Christmas 2007 Newsletter

Greetings to our dear friends and supporters!
We greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ hoping that you are well. We appreciate your generosity which is helping us so much and we pray that God bless you.

News from Doublejoy

I wish to inform you that our Institution has 90 residential children who are in primary school. We have 35 children in post primary education. We have 12 children in secondary schools and 23 children in Polytechnics. 

Our children like going to polytechnics since it takes only 2 years and then they graduate with skills that are of very high demand in the communities and they open up their own workshops.

11 of our polytechnic children are graduating at the end of November this year and 13 of our children are going to sit for their end of primary exams.

With love from all of us here at Double Joy Children’s Farm.

From Stephen Onyang - Manager Double Joy

Comment

I haven’t visited Double Joy yet, although I have spent time in rural South Africa. As I read reports from DJ I have the same impression I did there - that here are people living sustainable lives, close to and living on the land. AIDS has devastated both communities but people are getting on with life, doing what they can.

Double Joy Children’s Farm is a good example of this, which is why it’s so special. Although it was set up by Mary Hinde, an English woman, and is funded by donors in the UK and US, Mary understood the local culture and set up a Board of Governors, who now oversee the running of the Farm. They employ local people and ensure that the funds are spent where they’re most needed. Mary and visitors from the UK and US are able to witness that they do their job well. 

Unfortunately, with the weak dollar (hence reduced value of US donations) and rising costs in Kenya, Double Joy are struggling to make ends meet at the moment. Page 5, from Chrissie, our treasurer, explains how you can help. On page 6 you’ll find forms for Gift Aid and for setting up a standing order. Chrissie gives examples of what your donations will pay for at Double Joy. This is purely for information, as we aren’t in a position to decide priorities. 

We, as trustees, also feel that individual child sponsorship isn’t appropriate in the context of the orphanage. Where such arrangements have been made, these have been long-standing and pre-date local administration.

Wendy Pattinson

Visitors’ News

When we arrived in Kisumu early in the morning on 14th June, it felt like entering a tropical greenhouse even though it is almost 4000 ft above sea level. 

We were met by Mary Hinde and on arriving in Bondo we went to the Aga Khan hospital to see Quinta, a child from the orphanage who was very, very ill with Burkett’s Lymphoma, a condition that’s quite common in children living near Lake Victoria. Sue was able to pray for her and that evening she died with her aunt by her side.
The children were naturally very sad at this news and some of the boys engaged in constructing her coffin. As Mary said, they were putting their love into this work for Quinta; the final result was beautiful. 

On Sunday we went to Chianda Christo evangelical church where the congregation sang with great gusto. The service was translated simultaneously into the Luo language. We were very struck by the way they tithe and this reminded us of the widow’s mite. They have very little money and yet all gave willingly. 

Monday was a very sad day with Quinta’s coffin arriving at the orphanage at 2pm when all the staff and children filed past the open coffin. Afterwards it was very moving to listen to the children singing in the yard. 

During the rest of the week Sue taught some new songs and we were entertained by the children singing and dancing in the Hall. We also talked to the children and staff about the work in the various classrooms. In the infants class, John was touched by the welcome, sung by the children, which he recorded on video. 

On Tuesday we visited Mollen’s stepmother, Margaret but were dismayed to find her very ill with malaria. (Mollen was a pupil at Double Joy, now in secondary education.) We were able to get Margaret to hospital 15 miles away in Bondo. The service provided by the hospital is good as long as you can afford it. She could not have done this without our support and would probably have died, since she could not afford even to travel to the hospital. We do thank the Lord that His timing is always perfect.

We managed to explore some of the area surrounding the orphanage and were taken to visit Miriam whom we are supporting in her secondary school. Whilst there, we met Nancy and Zilpa who were also at Double Joy. 

Mary was very appreciative of our visit and the gifts and money that we were able to bring. However, we felt that we gained much from everyone we met. Everything we did reminded us of how fortunate we are in the UK.

John and Sue Close

Events

• Sat 24th November Waffle stall, with cards and CDs Green Party Fair
  10am to 4pm Lancaster Friends Meeting House
• Thurs 6th December Carol Singing, Hum Holler’n’Sing
  6:30 to 8:30 St Nicholas Arcade, Lancaster
• Sat 8th December Evening event, Kara Steele and her Belly-dancers, plus Mick and Sam 
  8:30 Gregson Centre, Lancaster. Tickets £5 and £4
• Thurs 20th December Xmas Concert by The Gladly Solemn Sound West Gallery Choir
  8pm The Shepherds Church nr Abbeystead ,Over Wyresdale
• Sat 23rd December Xmas Concert by The Gladly Solemn Sound
  8pm St. John's (in the one way system), Lancaster

Sorry it’s all Lancaster events! If you let me know what’s happening near you I’ll put it in our next newsletter.

Festive fundraising

I never cease to be amazed at the effort our supporters put into raising funds for Double Joy! At Christmas, as we buy gifts for our nearest and dearest (no pun intended!), we have the opportunity to give Double Joy some extra help, at this most expensive time of the year, as the older children move on to polytechnic or secondary school. 

Gifts

Donation Cards

These replace the popular certificates. The cards feature one of three delightful photos. They’re blank inside for your message, with information about Double Joy on the back. Please send your donation payable to FODJ, to Pauline Brennan, 25 Watery Lane, Lancaster, LA1 2SQ.

