TOGETHER, TRAVELLERS AND OUR VOLUNTEERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

We make regular substantial and on-going DONATIONS of money, equipment and other types of aid to underprivileged communities, children and animals, even though Travellers is not a charity.

One of the schools in South Africa that Travellers supports with volunteers, donations, equipment and teaching aids.

Our priority is to MAKE A DIFFERENCE and you make this possible!

• How YOU make a Difference
• Some Case Studies
• The Bridge The Gap Foundation

Computer Donation at St Matthews Summer Camp, Ghana

The mural painted by Travellers Volunteers in South Africa


Dedication ceremony at the opening of the new classroom

• Travellers paid for and built a new classroom for a school in Sri Lanka, enabling an additional 100 children to receive an education. 
• In several countries we have paid for the purchase of school uniforms and shoes for underprivileged children.
• We donated computers to a school in Ghana, provided a TV and DVD player to a poor school in South Africa and are also equipping a library for a poor school.
• We sponsor school sports events and provide sports equipment and trophies, particularly in Kenya, India, and Sri Lanka.
• A much-needed, fully-equipped playground area in a poor school was funded and constructed by Travellers (see picture, right, of children enjoying their new playground!).
• Travellers give money to poor schools in South Africa which is used for vital equipment and in some cases, to pay for additional teachers.
• We bought toys for the Red Cross Children's Hospital in South Africa and a home for children in Argentina. 
• In India we paid for a new Public Address system in one of the schools where we work.
• In Kenya, Mattresses were purchased  for a local orphanage we work with in Mombasa
• We have also; painted schools and classrooms and paid for new school signs to give the children a sense of pride in their school; provided classroom necessities, like desks, chairs, blackboards, chalks, etc; Supplied books, pens, textbooks and lots of other educational aids to children in numerous schools in many countries.
• In Sri Lanka we are part funding the cost of a new library for a small village near our teaching project in Wasgamuwa. 

• Travellers donates money to various Nature Reserves and animal sanctuaries so that research projects that would stop due to lack of funds can continue. For example, in Kenya we assist with transport/petrol expenses so that Patrol Vehicles can continue to operate.
• In South Africa, we have donated enough money to purchase necessary equipment such as monitoring collars for elephants, lions and other game animals.
• In South Africa we funded the continuation of the species survival project which would have otherwise stopped.
• In Malaysia, donations have been accumulating for every volunteer that takes part in the Orang-Utan project. These funds will be used to fund a special project at Sepilok, chosen by the government department in charge of the centre.
• Sponsored the director of Colombo Zoo to attend a conference on animal enrichment in the UK, covering all of his expenses to enable to learn the latest enrichment/stimulation techniques to be applied in Sri Lanka.
• We built an educational amphitheatre in the Crocodile Centre in South Africa

• On request, Travellers provided a religious statue to give the children a place to pray and derive spiritual comfort.
• A donation of £2,500 was sent to Sri Lanka immediately after the Tsunami hit to help with aid relief. Volunteers were involved in preparing and distributing aid packages, and more money has subsequently been donated.
• A donation was made to assist children from a school in Zambia, (soon to become a new destination for Travellers) to take a school trip to South Africa. Many of these children had never left their own village!
• And Travellers does much, much more on an on-going basis - and we'll continue to do so in the future. It makes a tremendous difference.

If you would like to make a donation to any one of our projects, perhaps one that is close to your heart, you can do so online by going to http://www.travellersvolunteers.co.uk/donate.php. You can choose how much you'd like to donate (from as little as £1) and you can choose exactly which project you'd like it to go to. We will liaise with you in case there are specific items that you'd like us to buy for the project with your donation money.

All donations are very welcome and extremely important to those who have a lot less than us!

THE BRIDGE THE GAP FOUNDATION - THE PHIL AND JENNIFER PERKES MEMORIAL TRUST

“Phil, we salute you!  Siyabonga Kakhulu – your spirit will walk with the Ndlovu and we will place a branch from the buffalo thorn at your favourite lookout spot.”

