REGISTERED CHARITY No.280091

Newsletter - Winter 2015Dates for your diary:Dates for your diary:Dates for your diary:Dates for your diary:Dates for your diary:

Launch of Christmas AppealSunday 13th December at St. Mark's

at 8am and 10am services

BINGO!Sunday 28 February

2.30 to 4.30 - St. Mark's Church Hall

Bucks Fizz, Bangers & BaconSt. George's Day BBQ Brunch

Saturday 23rd April10am - 12 Noon

Quiz - with Helier DreuxFriday 14th October

St. Mark's Church Hall

put the date in your diary now!

Further details of all SMOAT events will beavailable nearer the time on our web site:

SMOAT.org.uk or from any of the committee.

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EditorialEditorialEditorialEditorialEditorialIf you could have just one wish granted to you, what would it be?We’ve had this conversation over the dinner table on many occasions.My daughter and son always used to wish for many more wishes –typical of most children. However, more recently they have thoughtabout it in slightly more depth and haven’t been quite so materialistic!At the moment, I am sure that many people would just ask for apeaceful world and, after some of the atrocities which have taken placerecently, that is another wish that is well worthy of a top ten spot onanyone’s wish list.

But what would your one wish be? It really is quite a tough question.

Before you read on, I’d like you to get a piece of paper and a pen andwrite down ten words which would make this world a better place.My words are: Justice, peace, love, tolerance, kindness, thoughtfulness,selflessness, equality, bravery, understanding. Although there areprobably many more I could have thought of, I struggled a little tofind ten words and so I thought about all the things that can make theworld a difficult place in which to live, which I found easier: Injustice,war, hatred, intolerance, unkindness, thoughtlessness, selfishness,inequality, cowardice, and ignorance.

I think we can probably all relate to the first nine words, particularlyin the light of recent heinous terrorist acts which have taken manylives and threatened our safety and that of others. However, my lastword, “ignorance”, is equally as dangerous as the other nine words asit not only encompasses the other words,

it also adds a few more unpalatable words to the list: disregard,insensitivity, blindness, oblivion, unawareness.

Our world is vast and we live in a tiny part of it. Sometimes, when weare enjoying a beautiful day out with our family or feeling raindropsfall on us, it is hard to imagine, and easy to forget, that in another partof the world a war is raging, or people are dying because it hasn’trained for months and months, or that crops have failed and peopleare starving. It’s at times like this that we must feel truly blessed forwhat we have and then we must think about those other people livingthrough war and the fallout of war, poverty, starvation and preventableillnesses. We simply can’t afford to turn a blind eye to what else isgoing on in the world. Just because we can’t see those people, wemustn’t forget them.

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BARBARA PERKINS, Chairman

If we disregard them and leave them to die and suffer through nofault of their own, it doesn’t make us all that different from the peoplewho go to war and kill people. We are one world, one people and weneed to make sure we understand the problems faced by our fellowman so that together we can help to overcome those problems. If weall stand together, helping each other, loving each other, accepting eachother, perhaps ignorance would be overcome and this would alsoabolish injustice, war, hatred, intolerance, unkindness, thoughtlessness,selfishness, inequality and cowardice.

I know that in the last few paragraphs I’ve been idealistic and perhapsslightly optimistic! It will take more than little old me to stop theviolence and hatred shown by some people or indeed to change theinjustices of the world. However, we’ve all got to start somewhereand if we all try to learn about other people’s hardships and dosomething to help rather than turn a blind eye, then I hope that we canat least help to make a difference in some parts of our world.

So, what would my wish be? Perhaps it would be a wish for lessignorance in the world; for people to learn about and understand otherpeople’s plights and stand with them in their everyday battles tosurvive.

As the winter nights now draw in it seems like a long time ago that wespent a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon†in June hosting the SMOAT

Strawberry TeaStrawberry TeaStrawberry TeaStrawberry TeaStrawberry Tea

strawberry tea. And what aglorious quintessentially Englishafternoon it was.

