Christina flying out in December

Development projects due to start very soon! Thank you to everyone who has donated for helping to start the projects. Christina will work with local communities to provide adult literacy and more.

We're starting out first year projects. We plan to deliver two programmes of projects over the next few years:

Schools Programme

• English for Children
• Schools Link
• After-School Study Sessions
• Nursery Sessions
• School Books, Furniture and Food

Community Programme

• Adult Literacy
• Library and Internet
• Co-operatives
• Community Savings Schemes
• Vocational training
• Adult Numeracy

We're starting with English for children, adult literacy and planning the agricultural co-operatives in this first year. However, as we believe our priorities should be driven by local communities, our plans may change in response to local needs. Our plans need to remain flexible to accommodate the real needs as they change.

Christina will be posting blogs here as often as she can, from Abene, Albadar and Diannah villages.

Thank you again to all those who have helped make this possible by donating. It's still not to late to donate. Your support really is vital to making a sustained difference in Abene. Click here to find out more.

Fans on Facebook

We've launched this Fans page to make it easier for you to track our progress. Become a Fan of Abene Karantaa and keep up with community development in West Africa.

International School Library Month

As part of International School Library Month (throughout October) we are focusing on reading and writing skills, by doing a sponsored twitter and sponsored read-a-thon. The Read-a-thon involves setting yourself a goal to read more than usual in a specified time. That could be reading a whole book in a weekend or three books in a week, or more if you're a fast reader.

Abene Karantaa works with local people in three rural villages in Senegal, West Africa. Your support is vital in helping us to provide our English for Children project, providing opportunity and a way out of poverty. Help us give children in Africa a better start in life.

Join our Read-a-thon. Set your own reading goal, and a date to do it, and then create your own fundraising page online at www.bmycharity.com/abenekarantaa. Tell all your friends and contacts that you're doing it and why you support Abene Karantaa, asking them to support you online.

You can see my fundraising page at www.bmycharity.com/christinaballard. Why not join our group at www.bmycharity.com/abenekarantaafundraisers

Or show your support for one of our fundraisers at www.bmycharity.com/abenekarantaafundraisers.

Thank you!

Celebrating National Potery Day - 9 Oct

We'll be celebrating National Poetry Day in our own way. Here's a poignant poem I'd like to share with you on poverty in Africa by Ian McCrae:

Poverty In Africa

Ian McCrae, Sydney, Australia, 2005

Help Africa again and again
How? Give them advice.
I wonder: Should we give food
Or simply, let them rise.

Give a man a bag of rice
That will feed his family for one day,
Give the same man an education
And he will feed his family forever and a day.

Why should eight men have to decide?
What is good for Africa?
Give the people of Africa dignity
Let them decide what is good for Africa.

Help them, yes, point them in the right direction
Freedom and dignity is the way,
They have the right to walk tall
Their dignity: their say.

From http://www.poetryofscotland.co.uk/Other/povertyinafrica.php

Excited! We're a crowd on Facebook! And got first online donation!

I've spent the last two days crunching numbers in anticipation of the meeting of Abene Karantaa trustees tomorrow evening. My head has almost exploded with numbers not matching up. That's all sorted now, and my mind has wondered onto our Facebook and Bmycharity page.

We've hit 20 on our Facebook cause. Thanks to Anthony we have broken into the twenties! And we've just received our first online donation at our Bmycharity page!

Why not join the growing trend and show your support for Abene Karantaa. Help us provide opportunity and a way out of poverty in West Africa. Your support really is vital in making a difference. Thank you! Click here to give today.