Vana Trust Blog

Your Comments and Contribution to VanaTrustBlog.com

2006-10-26T04:32:48-07:00

Vana Trust's strapline is "Contributing to the Community". For the blog, we have changed it to "Conversing with the Community" because one of the key reasons for our starting this blog is to encourage 'conversation and community'.

You can do this in a number of ways:

Content Contributions

If you are planning a fundraiser - email a short notice at the address at the top of the page, and we'll place it on the blog.

If you have just completed a fundraiser and want to share the story and/or photos - again email us your 'report' and we'll place it on the blog.
If you have visited one of our projects and have a tale to tell - yup - you got it... email us!

Comments

If you read a post on this blog and have something to say - positive or negative - please do!!

Simply click on the 'Comments' link at the foot of each post and you will be taken to a page with a comments form on it. The form asks for your email address - but you do not need to give it if you don't want. NB. If you do, your email address will be public. We suggest you simply fill out your name and if you have one your website or blog url.

We are really looking forward to hearing from you!

Charity begins at home - Vana Trust in the UK

2006-10-26T04:09:56-07:00

Background to why we set up Vana Organic Therapeutic Farm

In the year 2000, I read an article about how working the earth, for example gardening, healed adults with emotional and mental health difficulties, and I thought this idea might work for children. This was my own experience of taking out some children in London to my personal allotment. I thought children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties might be helped with this form of therapy.

In July 2003 I moved from London to a house with seven acres on the border of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. I visited the nearby Bridewell Organic Gardens, which was set up by Paul Tompkinson. Following this I really formulated my idea that a therapeutic farm was a worthwhile project in relation to children. About this time, Bridewell appointed Jenny Tricker and Sue Taylor,

who were seconded by Oxfordshire Mental Health Team, as development workers. These two workers helped me to develop the idea of a therapeutic project using the agricultural field at the back of my house. We met every six weeks until June 2005.

Through these meetings we decided to set up an organic therapeutic farm project under the Vana Trust charity. We amended the aims and objectives to include the farm project, and this was granted by The Charity Commission.

I really like the link between the two projects within Vana Trust because it is all about supporting disadvantaged children and their families and they do say charity begins at home!!

On poverty...

2006-10-25T10:52:53-07:00

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."

Mother Theresa

Meet the children at St David's in Nyandoro

2006-10-25T10:47:22-07:00

This photo, and the one in the banner at the top of the page, was taken last summer. (Click to enlarge.) Pictured are just a handful of the 60 children the Vana Trust currently sponsors at St David’s School in Nyandoro, Zimbabwe - the very same village school which our Founding Director's mother attended as a child.

Schooling in Africa is not a state-funded 'right' as it is here in the UK. Each child must pay fees. The fees are essential to pay for the upkeep of the school buildings, to provide materials - like books, pencils and paper and to pay for uniforms. These 60 children - identified by Vana Trust with the head teacher's help - are all either already orphaned, or their parents are so sick with HIV/AIDS that they are unable to work and pay for their children's education. In many cases, the children are also the parents' primary carers.

A year's schooling costs just ten UK pounds - that's less than an American Hot and a glass of 'house red' at your local Pizza Express. If you'd like to give more children the 'gift' of education, and make a huge difference to their lives - click here now.

Children's Charity Seeks PR Help

2006-10-25T09:48:55-07:00

Are you (or do you know of) a Public Relations Company or Consultant?
Would you be prepared to offer us a few hours of your PR expertise to help us with publicity?

Our aim is to attract major sponsors so we can expand the reach of our work in both the UK and Africa, so raising awareness of our work would greatly enhance our chances.

We have 'a great story' - perhaps you can help us tell it. If you think you can, or to discuss the matter further, please contact 'Grace at VanaTrust dot org dot uk' or telephone 01844 237 146 or 07939 234966.

Link to VanaTrustBlog.com

2006-10-25T08:57:57-07:00

Besides donating, you can also make a difference by spreading the word about our work which will encourage further fund raising. All you need to do is place the button/image link (left) on your blog or website. To do so, simply 'copy and paste' the following code into your website or blog code:-

<a target="blank" href="http://nyashag.typepad.com/vanatrustblog/"><img src="http://nyashag.typepad.com/vanatrustblog/Vana_trust_but.gif"></a>

That's it! Christmas is coming and we are going to be launching an alternative Christmas gift along the lines of 'Sponsor a Child', 'Give a Spade' or 'Buy a Goat' so we need as much traffic to the blog as we can get in the next few weeks. Your help would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Top tip from the BlogAngel: Paste the code into a notepad document first to strip out any formatting code - the code should read exactly as you see it above.

Privacy Policy

2006-10-24T09:39:00-07:00

A quick word on privacy...

Sp'am is a serious issue - for everyone. As a result, we will never rent, sell, share or give your email details to any other party. Ever.

And you'll find an 'unsubscribe' link at the foot of every email we ever send you so you can easily remove your name from this list.