b+c news

It has been a little while since we have been in touch. What have we been up to you ask? You may recall that we were in discussions with an inspiring group who in only four years managed to rally together to build the infrastructure to support 600 local students. The success of the school is due to the strong ownership that the community feels for the school and their excellent management skills.

We had previously heard of the great work of Got Matar and during our visit to Kenya we had the privilege to meet some of the extraordinary members of the Community Development Group who have been working tirelessly to give local children the best start they deserve.

b+c is teaming up with the school to design a much needed girls dormitory. Currently there is an extremely high drop out rate for girls as they travel long distances each day whilst still being expected to keep up their domestic duties at home. Not only this, the walk from home to school can be an extremely dangerous one. A dormitory will allow the girls to focus on their study providing them with a greater chance of completing their secondary education.

One of the exciting aspects of this project is that the building of the dormitory will run as a training program. This will provide an opportunity for the students and members of the surrounding community to learn basic skills in carpentry, bricklaying and the fundamentals in building design.

We are currently discussing the brief with the Community Development Group and the girls of Got Matar. We are thrilled to be sharing our passion for good design with Got Matar and proud to be continuing the support of Kenyan girls in furthering their education. We look forward to sharing stories of the road ahead with you all.

You can find more information on Got Matar and read all about other exciting initiatives that they have started by visting www.gotmatar.org

glorious gardens

We were blown away by the Thuthuka School garden in Tembisa Township near Johannesburg as seen last week on Around the World in 80 Gardens. After viewing some stunning botanical gardens in Cape Town and a beautiful and opulent garden and home in Parktown, Johannesburg - the Thuthuka School garden brought tears to my eyes! The students work in the garden of their school to grow edible herbs and flowers, vegetables and trees. The children are so happy and delighted to have the space and resources to be able to beautify their school and you can feel their enthusiasm and passion when they show you around...

(it's about 3.20 minutes into the clip here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgUJHL7-qGY)



There's not much information around about how they started the garden or how they have made it so beautiful- as far as I can google they have had support from Food and Trees for Africa - a South African based organisation that embrace best practices in sustainable environmental activities that empower poor communities while also playing an important role in reducing carbon emissions- truly inspiring!

Africa Calling

The continuing story of Gemma and The School of St Jude is being aired on Australian Story this Monday, June 8th. You can watch a preview of the half hour story here.

If you are unaware of the work of Gemma Sisia, Gemma opened what once was a small school in Northern Tanzania with the help of her friends, family and her local Rotary Club. It started with a handful of students and is now thriving with 1151 students, 130 teachers and 200 staff. Read more about Gemma and this amazing success story which is The School of St Jude by visiting the website.

Sydney Writers Festival - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

There was a great article in the Sydney Morning Herald this weekend about Nigerian born author Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. Adiche is opening the Sydney Writers Festival in May and it sounds like it would be worth going along if you can make it.

I had never heard about this woman or her books before and she sounds like an inspiring, interesting, strong and intelligent woman. I'm hanging out for my turn to read this book.

world malaria day

Each 30 seconds, a child dies from malaria. Each of these deaths is avoidable. Join the world’s largest international effort to end malaria deaths. The countdown has begun.

25 April is a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world. This year's World Malaria Day marks a critical moment in time. The international malaria community has merely two years to meet the 2010 targets of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria, as called for by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon.

The next two years present a rare window of opportunity to save a million lives by rapidly delivering malaria interventions - protective nets, diagnostic tests, antimalarial drugs and indoors spraying - to all people at risk of the disease and to pave the way towards virtually ending deaths by 2015.

You can read more at the Roll Back Malaria website here.

This is also an interesting and tragic story of Briton Harry Yirrel who was volunteering in Ghana.  For all of us fortunate enough to be travelling in endemic areas there could not be a more compelling and convincing reminder to take your malaria prophylactics...

school open day

Despite the bumpy road this week there have been some great days here in Kenya and one of these was the Tumaini School Open Day held at Katolo. It was a chance to invite the whole community to come and learn about the project, ask questions and sign up for groups and committees. 

