Christmas 2005 Newsletter

10 Years Old

Double Joy Children’s Farm is now 10 years old!! It was started in 1994 by Mary Hinde, an English woman who had been living and teaching in Kenya for 20 years. She started Double Joy to provide a home and school for children orphaned by AIDS, enabling them to survive, and indeed to thrive, in their community. Double Joy started with 24 children and now has 89 and provides employment for 35 staff.

Chrissie Hinde, Eric Roseden and Sue Hilliard (three of Mary’s children visiting from England) arrived at Double Joy 15th May to find preparations for an Open Day well under way. Mary, ex-Double Joy children, neighbours and board members enjoyed song and dance with the children, staff and visitors from England. There was thanksgiving for the success of the project to date and the mood was happy and optimistic. Your generosity and ongoing support is much appreciated.

Latest news from Double Joy

Quoted from a letter received from Stephen Onyang at Double Joy

‘We have 89 children residing on the compound and undergoing primary education. 19 of these are sitting for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and we expect them to do well. One boy ... and one girl ... we expect them to do very well in their exams and go to very good secondary school next year.

Many of our children prefer going to polytechnics. This is because many of our former children who graduated from polytechnics are very successful as evidenced on 20 May 2005 when we held our ‘Open Day’...

This year we are admitting 19 new children to take the places of the outgoing KCPE candidates. Two of the new children are very young ... a boy and a girl who are only 3 years...

Once more we wish you very good health and thanks for everything that you are doing to us at Double Joy Children’s Farm. God bless. Bye.’

Electricity

Due to the fantastic response to the appeal in 2004 summer newsletter, FODJ has so far paid £8,550 of the cost of installing an electricity supply. We estimated costs of £10,000, so are almost there, as is the electricity!

Lighting and plug points are in situ in each building, and all that remains to complete the job is installation and connection of a transformer and poles and wires to roadside supply 500m.away.

Children’s stories

Written in May 2005

Here are two accounts of children’s lives before Double Joy and how they’ve changed since arriving there. They are testament to the real value of your support. (condensed, with names changed)

My life at home compared to my life at Double Joy, by Derek Owino Oluoch

My life at home was not good like this one at Double Joy because I was not getting enough food, I was going without it for even 3 days. We were not having a good house, it was small and leaking so when it was raining we could not sleep. After my parents died I found my life at home very difficult. I was sent to graze the cows and goats and if cows were lost I was caned. By this time I was just about 7 years old.

I was treated like a donkey because when there was any work to do I was the one told to do it. If I said I was tired I could be caned so I was forced to finish the work. If I was sick there was no one to give me medicine so I was just in the hands of God. When I was at home many people were coming to look at me and some were saying, ‘instead of suffering I should just die’. My grandmother was as old as the sun and she could not do anything but Our Almighty Father helped me a lot.

My life here in Double Joy is very enjoyable. I have friends to play with and I can use my talents the way God wants me to, which I couldn’t at home. I am thanking God that here at Double Joy I am getting enough clothes. We have good shelter and we are eating every day.

I want to work hard in class so that I may join secondary school and after finishing I may go to university and when I become rich I would like to build an orphanage home like this one. And in my life I would like to be a doctor.

Thank you, I am Derek Owino Oluoch and I am 15 years old and in Grade 8.

My life at home compared to my life at Double Joy, by Carol Atieno

When I was a little girl my life at home was not very good because I use to face some problems when my father and mother died and left us very lonely. I was left with my grandparents who were very old and were not able to take good care of us.

By that time I was able to do some things like dress myself and do some housework. My grandfather could not even walk far and we struggled to live but the Father in heaven kept us safe and we stay happy with our family. Sometimes it was very difficult with very little to eat, we just take the little we get and share it. My life at home was not too bad because I had a school uniform and I had some pets to care for.

But when I came to Double Joy I found the life flowing smoothly and I was very happy to be here and now I am going for my birthday and I have somebody to take care of me. Double Joy is a lovely home to live in and I thank the Lord for his mercy and a chance to live.