Bead ear-rings

Bead ear-rings in a variety of colours and styles, made by Rose Brennan. Examples are shown on the website. Email brenfamp@hotmail.co.uk, tel: 01524 845495.

Hand-made Silver Jewellery

Mary Stone makes silver brooches, pendants and ear-rings and sells them in aid of Double Joy. All profit, at least 50% of the price, goes to FODJ. To order, or obtain a flyer with all 27 designs, contact Mary Stone, 23 Priory Crescent, Kents Bank, Grange-over-Sands, LA11 7BL, Tel. 01539 534443. 

Tree Pendant £15	Children Brooch £15	Celtic Pendant £15

Christmas Music CDs

Gladly Solemn Sound sing a selection West Gallery music, £10 each. (50% goes to FODJ) 

Contact Alan Nowell: alan.nowell@btopenworld.com, or phone 01524 847794

Charity Flowers and Chocolates

This company will send flowers or chocolates, together with a brief message. You can buy with a credit/debit card over the phone and choose FODJ from the list of charities registered with the site, to receive 15% of the order price. The flowers, starting at £13.99 are dispatched from Guernsey, packed in a box, and arrive in good condition. Chocolates start at £12.99.

Call: 0870 5300 600, or order on-line at www.charityflowers.co.uk. 

Being a Charity

FODJ is administered by a team of 9 volunteer trustees, who bring various skills, strengths and insights. Glyn Roseden is Secretary and a regular visitor to the Farm.

I’m 47, a family man, married to Kristina, we have two children Anna (7 yrs) and Lucas (4 yrs). I’m a foster son of Mary Hinde (who set up Double Joy) and in some ways I feel that my brother Eric and I were the first Double Joy Children that Mary took on back in the early 1960's. I knew from the start that my mother would do a good job with the Kenyan children, and stick to her calling through thick and thin, as she had done in raising my brother and me. 

We’ve been involved with the orphanage from that first day in 1994 when we received a letter from mum in Kenya, telling us of her retirement plans. I’ve watched mum’s vision, supported by Friends’ many small and large acts of care and generosity, unfold through the years, as the number of children grew to 90, with all the associated infrastructure in place. 

Visiting Double Joy once every two years, immersing myself in the daily routine has been a privilege. Like a sponge, I’ve soaked up the experiences and impressions so as to be able to relate in a personal way the atmosphere of Double Joy to the Friends in the UK. Each visit I try to take new practical hobbies and interests for the children, in order to open up their minds and imaginations to life’s possibilities. I’ve been surprised on occasions that certain activities, like chess and Meccano, have set their passion alight, and they’ve continued to pursue their interest long after I have left. 

Glyn Roseden

New contact details

There is a new address and phone number for the head office:

Chrissie Hinde
FODJ
66 Sydney Road
Sheffield
S6 3GH

Telephone: 0114 221 4377
E-mail: chrissiehinde@onetel.com

For newsletter items please contact:

Wendy Pattinson
9 Colchester Avenue
Lancaster
LA1 4AX

Email: wpattinson@yahoo.co.uk (By 30 April2008  for the next newsletter)

Funding

THANK YOU to all our supporters! Without your ongoing support we couldn’t exist. Your contributions not only give the children at Double Joy a chance to survive and thrive, you also support a rural community by enabling us to employ staff from this community who can then support their extended families, through their wages. 

Unfortunately, due to the decreased value of donations from the US (the weak dollar) and rising costs in Kenya, Double Joy may need to cut back on staff. We are keen to avoid this if possible and wonder if you are able to help in any of the following ways:

• Start a Standing Order to Friends of Double Joy. Even a £2 a month donation would really help. If you already donate by standing order and are able to increase the amount, that would also be a great help. 
• Complete a Gift Aid form if you are eligible (i.e. if you’re a UK tax payer) and have not already done so. Last year we were able to claim £6134 in Gift aid. This money is a vital part of Double Joy’s income and enables DJ to send their young people to Polytechnic to learn a trade.
• Continue to tell others about Double Joy. Much of our support starts through word of mouth. We keep admin costs low by having volunteers running the charity and by spending very little on publicity. We enjoy the close relationship we have with our donors and the staff and children at Double Joy.
• Let us know if you have any other ideas to raise funds to keep Double Joy at capacity. Our contact details are on page 4. 
• Keep on supporting us. We really appreciate all you’re doing to give the children and workers at Double Joy a decent life.

Finally, here are some examples of how your money can help:

• £3 buys 1 hen for eggs for children
• £5 buys an outfit for 1 child
• £10 buys a mattress for a child
• £15 buys 2 days water supply during the dry season
• £20 buys 80kg maize to feed 90 children for 2 days

Chrissie Hinde (Treasurer)

Gift Aid Notes:

1. You must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax that the charity reclaims on your donations in the tax year (currently 28p for each £1 you give).
2. You can cancel this declaration at any time by notifying Chrissie Hinde (Treasurer).
3. If in the future your circumstances change and you no longer pay tax on your income and capital gains equal to the tax that the charity reclaims, you can cancel your declaration.
4. If you pay tax at the higher rate you can claim further tax relief in your Self-Assessment tax return.
5. If you are unsure whether your donations qualify for Gift Aid tax relief, ask Chrissie Hinde or ask your local tax office for leaflet IR 65.
6. Please notify Chrissie Hinde if you change your name or address.

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