Although the day kicked off 4 hours late, typical Kenya time, it was a great success! There was a big turnout with alot of support for the project shown throughout the day, especially from the women in the community! 

A marquee, chairs and sound system arrived in the morning which in Katolo is no mean feat! There were posters pinned up, speeches and talks made, discussions and performances by the children from Kanyangoro Primary school. Kimberly, our resident film maker captured it all! 

leaving on a jet plane...

I'm off everyone... I arrive into Kisumu on Monday evening and then head off to spend Christmas with my Kenyan brothers and sisters at Rang'i. I'll then return to Kisumu via Katolo to meet Kirstin, Georgia and Harriet - just in time for New Years on the 30th.
Have a lovely Christmas break everyone - stay tuned for reports on the progress of Stage 1 in early January.
xx Amber

introducing... The Katolo Project

It was very exciting news when Kimberley and her film company Ariella Pictures decided to jump on board the bricks + cartwheels wagon! After embarking on documentary projects in Australia, Israel, Holland and Germany, Kimberley has found her next project. Fostering a deep passion for human rights and education, Kimberley's inspiring vision to capture The Katolo project; its journey for both the bricks + cartwheels team, and the community of Katolo, has taken off.

With a degree in Film Production and 8 years experience in the media behind her, Kimberley is excited to be combining her passion with a project that is sure to change the lives of a community forever.

Kimberley will be heading over with us in January to start the filming from the very beginning. We are excited at the prospect of this and cant wait to see the first footage!

As you can imagine this lengthy filming process needs funding to get it off the ground. Anyone who is wanting to support The Katolo Project can do by purchasing a pack of christmas cards.

These cards are just what is needed to brighten up your christmas this year! Not only is each one hand made, each one is a beautiful piece of photographic art as well. A pack of 5 = $30. Some of the stunning images taken in Kenya are featured on the cards below.

To purchase your cards email kimberleyduband@gmail.com

All money raised will go towards the realisation of the documentary The Katolo Project, a project which i am sure will be a beautiful tale of the Katolo community, the construction of the secondary school for girls and most importantly the role of education in rural areas.

bricks + cartwheels gala dinner 2008

went off with a bang! We were amazed, excited and overwhelmed with how well the inaugural bricks + cartwheels gala dinner went last Saturday night.

After spending the day organising setting up and generally running around 260 guests arrived at the Red Box in Lilyfield to the sounds and beats of exotic african music. The evening kicked off with Drum Beats leading everyone in a group drumming sesison and conga line. The evening was hosted by the amazing Liz Jackson, 5 time Walkley award winner and ABC journalist.

The food was great, the wine flowed and the speeches by Sam Crawford and Linda Hume were inspiring. The bricks + cartwheels team updated everyone on the Katolo school project and Kimberly's little film was a heart breaker! There was even a special guest appearance by one of Australia's musical treasures..... Kamahl!

Throughout the evening guests bid on silent auction items, bought up big on raffle tickets and cleaned out the goody bag stash. The live auction was a HUGE success, and was excellent entertainment for all in the Red Box! The night ended with everyone having a big boogy on the dance floor!
The Gala Dinner raised $37,000.00 for the Katolo Secondary School for girls, which completes the fundraising for stage one of the project. The bricks + cartwheels helpers were amazing, a huge thank you goes out to all you lovely people! This is a major milestone for bricks + cartwheels and the community of Katolo!

mac-o-ram-a in the Maasai

We're on the cusp of welcoming two b+c directors to the cool Mac owners club! After Kirstin's pc gave up the ghost and Harriet simply needing a laptop to keep up with us when she heads to London next year- the purchases are imminent!



And apart from being easy to use, super cool to look at and generally just great- have a look at the Apple article here. It's from a little while ago, but how great to see technology available in parts of the world that have previously been out of reach. Here's hoping that we can do the same in Katolo at the Secondary School for Girls!

hamish gregory

Stumbling across this photo gallery has made my day... and has made the desire to get over to Kenya even greater!

