In the March edition of the Spire you will have read of our £2000 in 2000 appeal. We will welcome the new millennium by a donation of at least £2000, we hope a lot more, to the Christian Aid Health Education project in the Diocese of South West Tanganyika, based near the Milo Mission Hospital. This project is to provide clean water, sanitation and basic health facilities in the area where very few exist at present. Our money will mean the difference between health and disease, maybe life and death, for many of the residents in the area. In terms of the overall need it is not a large sum, but it will be targeted directly to the needs of the people. The project will give both immediate and long-term benefit; the more we can collect the wider that benefit will be.

We are firmly committed to the £2000 at least. We began collecting money for our appeal with the Good Friday “Messiah”, which raised £1,112. Further donations brought the fund to £1,210 in June. By the time you read this, it should be even more. Contributions to our appeal are welcome from anyone at any time. Cheques, made out to the PCC, and money are best put in an envelope marked “12000 in 2000 Appeal”. They can be put in with the weekly collection, or given to the vicar, the treasurer, or the churchwardens.

Source: The Spire Magazine 1999 July

In early December 1999, our parish appeal £2000 in 2000 had reached the amazing total of over £9500. I will soon be handing over a second cheque for our chosen project in Tanzania.

Source: Paul Peterken, The Spire Magazine 2000 January

On Sunday 12th March Sue Richardson of Christian Aid came to talk to us about the two projects that our millennium appeal has helped to fund. In February she visited the Community Based Health Programme (CBHP) and the Water Supply project at Kyombe in south-west Tanzania. She also visited Milo, a well known place to St. James's.

The CBHP reaches about 420 babies and their mothers. The health promoters are volunteers and they are charged with seeking out pregnant women and making sure the babies are registered and immunised. The programme tries to improve the nutrition of families by running a weekly clinic and by giving advice on how to improve animal stock. The health clinic at Kyombe teaches the women about food preparation and the feeding of small children. About 30% of children in Tanzania are malnourished and problems usually occur at the end of breast feeding. The cause is not just poverty, but often the workload of the mother. She has to fetch water and wood, look after the house and feed the family, as well at work in the fields which are often some distance from the house. Toddlers are often left in the charge of an older child, which can so easily lead to nutritional problems.

Whilst at Kyombe, Sue attended the official opening of the water project, a time of great celebration. Two natural sources of spring water, high up on both sides of the valley, are piped to storage tanks about halfway down and then on to 32 standpipes. The whole scheme is gravity fed, which means no pumps and no moving parts. It cost £78,000 and the villagers completed it in 6 months. They set up a water committee to manage the scheme and this committee will continue to maintain it. About 4000 people are now supplied close to where they live with fairly clean water - it needs to be boiled for at least 5 minutes before use. The saving of time and effort for the women is a great step forward.

Our millennium project raised £10,000. £9000 was sent direct to Christian Aid. £1000 is being sent to St. Luke's Hospital in Milo as a special gift. Many thanks to all who gave and to all who ran fund raising events.

Source: Ann Peterken, The Spire Magazine 2000 May