I am Carol Atieno and I am in standard eight and when I finish my studies I want to be a nurse. THANK YOU.

Fundraising

FODJ has been given some very generous donations this year, including:

• donations in memory of a donor and part of a legacy
• wedding gifts
• church collections
• gifts from a 50th birthday
• proceeds from sale of home-made jam, cakes and craft work
• car boot and table top sales
• donations in lieu of lunch at training events
• work-place collections
• fundraising by schools and Scout groups
• Christmas carol singing
• fundraising gigs

The total raised from these events was a staggering £12,610! Please remember that all money (apart from very low and unavoidable admin costs) goes directly to improve the lives of all children at Double Joy. Erekomano uru! (thank you everyone!)

Cards

We have some cards picturing 3 of the girls at DJ, blank for your own message. Please ask Glyn, Chrissie or Eric if you’d like to buy or could sell some.

Recipes

Jenni would like recipe ideas for an African Cookbook. Please send your recipe to Jenroys@aol.com or 112 Westbourne Road, Lancaster LA1 5JX.

Solve That Awkward Gift Problem!

Have you got friends who are shy of receiving presents but who’d be pleased if you helped a child on their behalf? Double Joy Donation Certificates, A6 size, to fit birthday/Christmas cards and includes a photo of a child, are now available.

Please contact doublejoycards@tiscali.co.uk if you would like more information or send cheque (suggested donation £5, £10 or more) payable to Friends of Double Joy to Pauline Brennan at 25, Watery Lane Lancaster, LA1 2SQ.

Printer Cartridges and Mobile Phones

Contact Eric Roseden, eric.roseden@yahoo.co.uk or 24 Knowe Hill Crescent, Lancaster LA1 4JY to donate items for recycling, proceeds to FODJ.

New website
Our new website is now available:
www.double-joy.org.uk
 
E-newsletter?
Please e-mail Chrissie to receive future newsletters by email - saving printing and postage costs.

Standing Orders and Gift Aid

Big thanks to those who donate by Standing Order. This helps tremendously as it makes the budget easier, ensuring we can commit a definite amount each month to cover essential costs at DJ, and keeping our costs low. If you donate regularly, please consider setting up a Standing Order, even for £1 or £2 per month it’s worthwhile.

Thanks too to those who have made Gift Aid declarations. FODJ claimed £6535 in Gift Aid this year, a substantial boost to funds! Forms can be sent to anyone donating regularly or as a one-off.

Special Sponsor Appeal

Mary has brought a young local woman, Anne, to our attention. She is seeking sponsorship through State Registered Nurse training. The SRN course is 3 years and would cost approx. 80,000/-(£670) for Year 1, 70,000/-(£590) for Year 2 and 50,000/-(£420) for Year 3. Please contact Glyn or Chrissie for more information or if you’d like to sponsor Anne.

Pay rise

Congratulations to Alan Nowell & Hazel Warner, wed on 3rd June, who asked for donations to Double Joy as wedding gifts. (Alan and Hazel’s accounts of visiting Double Joy are in Summer 2004 newsletter.)

Whilst at Double Joy, Chrissie was able to confirm FODJ funding for a 10% increase in staff salaries across-the-board to bring wages to minimum national level. This recognises the vital work these people do and, as a major employer in a poor rural area, benefits the locality in a very real way.

Contact details

Please make sure you have Chrissie’s address in Sheffield, below.

UK Head Office

Chrissie Hinde
FODJ
7 Sturton Road
Sheffield S4 7DE

Telephone: 0114 242 3382
E-mail: chrissiehinde@onetel.com

Southern Office

Glyn & Kristina Roseden
43 Willow Crescent
St Albans AL1 5DB

Telephone: 01727 842655
E-mail: glyn@roseden.plus.com

Friends of Double Joy (Reg. charity no. 1087172) supports Double Joy Children’s Farm, a home and school for children orphaned by AIDS:

PO Box 435
Bondo 40601
Kenya
www.double-joy.org.uk

Cheques should be made payable to ‘Friends of Double Joy’.