Hamish Gregory was a past volunteer of Hands of Help (who we have mentioned here) and what a talented photographer he is! His Mzungu in Africa series is breathtaking, a must view.

Thanks hamish!

afro funk @ cafe lounge - November 9

The lovely Kimberley, who is coming to Kenya with us in January to film our progress, has organised this awesome event to be held this Sunday, 9th November from 3pm til 9pm!

So bring your AFRO WIG and AFRICAN STYLE and join us for an AFRICAN INSPIRED event at one of our favourite places, the unique Cafe Lounge. There will be amazing food and cocktails too...

The Lounge Funk DJs - Louis Love, JRDynamite and Mr Rick are gearing up for summer to help RAISE THE ROOF for the bricks + cartwheels Katolo Project. Ariella pictures invites you personally to get down and funky and show your support (and throw your hands in the air) for a good cause.

There will be a fun raffle on the night!! Prizes include: ipod shuffle, jb hi fi vouchers, facial - supplied by The Beauty Room, wine + more... Be there!!

There is a $10 Donation. The b+c team will be there with bells on!!

educate one woman, educate a nation...

...this is the philosophy of SSEG - South Sudan Educates Girls. We recently found out about this amazing organisation from a friend who is involved. It is so great to come across similar minded people who believe whole heartedly in the importance of educating women.

SSEG aims to provide increased educational access and opportunities for girls in Southern Sudan. To achieve this, SSEG is building a girls' highschool in the town of Aweil and aims to contribute to the rebuilding of Southern Sudan by increasing education levels in the country

This charity organisation was set up by Sudanese people living in Australia with the help of some Australian school teachers and community members. Members of the SSEG committee have been inspired by the story of Anna Dimo and her dream to enable women to be educated participants in the rebuilding of South Sudan.

Congratulations to the committee on all your hard work so far, we at bricks + cartwheels know what it takes to establish something at this scale. We look forward to following your progress.

hospital by the river

This book is on the top shelf of the bricks + cartwheels ever growing library. Adding to our list of inspirational women is the story of Catherine Hamlin and the women of Ethiopia. If ever there was a story of suffering this one will make you stop and think just how lucky women in the developing world are... however this story gives you the hope that their are people out there closing this gap.

Gynaecologists Catherine and Reg Hamlin left Australia in 1959 on a short contract to establish a midwifery school in Ethiopia. Over 40 years later, Catherine is still there, running one of the most outstanding medical programs in the world. Through this work thousands of women have been able to resume a normal existence after living as outcasts, cured of the horrible obstetric fistula. The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately 2 million women have untreated fistula and that approximately 100,000 women develop fistula each year. Fistula is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has treated over 30,000 women over 33 years. Their cure rate is over 90%. Fistula can be prevented if laboring women are provided with adequate emergency obstetric care when complications arise.

For more information about the awe inspiring work of Catherine Hamlin visit the Fistula Foundation site.

The Global Studio

It is Blog Action Day 2008 today - and the focus issue is poverty.  I thought it would be the perfect opportunity  to introduce The Global Studio. 

Global Studio is an action research program where international interdisciplinary students, academics, and professionals in the city building professions come together to collaborate on community-based projects. Informed by the UN Millennium Development Goals, the program promotes forms of education and practice that will benefit under-served communities and facilitate bottom-up, collaborative partnerships. 

I was lucky enough to be a part of Global Studio Johannesburg in 2007 and together with other students from Brazil, New Zealand, Italy, Chile and America – we developed a project called Small Changes, Big Improvements.  Click here to see what we did.  

Another group of inspired and talented students returned to Johannesburg this year to work with the residents of Diepsloot in Johannesburg and did a fantastic job developing the work from last year.  Continuing to focus on projects ranging in scope from housing to the environment to communication technologies and the arts – all projects were driven by local people’s interests and developed with high levels of community participation.  Sustainability was number one priority and projects were developed with strong communcation with local authorities and NGOs. 

