charities we help - The Lunchbowl Network
The Lunchbowl Network educates and feeds over 400 of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Hugely transformational impact and through education, providing a route out of poverty.
The Holland family visited the charity in 2019/20 (entirely self-funded) and saw first-hand how The Brothers Trust grants are transforming the lives of some of the poorest children in Kibera. From providing grants to help fund new school buses, teacher salaries, new artificial turf at the kindergarten, the Kibera Saturday Dinner programme and so much more, The Brothers Trust has made a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of the most vulnerable children in the Kibera slum.
November 16th 2018 - No one likes waiting for a bus...
There is much to admire about LunchBowl. That it is run entirely by volunteers and that 97 pence in every pound raised is spent on the ground. Charities efforts in the third world are currently under much scrutiny and rightly so with funds being misappropriated and shameful human rights abuses coming to light also. But this must not mean that help is diverted elsewhere and away from people in dire need. LunchBowl has people working on the ground so that we have complete confidence that all the funds are spent where they should be and in the most effective manner. As fundraising continues, LunchBowl are scheduled to open a new school and kindergarten in Jan ‘19 for up to 300 children. The Brothers Trust have donated £33,000 to purchase a school bus to help transport these children to and fro school each day. As well as feeding children, LunchBowl understands that giving an education is the best route out of poverty. Something we in the 1st world too often take for granted.
April 1st 2018 - Happy Easter with a trip to the cinema
Reality check…
Quite a responsibility running a new charity as we are discovering.
Raising funds and then distributing monies to people in need. Making sure that the money is spent well and not wasted. Making a difference is the primary goal and as with all charities, we dream of the seismic changes; like helping along that vital piece of research which eradicates life limiting diseases like EB and all manner of cancers.
But as well as the big stuff – there is much joy and happiness in things that might seem incidental to us.
Going to the cinema is hardly a big deal for most the people reading this short post. When I grew up, going to the cinema was a treat and is perhaps why I can still vividly remember seeing Jaws with my mum and my brother. But nowadays, the cinema is hardly a big deal and if we don’t visit the Cineplex then we can simply stream movies straight in to our homes, no problem.
Last week, The Brothers Trust sent 200 children to the movies. 70 of whom had never been to the cinema before and the remaining going for only their second time. These are kids who live in Kibera, the largest slum dwelling on earth. Coaches were hired to take the excited kids and staff to see FERDINAND – fill them with popcorn and hot-dogs and give these kids an experience that I venture they will never forget.
Less is more, as the saying goes – and because these kids have so little, it takes not very much to affect their lives. From the photo montage in this post, it is obvious what this trip meant to these youngsters.
The Brothers Trust has big plans for their union with LunchBowl and their ongoing work in Kibera – but for now and until then, this Easter treat is something we are thrilled to fund.
Thanks to those of you who have made this help possible.
March 20th 2018 - Thanks to you…
We wanted to give an update to our supporters on what has been done with the some of the funds that you have helped us to raise.
As previously reported, £16,000 was granted to Lunch Bowl – a charity run entirely by volunteers both in London as a fundraising hub and on the ground in Kibera, Kenya.
This money had been earmarked to buy land and to construct a school but the organisation ran in to obstacles with planning authority’s regarding lease charges and so it was decided that the deal was too risky and not a good use of our funds.
We hoped that this might resolve but since the legal concerns persist, we have asked Lunch Bowl to allocate the funds elsewhere rather than monies lying dormant in a bank account where it is no good use to anyone.
This has now been done and we are delighted to be able to report the following…
£8,500 has been allocated to fund the entire Kibera Lunchbowl Saturday dinner programme for a full year – providing a hot meal for over 400 orphans or vulnerable children every Saturday.
£150 allocated to pay for and install a single solar panel to create light and power for two classrooms at the Angel Kindergarten that Lunch Bowl runs.
£150 to pay for and install a new shower at the orphanage.
£80 to pay for a wheelchair for a young boy called Jackson. He has cerebral palsy and his plight was recently brought to the attention of Lunch Bowl.
A further £1040 has been put aside to provide Jackson with physiotherapy sessions for the next 12 months.
£6,164 allocated to provide all the food for 200 children at the Angel Kindergarten – breakfast, lunch and fruit for six months.
Thank you for supporting us. In doing so, you are directly helping some of the world's most vulnerable and needy people.
And because 94p in every pound that Lunch Bowl receives, is spent directly on the children, we consider this to be a great use of the funds that we are able to raise.
Many Thanks
