This year saw AidCamps advertise its first public project since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Sadly we were unable to secure sufficient volunteers to run this project, which was scheduled to take place in Tamil Nadu in February 2024 and centered on the creation of an ooranie, a traditional water capture system.
Though we didn’t secure enough volunteers to host a viable group project, two volunteers who planned to join us kindly donated their registration fees to support the work and the trustees decided to fund the building of the ooranie from the charity’s reserves.
Construction is now underway: the bund has been reinforced, the inlet and outlet channels strengthened and the first monsoon rains have now partially filled the ooranie. Once it is full, the remaining works will follow, including the planting of trees, the installation of a purification system and the introduction of fish into the surrounding channels. Rest assured we’ll be sharing photos of the progress as we receive them.
Alongside the work we’ve been doing with SCAD we’ve also been able to provide support to our friends SHUMAS in Cameroon. With funding from the BAFFA team at AkzoNobel, we had sufficient funds to source 90 school benches and additional teacher’s desks and chairs for St. Joseph’s Catholic College.
We’re excited to announce that the BAFFA team will be joining us once again in Nepal in 2024. The group will fundraise the necessary funds and then travel to the country to help complete the creation of a new, four-classroom block at the school which is located in Kalika, Devitar, Chitwan.
Finally, as Christmas approaches, we are just about to forward cards to all those generous supporters of AidCamps and SCAD who have chosen to become child sponsors and support young people in rural Tamil Nadu. It’s an amazing commitment to help improve the life chances of these young boys and girls and the support is very much appreciated by everyone involved. If you want to know how to become a sponsor, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our contact details can be found in the Contact Us section of the website.
In closing, I’d like to thank all our volunteers for their ongoing support during what has been a challenging period for the charity. We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024 and, whether you are an existing supporter or you are thinking of volunteering or donating for the first time, we’d love to hear from you.
Best wishes
Steve
AidCamps – Head of Operations