It was hugely generous of Elfridand Shirley Silcock to allow us touse their most magnificent gardenin Lonesome Lane. It made theperfect floral backdrop for ournine-piece flute choir who openedthe proceedings with theirrendition of “an English countryGarden”.

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As the music accompanimentcontinued, our guests enjoyed aglass of Pimm’s on the(beautifully kept) lawn, beforemoving to the marquees for astrawberry cream tea with homebaked scones aplenty. As theteapots flowed and deliciouscakes were served our guests

were able to wander the gardenin awe, and even play sometraditional garden lawn games.

Appropriately, given Elfrid’scareer as a dentist, this event washeld to raise money for the charityBridge2Aid. Since 2004, over 3million people in East Africa havebeen given access to safeemergency dental care because ofBridge2Aid’s training programmes.

We were absolutely delighted thatone of the volunteers who worksfor Bridge2Aid, Jill Nightingale,was able to join us for theafternoon. Jill had just recentlyreturned from a trip to Tanzaniaworking on one of their projects.

She spoke of how fundraisingefforts such as ours could make areal difference to those ruralcommunities she had visited whooften had no access to†the most

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simple dental pain relief, leavingthem to face a daily battle withpain in the toughest of lifecircumstances.

The ticket sales for this eventcombined with sales of raffletickets and cakes made a fantastic£835 for Bridge2Aid. This amountwas topped up with funds fromour wonderful regular giverswhich meant our donation†of£1,000 could go towards buyingfour complete dental instrument

kits and sterilisers. These willbe†given to 4 Rural Healthworkers who are helping to giveaccess to oral pain relief to around40,000 people. What an amazingresult.

Thanks to everyone who cameand supported the event andespecially Shirley and Elfrid,whose gardening efforts andwonderful hospitality made it allpossible!

CLAIRE BOWERS

Regular Givers, the backbone of SMOATRegular Givers, the backbone of SMOATRegular Givers, the backbone of SMOATRegular Givers, the backbone of SMOATRegular Givers, the backbone of SMOATAs you are aware SMOAT organises a number of fundraisingevents throughout the year in support of particular carefullyselected projects. These events are often well attended and serveto both raise valuable funds and increase awareness of the causes,plus a lot of fun is enjoyed along the way.

However, in addition to those projects tied to specific fundraisingevents, SMOAT is also able to support many other carefullyresearched charities and projects through the course of theyear†through the generosity of regular monthly donors.

Over the last year thanks to our regular donors we made thefollowing donations on behalf of our supporters:

£1,000 to support VSO worker Helen Rankin on her assignmentto Burma (now named Myanmar), where she has been workingat an educational institute in Meikfila to help reform localteaching methods from learning by rote towards an emphasison pupil stimulus. You can follow Helen’s blog at www.helen-rankin.com.

£1,500 to Village Water, to†rehabilitate a broken water point fora remote community in Zambia. As part of this project villagesare also provided with hygiene education and locals are trained

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CLAIRE BOWERS

to carry out basic repairs and maintenance of the waters pump.

£1,000 to IMPACT to help fund a credit union in Nepal, so womenare able to receive affordable loans for income generatingbusiness activities such as poultry farming, bee keeping or animalbreeding. Poverty can often be best alleviated by providingpeople with the tools and skills to work their way out of it. Byloaning women in Nepal money to start their own incomegenerating activity they not only have a means of independentincome, but also become part of a network where they can shareideas, challenges and advice with one another.

£1,000 to the Orskov Foundation, to support their permacultureproject in Malawi where agricultural productivity is at risk fromdeforestation. The foundation’s “food forest project” is using aholistic approach to reforestation using currently non productivecommunity land. By mimicking natural native forests andintroducing non invasive varieties of plant species the projectaims to increase forest productivity, bio diversity, soilregeneration rates and resilience to climate change.

As well as enabling us to support many worthy additionalprojects such as these, the regular contributions from sponsorsalso enable the committee to top up the money made atfundraising events to meet our target donation for a specificproject. For example, at last year’s Beetle Drive we raised £319but were able to give £1,500 to support Project Uganda rainwaterharvesting project.

