM at 7:30pm on Monday 23rd February 2009, at Cholsey Free Church, Honey Lane, Cholsey, OX10 9NL.

Come and hear about our 2008 successes with fundraising for the Special Needs Centre in Kodumela and the Styleacre house in Cholsey. Learn about our 2009 plans for a water project, where local farmers will be trained to show fellow farmers and villagers the techniques needed to bring water to 850 households in the area.

There will be a chance, over refreshments, to chat to the Choko committee and others planning to visit the project during this year.

If you would like to become a “Friend of Choko” and receive news updates, please contact newsletter@choko.org.uk

Update on the Women’s Enterprise group

2008-12-22T14:05:00.003Z

The initial support that went from Cholsey to Kodumela was to help an unfunded co-operative of women, who had both the motivation and skills to set up business. This group took on the name the Lafata Project (meaning ‘dig’ from the African proverb encouraging ‘digging’ efforts to reap rewards) and started their enterprise with simple sewing and beadwork.

Even before the first Choko trip, the group of 10 women was progressing well and had expanded their activities to include sconemaking, based on a gap in the market. They were also actively engaged in providing voluntary care for orphans and vulnerable children and manned the feeding station that provided regular meals for these local children. They even roped Rev. Andrew Petit in to helping one day!!

Now in November 2008, they are a fully independent group, legitimately registered with the government as a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation and completely self-sufficient. They continue to provide social help, currently feeding 122 children a day, and have expanded their social activities to mentor 20 local girls, all selected in association with World Vision from sponsored children, to target those girls most suitable and in greater need of acquiring vocational skills.

They have also expanded their scone making activities, with the help of a grant from the South African bank to buy an industrial oven, increasing production capacity by 100%. This grant was provided in recognition of the organisation and enterprise of the group and their achievement in becoming registered. They have also increased their craft activities, now incorporating traditional ceremonial crockery and have accessed the municipality’s craft promotion scheme. As well as selling at a big show, they have been included in a promotional leaflet for local craftspeople, hence opening their market to a wider audience.

As if this wasn’t enough, they have also improved their gardening project, now able to sell surplus tomatoes, as well as setting up a chicken rearing business and an egg business selling up to 90 eggs per day! It’s no wonder they are now employing two members of staff including a bookkeeper! This is why your ‘helping hand up’ is completely different from a ‘handout’ – these enterprising women are now helping themselves, their families, local children and the community in general, as well as inspiring neighbouring villagers to replicate their model enterprise. Thank you!

Update on the Goats from Cholsey

2008-12-22T13:55:00.002Z

Although most of the goats purchased with money from supporters in Cholsey, were distributed across many different villages and families, there was an exception! The goat project!

With there being such a high proportion of orphaned and vulnerable children in the area, these disadvantaged youngsters are often forced to leave education before reaching their potential due to financial pressure. The staff at Kodumela identified ten boys, aged between nine and fifteen, who could benefit from the goats in a better way.

Staff arranged for a section of their grounds to be converted to a goat yard, with shelter and fencing, within the security of the compound and the nightwatchman. Then they set up a training scheme for the ten boys, on a rota basis, to learn to care for the goats and be trained in goat-rearing. This way they stay in full time education and ‘graduate’ from the scheme with 5 goats each, that they have helped to rear. These goats can then either be sold for uniform fees, books etc. or provide food and milk or better still, be used to set up a breeding project utilising the training already given.

The boys take turns before and after school to complete their ‘shift’ in taking the goats to pasture, ensuring the shelter and water is provided, checking the health and progress of the goats and their kids(There are already six kids!). This project was further enhanced by introducing a new breed of goat with a higher milk yield, making them even more valuable to the boys.

Choko Newsletter, November 2008

2008-10-29T08:35:00.017Z

Beer Festival
There is an online photo gallery of the event at http://www.chokobeerfestival.org.uk/17.html if you would like to take a look at it to see what a hugely enjoyable event the Beer Fest was. The sun shone, the beer was good, the music was fantastic, the food was second to none and everyone had a great time. Best of all, as a fundraising event this was very successful and over £5,000 was raised.

