We have our annual quiz night in Bristol coming up, on Saturday 28th November. To give you a flavour of what’s in store, this was our star auction ‘prize’ at our 2008 quiz night.

This ‘prize’ was so popular that two bidders were all out to get it. When it reached £200 Chris (the fisherman) stopped the auction and offered to take them both out for £175 each. Both trips were a massive success so thank you to the two couples who paid for them and an enormous thanks to Chris Guest, my very generous next door neighbour.

“A day’s guided angling/nature watch in the delights of the waters around Dartmouth, during the summer of 2009 aboard the “Miss Lynn”, a fast, comfortable, new boat with all tackle, safety equipment and spray suits provided.
• Meet for breakfast at Blackness
• Safety briefing
• Cruise downstream observing the rich and varied wildlife
• Put to sea - light tackle angling for bass, pollock, wrasse, plaice & mackerel.
• Lunch – barbeque the catch
• An afternoon exploring the coastline. casting a line when inspired to.
• Return to Blackness Marine.”

John and Viv bought one of these and Andy & Rachel bought the other. John, is a local solicitor and part time artist. He donated a fabulous picture to the auction, which I got and have hanging in my office. We had so much generosity that night towards our auction. Pure wool Scottish rugs, an all day entrance for two to the spa at The Bath Spa Hotel in Bath, kindly donated by them, electronic photo frame and much more…..we were overwhelmed.

Also, I’ve ritten a rather lengthy draft of how to run a quiz night (click here to see the guide on How to Host and Run a Quiz Night), which I’ve done specifically for others to copy if they feel so inspired.

It’s Amani Children’s Home supporter Jem’s 50^th birthday and we’re throwing him a party. It’s not a surprise so surprise him anyway and come!

The party is part open house, part closed mike music session followed by a party. Please come help us celebrate and do something good for the Amani children! The party is near Bristol.

The party is Saturday, September 12th at 7 p.m. If you’re interested in coming and would like more information, email Jem at jeremy.thompsonsmith@homecall.co.uk

If you would like to attend, reserve your free ticket by calling 01761 221 962.

For every music performer a donation of £10 will be given to the Amani Children’s Home, Moshi, Tanzania. Small donations are also welcome. www.amanikids.org

Debbie Carmichael’s paintings are familiar to anyone who’s visited Amani Children’s Home. Her images appear on gift cards for sale at Amani to benefit the kids.

Debbie has once again used her amazing artistic talents to benefit homeless and orphaned children. On 7 May her painting “Together” was unveiled at the Wortley Beck Health Centre in South Leeds, U.K. She has donated the proceeds from the painting to help purchase new clothes cupboards at the Amani home. 

Debbie, a retired children’s ophthalmologist, now devotes her time to her painting, a passion she has pursued for 18 years. She has been supporting the children at Amani in creative ways since 2003, when she and her husband Robin were first introduced to Amani.

“We fell in love with the place, its ethos and history – started by Tanzanians for Tanzanians and run according to Tanzanian culture. What else would work in Tanzania, we thought?” says Debbie. Robin joined Amani’s Board of Trustees and served for two years, offering healthcare advice and contributing his years of experience as a General Practitioner to the management team.  

Robin says, “Very occasionally in a lifetime you find yourself in the middle of something that you know is fundamentally good, right and presses all the wholesome buttons in your character. You feel - in exactly the right ratio - anger that such lovely kids have endured the tragedies that have driven them onto the streets; shame that the world is largely indifferent; joy and pleasure to be in a position to do something; and, lastly, pride to be associated with the people who, hour by hour, day after day, year in and year out work tirelessly to give back to those kids the things they have lost. They receive security, food, health care, a home, an education and lots and lots of what they most need: love.”

Amani is grateful for Robin and Debbie and the other Amani supporters around the world who bring hope and happiness into children’s lives.

Madeleine Wood, seasoned Kilimanjaro climber, is running the Edinburgh marathon on Sunday 31st May 2009 - and all sponsorship is for the Amani Children’s Home. Here is more info on the Edinburgh Marathon.

The Birmingham Navigator student group has been putting on a number of pub quizzes and all the money we have raised goes to the Amani Children’s Home. The students are very supportive of the cause and we are aiming to raise £500. Students do not generally have a lot of money, but they are keen to show off their talent for remembering trivia and pub quizzes are popular! There are always a number of rounds and we all have our specialist areas!