You can see the continuing work of the Community Chalkboards project on Candy Chang’s fabulous website.  These chalkboards in the township of Diepsloot improve information sharing between residents.

Candy explains that being public and paperless, the community chalkboard gives residents an accessible platform and allows them to share info on a daily basis, self-organize, and empower each other through local knowledge. And it's cheap to boot! 

Make sure you take some time to explore her site – she is pure talent.  Candy’s ‘I’ve Lived’ public art project will interest many in these times of number crunching. I know I have been dying to know how much rent my neighbours are paying.  What a great idea to start community dialogue.  

Back to The Global Studio, GS founder Anna Rubbo from The University of Sydney will present the work of Global Studio together with Diepsloot residents in Nanjing, China at the UN World Urban Forum. 

It is critical that design education and practice should focus on collaboration with the urban poor to improve the environment and living conditions of society's poorest 20% in cities worldwide. Let’s hope that Anna and the Global Studio programme can get some well-deserved recognition and funding!

woo hoo washington!

HUGE congratulations to our friend and colleague in Kenya, Washington Wycliffe. He's just been elected Student Chairman for Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture in Kisumu, Kenya. We've always known Washington to be a smooth talker and thought he'd be a great politician, so this great achievement comes as no surprise to us!

'I believe that everyone has a chance to contribute to change. We all have a special purpose, don't sit back, move forward and contribute to the change we need in this world. It starts with you. Be a vision maker.'

Washington grew up in Katolo, Kenya - where we're currently working to design and build the new Secondary School for Girls. What a great example for all the youth of Kenya to aspire to. We're inspired.

on my wish list...

PlayPumps International’s mission is to help improve the lives of children and their families by providing easy access to clean drinking water, enhancing public health, and offering play equipment to millions of people across Africa. The PlayPump water system are innovative, sustainable, patented water pumps powered by children at play. Installed near schools, the PlayPump system doubles as a water pump and a merry-go-round for children. Already in communities across South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zambia- they are currently expanding to Kenya and fingers crossed we'll be able to work together to bring clean drinking water and a whole lot of fun for the kids of Katolo!

Have a look at their cool bags on flashbags - I am eyeing off the Spinning Smiles extra large box bag, with 10% of the profits going directly to PlayPumps International. It is on my Christmas list already- what a cool way to start a conversation...

sydney african film festival 08

It's on again. The Sydney African Film Festival returns to the Chauvel in Paddington from Friday 26th – 28th of September 2008.

Anyone who attends the festival will be helping Hands of Help achieve their goal of building equality in communities of Uganda and Kenya with ALL money raised from the festival going directly to the projects.

The movie being screened on opening night, A Walk to Beautiful looks amazing! To buy your tickets online visit here.

elephant pepper

A friend recently alerted us to the Elephant Pepper Development Trust - they seek to preserve Africa's threatened elephant population.

Their mission is to promote the livelihood of farmers living in elephant range through training, the deployment of appropriate conflict mitigation methods and development of agricultural techniques which promote elephant conservation. By promoting effective farming techniques crop security for rural communities in Africa is also improved.

How you ask? Well one of the ways is through chillis! These hot peppers are being used by farmers to protect their crops from elephants as they are known to hate chilli! Elephants cause widespread damage to crops. With only 20% of elephants in Africa formally protected this has lead to massive decreases in elephant populations in some local areas where people are forced to compete with them over food.

The organisation is currently working the the following countries.

You can also buy Elephant Pepper produce at their online hot shop!

Educating girls is important!

We came across this article today, it's title is KENYA: More education equals less teen pregnancy and HIV. The article talks about the importance of educating young people, especially girls.

The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey of 2004 found that "better educated girls were less likely to marry early, more likely to practice family planning, and that their children had a higher survival rate."

An article well worth a read and also illustrates some of the issues facing the community we are working with in Kenya.