Style Acre
To continue to forge links between communities here and in South Africa a portion of the proceeds from the Beer Fest was set aside for a local organisation. On Monday 20 October, a presentation of a cheque for £1,250 was made to Style Acre. This will assist them to buy a specialised shower chair for the Style Acre house in Cholsey, which will have a huge impact on the life of residents.

Special Needs Centre
The Beer Fest also enabled us to top up the funds raised for the building and equipping of the Disabled Centre in the Kodumela Project. A cheque has been sent to World Vision to allow building work to commence on the special needs centre and we hope this picture will be the last we have to show you of the old centre, and that we will be able to share pictures of the new centre as work progresses. Our contact at World Vision will be visiting Kodumela Area Development Project in November, so will collect ideas of how we can assist in equipping the centre.

Alternative Gift Catalogue
The Alternative Gift catalogue helped so many people select Christmas presents last year, we have revised it for 2008. You can view it online here or pick up a print copy from Ray Park Butchers on The Forty in Cholsey.

Sales on The Forty
We will be selling our very popular notelets (see sample pictures below) on the Forty on alternate Saturday mornings throughout November and in early December. The next sale will be on Saturday 8 November. You will be able to purchase Christmas cards, the new range of notelets (individually or as gift packs), some South African plants, birthday calendars and alternative gifts from the catalogue.

South African Plants
We have had a few enquiries about the South African plants. These should survive comfortably indoors through the winter but, Val Bolt, who grew the seeds, is a bit worried that they might not get as much light during the winter as they would in South Africa. If you can place them near strong light, that would be a good plan.

Friends of Choko
Just a reminder that, for £10 a year, you can sign up as a Friend of Choko to receive the newsletter and other advance information of Choko activities (and even the occasional South African plant!). More information from info@choko.org.uk

If you have anything you would like to see included in future newsletters please email us at newsletter@choko.org.uk. Thank you.
If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Choko newsletter, please send an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Unsubscribe

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Newsflash, July 2008

2008-08-08T11:12:00.005+01:00

Newsflash, July 2008
We heard such good news at the last Choko committee meeting, we thought we should share it with all Choko Friends and Newsletter recipients immediately.

Disabled centre
As was mentioned in the March newsletter, Choko is aiming to sponsor the re-development of a disabled centre in Kodumela.

Since September 2007, Choko has raised around £14,000 towards this project. World Vision have now got the budget for this, which is slightly over £19,500. This means we are only £5,500 from the target. World Vision say work can commence immediately we have the full funds, and think it very likely that work on the building could be completed within six months. We would really like to raise these remaining funds and would welcome any donations and support of our fundraising activities, 2 of which are mentioned below.

Beer Festival

The Choko Beer Festival will be held on Saturday 28 September 2008 in the Laurence Hall, Cholsey from 11:00am to 11:00pm. It isn’t only beer – there are activities for all the family, including children!

You can sponsor a barrel or just come and enjoy yourself. Tickets (£4.50 are available from Ray Park Butcher's in Cholsey and Choko committee members, and on the gate at the event.Choko cards

Blank cards in a number of designs can be bought from Choko stands (next one at Cholsey Flower Show on 9 August) or directly by contacting info@choko.org.uk. See some samples below.

If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Choko newsletter, please send an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line UnsubscribeIf you have friends who would like to receive the newsletter, they can subscribe by sending an email to newsletter@choko.org.uk with the subject line Subscribe

Choko Newsletter, Summer 2008

2008-06-23T09:41:00.046+01:00

Beer Festival
Plans are well in hand for the Beer Festival to be held on Saturday 28 September 2008 in the Laurence Hall, Cholsey from 11:00am to 11:00pm. It isn’t only beer – there are activities for all the family, including children!

Tickets will be available from Ray Park butcher's in Cholsey and Choko committee members, and on the gate at the event.