We have attracted around 30 students to each quiz and they cheerfully bring food and given spare change to support the Amani children. The Amani video always brings the cause to life and reminds us of why we are fundraising. Some of our students have visited the kids and spent time at Amani. They love to be reminded of their time there and tell the others about their trip.

The pub quizzes are great for our community of students and we enjoy them! We get to meet new students, have a great time, all the while raising money for a cause we really care about. Next one will be in the Autumn term…let us know if you’re interested in attending!

Mary Clark of Bristol recently completed a sponsored walk which raised £175 for Amani Children’s Home.

Has anyone else got plans for more sponsored events, regardless of how big or small? If so, let’s hear all about it!

Steven Harris, an Amani Ambassador from Edinburgh in Scotland visited the Amani children the first week of January.

Steven works as a chemistry researcher for a chemicals company in Scotland. “I really wanted to help and to make a difference. I got the very strong impression that Amani makes a big difference to the children it helps. I wanted to be part of that,” said Steven about his motivation to commit a week of his holiday volunteering at Amani.

Steven brought a Scottish flag, photographs from home, and a map showing his country’s historic castles. Many of the animals in Scotland were new to the Amani children and they were surprised to see cows with long hair and hear about Scotland’s famous Loch Ness Monster. Steven also donned a kilt, which made the children giggle. “I’m delighted to have been able to give the Amani kids a touch of insight into Scotland, to repay the loving insight into Tanzania that I am lucky enough to have experienced.”

Before coming to Tanzania, Steven opened his home to friends and family. He served mulled wine and mince pies and told them about Amani Children’s Home. “Then, I passed around a bucket and asked them to make a donation.” Steven also mailed out an email to his colleagues, asking them to visit Amani’s website. After hearing about his plans,

Steven’s employer made a donation to Amani through their corporate responsibility program.

Amani’s Ambassador Program gives supporters the opportunity to see first-hand Amani’s work with homeless and orphaned children by visiting us in Tanzania. Ambassadors raise awareness about child homelessness in their home communities and fundraise to help Amani rescue more children from the streets before their visit. If you’d like information about Amani’s volunteer program, visit the volunteer at Amani page.

Each year, sales of the Amani Christmas and Holiday Cards raise money to pay for tuition, uniforms, textbooks, and school lunches in the New Year. In 2008, Amani sponsored the education of 214 children. Next year, Amani hopes to be able to send even more children to school.

One of this year’s cards features some of Tanzania’s most adored animals beneath a festive Mt. Kilimanjaro, the other which highlights messages of peace from around the world. You can make a direct impact in the lives of Tanzania’s homeless children by purchasing your holiday cards from the Amani website. The cards are located in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom so you’ll be sure to receive your cards in plenty of time before the holidays.

Help us ensure that all children have the chance to learn. Supplies are limited so order your cards today at http://cards.amanikids.org.

Spread the word - get involved in the the new Amani Homes raffle and it’s possible to win a climb up Kilimanjaro! It’s kindly donated by Intrepid Guerba Travel which usually retails at US$2400.

The Prize will offer the following itinerary for 2 persons: -

• Day 1 - Transfer from Kilimanjaro International airport to Marangu Hotel.
• Day 2 - Visit Amani Children’s Home. Stay at Marangu Hotel. Meals B,L,D.
• Days 3, 4, 5 & 6 - Kilimanjaro. Marangu route. Meals B,L,D.
• Day 7 - Return to Marangu Hotel. Overnight hotel. Meals B,L,D.
• Day 8 - Transfer toKilimanjaroInternationalAirport. Meals B.

The winners will plan the dates with Intrepid Guerba and join a scheduled group departure. There are weekly departures every Sunday between June 2009 and April 2010. There will not be any local payment payable.

In addition Activenes Consultancy will contribute US$1000 per passenger towards flights.

All proceeds will go directly to Amani Children’s Home to provide hope and a future for homeless children in Tanzania.

Visit the Amani Homes raffle at the site below:
www.justgiving.com/brucethew

We received an email this week from Valerie to let us know that “the Amani playground is up - and it’s fantastic!”. Here is a photo:

“There are kids playing on it every moment that they’re not in class, and they’re actually eating lunch faster so they can run straight to the playground.”