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Started Mar. 26, 2008

Support for school grows!
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Started this discussion. Last reply by Matthew Norton Mar. 25, 2008.

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About Me:: I am 28 and live in the UK. 2 years ago i visited Kenya and Tanzania and saw the incredible benefit of education in Africa. I saw the gratitude of a child receiving a pencil and returned home determined to help in the best way possible - through providing education in Africa. I have been directly supporting a school in Magadi, Kenya for the past year, and it has now grown so big that the school isnt big enough for the people who want to attend. In addition, the current school is unsafe and unsuitable and as such i am working with the Maasai Heritage Presevation Foundation to build a new school in this area for 400 people.
Our goal is to provide extensive education to those who do not have education because the region cannot afford the school, or to areas that are so remote from schools that education is an impossibility. Our immediate work in 2008 is to build a school in the Magadi region of Kenya, which will house 400 people (both children and adults) and provide these people with education that has until now been impossible. From there, we will be repeating efforts in other areas of Africa that are desperately in need of education. Several fundraising events are taking place over the coming year to raise funds all over the world with support in Kenya, the UK and the USA and we are looking for more worldwide support. Here in the UK the main event taking place in September where 2 colleagues and i are cycling from Lands End to John o Groats (the length of the mainland UK). We also have another cycle event in the pipeline through Yale University as well as other interested cycle groups and really want to get more people on board.

I am looking for interest from other cycling groups who may be interested in a cycling for our cause, or indeed getting involved in any way to raise funds for schools in Africa.

Occupation: Student, Professional (Private Sector)

Website:: http://www.cycleforafrica.co.uk

Matthew Norton's Blog

Support in Tanzania from the Maasai Heritage Preservation Foundation

As you will all of read in my previous posts, i am cycling to raise money for the Maasai Heritage Preservation Foundation to support the school building that we are doing in Magadi, Kenya. This week we at the foundation have agreed to support a further school in Mlali, Tanzania. I met a… Continue

Posted on May 22, 2008 at 2:44pm —

Greg Mortenson, Mother Theresa and Education

Hi All

I am in the process of reading the splendid book of Greg Mortenson - '3 Cups of Tea'. The man is a real inspiration in the work that he has achieved in building schools in Pakistan and with so much of his own personal sacrifice. Those of you who have heard of Greg will know what i am talking about, but those of you would dont i recommend you look up his work. Certainly in the field that i am in in supporting education and beginning to look at building schools in Africa, it is great to re… Continue

Posted on May 11, 2008 at 1:45pm — 2 Comments

Douglas Sidialo Joins Cycle for Africa

I have been fortunate enough to speak to Douglas Sidialo. Douglas Isaac Sidialo is a blind cyclist, mountain climber and motivation speaker. He is believed to be the first blind African to summate to the top of mount Kilimanjaro-Uhuru Peak: 5,895 Meters above sea level.

Rece… Continue

Posted on March 18, 2008 at 3:51am — 4 Comments

School manages to support others.

The school that i support and the one that i am working on raising money for a new school (www.cycleforafrica.co.uk) is doing so well that we are able to share the school supplies with the surrounding areas. For the past year my friends and family have been gi… Continue

Posted on March 17, 2008 at 2:00pm — 1 Comment

Matts First Post

2 years ago my wife and I were in Kenya and Tanzania and were really impacted by the children over there. We were told to take pencils with us as pencils help aid in a child going to school. Seeing a childs face when we handed over a pencil was incredible (one child even stood with his head bowed in front of my wife when she handed over 2 pencils). When we came back i was determined to help education in Africa (and not through giving money to a charity - i wanted to give what i knew worked direc… Continue

Posted on March 6, 2008 at 1:02pm —

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At 11:57pm on May 11, 2008, Matthew Norton said…: Enthused,

Let me know where your area is and what the TRIUMPH! Foundation are about. There may be some crossover at some point where we can help each other out.

Regards

At 3:04pm on May 11, 2008, enthused said…: Hi Matthew, this is really nice of you. It is encouraging to know that people like you are doing something great to help african kids to get the education they so deserve. I am challenged to do same in my area as I just presented a proposal to my board for TRIUMPH! Foundation. The number one project is the Back2School Project. So many kids here have dropped out due to hawking and poverty. keep it up

At 1:00pm on March 6, 2008, Matthew Norton said…: 2 years ago my wife and I were in Kenya and Tanzania and were really impacted by the children over there. We were told to take pencils with us as pencils help aid in a child going to school. Seeing a childs face when we handed over a pencil was incredible (one child even stood with his head bowed in front of my wife when she handed over 2 pencils). When we came back i was determined to help education in Africa (and not through giving money to a charity - i wanted to give what i knew worked directly to the people i knew needed it). I managed to get in contact with a school on the brink of closure and started supplying them directly with school supplies. That school has had a tough year where the school has blown down as well as the majority of the people being driven from the village in drought. However, the schol has still prospered and has grown to 40 students (the max that the school can hold). The current school can only hold this amount, but it is incredibly uncomfortable and unsafe being made of tin (imagine being taught in a tin school in temperatures of 40 degrees). The school however has the potential for 400 children, as well as around 1000 adults that have never been educated. I am therefore passionate about building a new school in this area, which we have support of in the region. This is hopefully the start of many years work where we hope to build several schools throughout Africa in the most needed areas.
To do this I am working with the charity 'Maasai Heritage Preservation Foundation' (with whom the Maasai Cultural Ambassador is co-founder) in raising funds for education in Africa. Our goal is to provide extensive education to those who do not have education because the region cannot afford the school, or to areas that are so remote from schools that education is an impossibility.