Buying tickets in advance for £4.50 saves you money and guarantees you get your commemorative souvenir pint glass. On the gate it will be £3.50 plus £1.50 for the souvenir glass – if we have any left!

Style Acre
To continue to forge links between communities here and in South Africa we have a new link with the local organisation Style Acre. Style Acre is a registered charity based at CABI in Wallingford that provides supported living services and day opportunity services to adults with learning disabilities. Some of the money raised at the Beer Festival will be used specifically for the Style Acre facility in Wallingford.

Big Food Event
Choko participated in the Cholsey Primary School Big Food Event on Saturday 28 June. We gave visitors a sample of the average day's food for people living in the Kodumela area - heavy maize porridge and spinach relish!

Estelle dishes up the Kodumela rations at the Big Food event.

School links
We are delighted to report that the third school link is developing apace. Children at Crowmarsh School have now sent their second parcel of work out to Masekane School, and were able to address their letters to individual children in South Africa who had written last time. This massively helps the connection between the two communities and is part of what makes Choko special. The work from Africa is now displayed in the school, along with pictures of the community, so children have a constant reminder of their 'sister school' in Kodumela. Barbara O'Dwyer, the headmistress, is hoping to use the autumn term to build links with the Crowmarsh community and strengthen the support and connection with Kodumela.

Visit to Cholsey Primary School

A group of Choko committee members were delighted to be able to visit Cholsey Primary School to give a presentation and have discussions with the year 3/4 class. While the talk and informal chats afterwards went down well, the food the children were given to sample did not! They now have sympathy for the Kodumela children who eat this meal day after day. This visit very happily coincided with the arrival of work from the school in Kodumela.

Kodumela Visit 2009 - and collection of gifts for the children

Bookings have been made for the visit to the Kodumela Project in 2009. A larger group will be going than on the 2007 trip and we look forward to seeing progress and renewing contacts. Between them, the group visiting have sponsored at least 8 children, each of which will be visited.

We would like to be able to take books, toys, games and children's clothes (good condition for all items only please!) with us for the orphans in the Kodumela area. Early-years books, and educational toys or games in particular are welcome, and they have always appreciated the football kits we have taken. Everything has to go in the suitcases of those travelling, so we would prefer nothing too heavy or bulky please. Items can be left on the doorstep of 31 Station Road.

Creche
Recent visitors to Kodumela brought back some photographs of the creche which had been repainted during the 2007 trip.

The repainting was an amusing example of the cooperation between the Cholsey visitors and the local residents. 6 Cholsey visitors helped to repaint 4 rooms in a former crèche in 2 hours flat, for re-use as an orphan feeding station. They were helped by 3 local ladies, volunteers from the crèche. One spoke English and shortly after she arrived (very glamorously dressed in a hat and flowing dress) they seemed to gain confidence and they took over the rollers and got stuck in! Previously they had just been frantically mopping up all our splashes, which were spoiling the floor that they had spent the whole of the previous day cleaning in readiness.

As Sue Jeffs says" We all felt rather dissatisfied that we hadn't had any gloss paint to finish the skirtings and woodwork, it felt like leaving the job half-done – but we had the distinct impression that this wouldn't prevent the building from being fully kitted out and in use as an orphan feeding station by the next day at the latest."

Thanks to The Forty Magazine for permission to reprint part of Sue's article.

Sponsored walk
Hilary successfully finished her 80 mile sponsored Dales walk in April and is very grateful to her supporters for the £1,400 she raised for Kodumela. You can see the photos of her walk and read about her experiences on her blog.

Cards and seeds
Current fundraising includes the sale of blank cards/notelets and packed of seeds of South African plants (Sabi Star and Madagascar Palms). Contact any committee members for details.

If you have anything you would like to see included in future newsletters please email us at newsletter@choko.org.uk. Thank you.

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Choko Newsletter, March 2008

2008-03-17T13:31:00.019Z

Choko AGM
On Thursday 6 March 2008, the first AGM of Choko was held. Although it has been operating since 2005, Choko became a fully constituted body on 31 August 2007. This newsletter will cover the Chair’s report and other items from the AGM.

