Ruscombe lad goes to Tanzania

I was delighted to hear that the great little local jewellery shop, Pashon, in Russell Street in Stroud (pictured) is backing a Ruscombe youth who is taking the step of spending their gap year on a project in the middle of the Tanzanian mountains.

Here is what their news release says: Randa, Pashon owner, says, “We think that Erfan is very brave. The village is an hour and a half by landrover from the road and a number of hours from the nearest town. There is no electricity or water. We are happy to help him and the school.”

Erfan Fadaei, from Ruscombe, Stroud is spending a year in Tanzania before going to university in Manchester. He will be helping to build and renovate school buildings, teach English, install water storage facilities and solar energy units, and run after-school activities for the younger youth and children’s classes at the pre-school.

“I wanted to spend my time on a Year of Service”, says Erfan, “so that I could commit a full year to serving the community.”

Pashon is acting as a collection point. Anyone making a contribution will receive a receipt and can be kept updated on developments at the school. The school nurse has sent a list of needs that can be obtained from the shop but include things like wind-up torches, Iodine tincture, cough medicine, Paracetamol, Antihistamine cream, Piriton, plasters and oral rehydration salts. Every bit helps and Erfan will be taking as much as he can when he leaves later this month.

Pashon is also giving 10% of anything sold in the shop over the next weekend. So you can buy your loved one a gift and at the same time help the Maasai community in Tanzania.

Gemma Enolengila, who founded the charity Aang Serian (meaning House of Peace) which started and runs the school visited Stroud in May and gave a number of presentations on the work there. In addition to running the secondary school, the charity she set up with her Maasai warrior husband, also documents traditional medicine and runs a safari company which employs Maasai guides and gives 10% of all takings to the school and other local projects.

Randa is treasurer of Stroud UNIFEM branch which hosted one of the meetings in Stroud in May and is raising funds for the school especially for the girls who have run away from forced marriage and FGM. Some of these are as young as 12/13 and had to sleep in trees for over two weeks in order to get to the school. They ran away from home to prevent marriage as a third or fourth wife to an older man.

“We all want to help such a fantastic project”, says Randa, “so we are looking forward to donating to the project. Its amazing that just a few pence for some plasters can be of help to the school. We are looking forward to raising money for the students who are trying to build a better life for themselves”.

For more information contact 756675 or 759753