Samantha Terblanche, on behalf of the Wildlands Trust Conservation Foundation, South Africa.

The Phil & Jennifer Perkes Memorial Trust (Bridge The Gap Foundation) was set up by Jennifer, his wife and Travellers Director, in memory of Phil's achievements in improving disadvantaged communities and his incredible contribution to conservation (and his love of the White Rhino!). The Trust funds research and reintroduction programmes for threatened animals, expansion and education programmes relating to conservation and endangered species, as well as to pay for education and necessary equipment for poor but very deserving children.

The Bridge The Gap Foundation was so named because its aim is to try to bridge the gap between the have's and the have-nots. Travellers make a donation to the Trust for every single volunteer who participates on a voluntary project, regardless of project or country they choose to do.

Very importantly - EVERY PENNY IN THE TRUST FUNDS GOES DIRECTLY TO THE PROJECTS. No salaries are taken from the Fund.

Currently, some of the funds from the Trust are being used to support projects that were close to Phil’s heart, such as the Endangered Species project in St Lucia Wetlands World Heritage Park, South Africa. This vital conservation project focuses on the study and survival of endangered species, but the project itself is now endangered due to a lack of funds. The Phil Perkes Trust is financially supporting the project, including subsidising the cost of voluntary placements to encourage more volunteers and contributing towards salaries so that this vital research can continue.

A life-sized bronze statue of an adult white rhinoceros bull has been erected by the KZN Conservation Trust and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife at the International Convention Centre in Durban.  The sculpture was created by world-famous artist, Dylan Lewis, and will symbolise and celebrate more than a century of conservation in KwaZulu-Natal and honour all those who have contributed to its success.  A plaque in memory of Phil and his contribution to conservation in South Africa is there, together with others, on the statue.

Donations are made yearly to Travellers support school in Lusaka, Zambia. The school targets orphans, from those who have lost one parent to those who have lost both parents. These children are unable to meet the financial demands of schooling and can therefore not enroll in either government or private schools. This is where CECUP community school comes in. The school is a self-help school regally registered with the Zambian Ministry of Education as a service school.

It is run by local volunteers who offer their time to give these children a chance to learn. The school started with 32 children and now has 256 girls and 226 boys making a total of 482 children. The official name of the school is JACK CECUP COMMUNITY SCHOOL and the acronym CECUP stands for

• C = Community

• E = Educational

• C = Centre for the

• U = Under

• P = Privileged

The children in the school range from six to 16 years of age and consist of the following groups:

• NEVER BEENS: These are children who have had no chance to be in a Government School and are the age where they can not be accepted.

• DROP OUTS: these are children who failed to proceed to junior secondary or any other grade, due to a number of factors such as lack of school uniform, shoes, books, pencils, etc.

• PULL OUTS: These children were once in Government or Private schools and where forced out due to the loss of the main breadwinner or parent who used to sponsor them.

The school is very poor but give the the children porridge daily and family rations once a month, as well as organizing new or second hand clothes and shoes for children, books, and pencils for example. To support the school further Travellers donate money for school term fees and for new shoes for the children. Further, donations were made to assist children to be taken on a school trip to South Africa, where many of these children had never left their own village! Also, Travellers have supported fun days where food and drink have been provided for the children. The school appreciate the help so much that they have sent a thank you video.

PROFILE : YONG MTONGA : One of the children we help at KACL

FULL NAME: Yona Mtonga / SEX: Male

'My name is Yona Mtonga. I am a teenager an aged 16 years, eleven months and 9 months born on the 27^th August 1998. I will turn 17 soon as I reach the actual month on 27^th, 2005. I am a male person by sex, born in Lundazi District of Zambia and Mulanje Village to be specifically, Chief Mphamba.

In my family, we are seven and, of the seven, four boys and three girls. Am the fourth born and proud about my family. I started my primary grade one in 1996 at Kapiri Middle Basic in Lundazi District to grade three. I tell you nothing but the truth.