Background to Choko
Bev Butler, the Chair of Choko welcomed those present to the meeting and started her report with a brief history of Choko. Choko arose from Project Lucy, a project James and Bev set themselves personally in 2005, to raise £2005 for World Vision during that year. This, like Choko, was specifically for use in the programme area in South Africa, Kodumela, where the Butler’s sponsored child, Lucy, lives and goes to school.

It soon became obvious that there was enough interest in the project to expand it, so Choko (originally the Cholsey-Kodumela Community Linking Project) was initiated during 2005.

By the middle of 2007, following a community visit to South Africa, it was felt that the project needed to be formally constituted and organised, which took place in August 2007.

Activity since the official formation of Choko
Since August 2007, there has been plenty of activity. Choko now has a website, which Hilary maintains and updates. The Christmas sale campaign saw the production of calendars, Christmas cards, a CD of Christmas carols and the very successful alternative gift catalogue (which will be available year round for birthday, anniversary and other gifts).

A talk on Choko was given to the Wallingford Inner Wheel and mention of Choko has also been made to Wallingford and Sinodun Rotary clubs. Choko had a stall at the Wallingford Medieval Evening as well as regular stalls on the Forty in Cholsey in the weeks before Christmas. The Rangers held a pancake evening for Shrove Tuesday, with part proceeds donated to Choko. Interested persons can now join “Friends of Choko” to receive the newsletter and early invitations to events. More information on Friends of Choko here.

There have been increasing numbers of child sponsorships taken out with World Vision for children in the Kodumela region, which builds links between individuals in the community. School to school links are also developing, following the excellent lead of Cholsey School. James and Hilary spoke about Choko to Crowmarsh School, who have now sent work to a school in South Africa. Brightwell School have also produced work which has been sent out via World Vision. There are 12 primary schools in the Kodumela area, so more schools in South Oxfordshire could get involved.

What comes next?
During the visit to South Africa in April 2007, all the Choko members present agreed that the trip to the special needs children’s centre was the most heart-rending. The disused church where they met lacked much that we would take for granted - like a roof! Working in a building with a partial roof, no floor, seating or equipment doesn’t deter the dedicated founder lady and mother of one of the children from doing her best for the group of children and there is no doubt in our minds that this should be the next area we focus on for fund raising. We are awaiting an estimate from the Project Manager, Ledile, but feel we are well on the way to funding this (as you will see if you read to the end of the newsletter!)

More school linkages and building on the relationships between the schools has very positive benefits for the children in the UK schools as well as in the SA schools.

As Choko develops a revised logo has been created, to reflect the expanded nature of the initiative whilst keeping the same name to remember its roots.

Fund raising continues, with Hilary undertaking a sponsored walk of the Dales Way at the end of April. As she describes herself as “a high heels, handbags and hairdryer kind of girl” this is quite a challenge. Anyone wanting to support her can do so here or by writing to PO Box 575, Aylesbury Vale HP17 8QZ. Hilary has started keeping a blog which makes entertaining reading.

We are holding a Beer Festival in Cholsey on Saturday 27 September, so keep that date free!

Choko committee
There have been a couple of changes to the Choko committee. We would like to thank out-going members Jan Morgan and Graham Chapman for their contributions. We welcome Andy King, Celia Merrill and Eve Evans to the committee. Special thanks should also go to Estelle Browne who continues to do excellent work as Treasurer.

Next trip to SA
A trip is planned to visit the project in South Africa, probably in April 2009. Bev is organising this, so it will be as expertly done as the 2007 trip. If any one is interested in going, please contact Bev before the end of April 2008 on 01491 651490.

And the final piece of good news!
Thanks to generous donations and spending over Christmas, Choko has (since 2005) raised in excess of £22,000 in support for the Kodumela project.

The Choko Team
T: 01491 651490
E: info@choko.org.uk
P: PO Box 575, Aylesbury Vale HP17 8QZ
W: http://www.choko.org.uk/

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