Saxmundham Rotary Club's Vice-President Archie Poulter visited the Ciudad de los Ninos in Lima, Peru for two weeks in Sep 99 - his 'summer holiday' that year!
The old carpentry machinery was taken away for repair and orders placed for the new equipment and hand tools. The workshop building was cleared in readiness for wiring ducts and a new floor screed, installed in November 1999.
Everything was in place well in advance of Archie's return to work at the orphanage as a 'Rotary Volunteer' in January 2000. As excitement grew in the Ciudad, Brother Omar had provided a list of beds, tables and chairs urgently needed and these were the first items produced by the workshop.
"It's amazing what they have achieved since I was there six months ago," said Archie. "Through their hard work, determination and dedication the farm area moves from strength to strength. They have increased both chicken and pig production and installed a tubular irrigation system that waters crops at root level. This enables them to grow vegetables towards the orphanage's daily requirements - together with a large maize crop to feed livestock. All their efforts are geared towards self sufficiency."
The next most pressing projects are:
A Bakery - desperately needed in the new kitchen area for vocational training and to allow the Ciudad to supply bread to surrounding shops/schools. All income generated from this workshop will go towards providing bread at the orphanage.
A Shoe Workshop - principally to provide for their own requirement of basic shoes and sandals and vocational training. This unit would also provide for the similar needs for thousands of families in the surrounding shantytowns.
A Farm Extension - to raise day old chicks and for eggs. (Readers are left
to their own imagination as to the fate of the chickens that are too old to lay).
Saxmundham's sister club in the Netherlands, Hoensbroeck Rotary Club, became so enthusiastic about the project that it embarked on a major fundraiser in support. One member, Rob Thalen, is making 100 unique designer chairs that will be individually hand painted by top European artists. Christie's in Amsterdam and London have offered to auction the chairs simultaneously in Holland and the UK via satellite link on the 17th or 24th June 2000. All of this will be totally free of charges or commission! However, they need our assistance with famous artists' names and celebrity contacts.
"Let's rise to the challenge", says Peter Woodruff, "and let's make this the biggest international fundraiser ever undertaken by our District - and it won't even cost you a penny!"
Please don't delay - pledge your offer of help to Peter Woodruff on 01728 604141 today.
The "Axle" reported in Jan 2001: "Over 250 people attended the auction held in the Hoensbroeck Castle on 10th Dec 2000. Christies provided the auctioneers and some keen bidding quickly got underway. The most collectable designs sold very well with the highest individual chair realising £2,400. Artist Sophie Stocker, from Bury St Edmunds, kindly provided the only English entry on our behalf and her chair achieved the third highest price of £2000 ! Thanks and ‘very well done’to Sophie. Both Sebastian and Rob are delighted with the outcome of their most unusual fund raising scheme. Although final figures are not yet known, the proceeds have well exceeded their costs and if a Dutch governmental matching grant is approved, they are hoping the auction will have raised in excess of £60,000 for the Ciudad de los Ninos project."
For the Ciudad main page, click here.
For Update Number Two, click here.
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This document was originally prepared by Rodney Howell, Editor 1080
News.
Electronic 1080 News is edited and maintained by John L Raybould.
Last updated: 29 December 2000
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