My mom dead in the village and my father dead when I was very, very small. My uncle decided to transfer to come to Lusaka to live with my uncle and continue with my education. When I reached Lusaka. Months passed without going to school. It was from there that I met Mr. Wiseman Banda of Jack CECUP Community School in 1999 and he encouraged me to start school. Quickly without time wasting I started my education in grade three. I am rally proud because Jack CECUP Community School has taught me a lot and I always enjoy. I think of it day and night.

I did my last grade at Jack CECUP Community School in 2002 where I was selected to go to secondary School in grade eight at Chimwemwe Basic School in 2003. I also did my grade nine there in 2004.

I sat for my Junior Secondary School Leaving Examinations and I was with no doubt selected to go grade ten at Kamwala high secondary school. But this did not work out due to lack of financial assistance. Since schools opened I did not report for school.

This made me one of the saddest moments in my life. I am someone friendly and easy to talk to. I like playing football and reading novels, though I do not know a lot about novels. I also like listening to Zambian music and slow music.

My aim in life is to work hard when it comes to education and achieve a better future. In like the bible what it says that work hard to get sweet. Education is the key to success but one cannot because there are certain challenges that can stop you from completing one’s education. As for me Yona, I say money is my challenge'.

The project was established in June 2002 with the goal of helping with the 'basic needs' for approximately 150 mentally ill and old aged people. The project started when Krishnan the director started purchasing food and distributing it to 25 people near the Bus stand, Railway station, and nearby places. From here the work has increased and the project is now caring for over 130 homeless people in over 130 areas of Madurai. We hope that our monthly support will provide much needed support to this worthwhile project. To see the website please view www.akshayatrust.org

• extra food for the children every month

• an additional two sets of bunk beds to enable 4 more children to be admitted to the home,

• blankets for all of the children’s beds,
• new wardrobes in several of the rooms and
• some 'luxury' items like toys and books
• a ventilation system to provide better circulation of air in the summer months.

Mike and Andy at Arundel Fun Run


Children at the APMI crèche in Brazil, where Mike's sponsorship money is going.

 


Plaque in the new playground which was funded by Travellers

Together we ...

We also have on-going projects in the schools and local community:

• We've recently completed building a fully-equipped playground area in one of the schools where we work. There are no (or very few) playgrounds generally available for children to play in safely and we hope to provide the same facilities in other poor schools until, in time, all the schools have a well- equipped play area for the children to play in.

• Travellers has also contributed a new classroom to one of the schools, enabling an additional 60-100 children to receive an education - we're really proud of this contribution to the community!

• We have recently provided a religious statue (see below) to St Joseph's school so that the children have something to pray to and derive spiritual comfort from.  

• A former volunteer and Project Co-ordinator at Travellers, Fergus Kane, was instrumental in the set-up of a computer centre by Three Oaks Trust with the help of Travellers. There are now many computers in the centre and our volunteers also contribute by regularly teaching there.

The Director of Colombo Zoo and Pinawala Elephant Orphanage arranged an educational and fun day trip for 500 pupils from Sri Lanka’s capital city, Colombo, to visit the Pinawala Elephant Orphanage for the day! Here children learnt about the importance of conservation and looking after Sri Lanka's elephants.

Travellers sponsored the day and provided breakfast and mid-morning milk and cookies for the 500 pupils at the event.

All Traveller’s volunteers participated in the event and handed out the food on the day to the children. They helped to provide an informative and enjoyable day out for the kids.

Travellers immediately commissioned a local stonemason to sculpt a beautiful statue and an equally impressive pedestal which raises the statue high to allow all the children to see it during prayers.The statue was dedicated during a lovely ceremony which was attended by some of the volunteers, with lots of photos being taken.

Travellers is thrilled and honoured to be involved with this community and hope that in time we'll make a difference to the future lives of ALL the children.