The committee would like to convey our immense gratitude forthe continued support from our regular givers. It provides uswith confidence and underpins all that we do together, and welook forward to sharing further feedback on projects past andpresent with you over the coming year through our newslettersand presentations.

If you are interested in becoming a regular giver or have anyfurther questions regarding the projects and work SMOAT issupporting please do feel free to contact any member of theSMOAT Committee, who would be only too happy to discussthis with you.

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BEEBEEBEEBEEBEEtle Drivetle Drivetle Drivetle Drivetle DriveOn a pleasant Sundayafternoon in September weheld our family Beetle Drivegame.

As usual, the adults werealmost more competitive andexcited than the children andthe temperature rose as peoplemoved from table to table tosee who could be quickest with

the die to throw a six and startto draw their beetle.

Of course, the prize was verychocolaty, which made it all themore important to do well ineach round! During theinterval, we had lots ofdelicious cakes, served withtea, coffee and squash and thetombola was in full swing.

A proud trainee receiving her beekeeping kit

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BARBARA PERKINS

All in all, another successful,happy occasion, bringingpeople together in a friendlyfashion to raise money for avery good cause.

This year we were supportinga new Charity to us and theproject was really quitedifferent from any we havesupported before, but equallyas important, not only in termsof giving people a chance toimprove their lives but also withan environmentaltwist. Kaloko Trustis a UK based charitywhich works torelieve poverty andraise livelihoods inZambia.

We supported abeekeeping project,which has beenestablished in Kashitu,a remote rural areain Zambia, and aimsto generate newincome for thefamilies of 25 traineebeekeepers.

A co-operative hasbeen establishedand additional salesthrough the co-operative willgenerate increased

income for its members. Theco-operative also offerssupport to its members and itdevelops and implements aclear marketing strategy.Therefore, once the trainees areestablished, they are sure ofsupport from their fellowmembers. And, an addedbonus - the surroundingwoodland is increasinglyvalued and protected.

Elsie sporting a beekeepingoutfit at the Beetle Drive

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Q: How did SMOAT supporters help toQ: How did SMOAT supporters help toQ: How did SMOAT supporters help toQ: How did SMOAT supporters help toQ: How did SMOAT supporters help tosave lives in Malawi?save lives in Malawi?save lives in Malawi?save lives in Malawi?save lives in Malawi?

A: By making our Quiz a huge successArt is available to us in many varied forms. Painting, music,literature, theatre, film, dance Ö each of these and countless otherscan be defined as “a medium for artistic expression”. Andsomewhere on the list of art forms there has to be a place for theHeIier Dreux Quiz.

The structure and appeal of Helier’s quizzes are such that theycan be enjoyed simply by watching them. Participation is notstrictly necessary to appreciate the skill and inventiveness thatcreate them, but, if you do decide to take part, it is possible toanswer the majority of the questions wrongly and still spend amost enjoyable evening admiring Helier ’s performance asquestion-master, aided by the colour and visual attraction of theon-screen presentation: an art form indeed.

Plans for Helier’s return to St Mark’s Hall for the annual SMOATQuiz is a sign that Autumn is well underway.

This year, it took place on the 28th anniversary of Michael Fish’snon-hurricane: Friday 16 October. After checking the weatherforecast, 90 people turned out to enjoy not only trying to solvesome of the more cryptic clues (while agonising over exactly whento play the joker) but also an excellent supper of chilli, rice andpitta bread. Trade at the bar was brisk, the raffle was wellsupported and the event raised more than £1,200 in total - anoutstanding result.

The Quiz was staged to raise funds for an InterCare project inMalawi. InterCare provides surplus medical aid to rural healthunits in sub-Saharan Africa. In its 40 years of operation the charityhas sent more than £13 million-worth of aid to the region, whosepeoples have, on average, the worst health in the world. Malaria

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Introducing Naomi - our new TreasurerIntroducing Naomi - our new TreasurerIntroducing Naomi - our new TreasurerIntroducing Naomi - our new TreasurerIntroducing Naomi - our new TreasurerI’m delighted to have joined the SMOAT team this summer, asthe new treasurer and a Trustee. For me, this role in SMOAT ismore than just a small volunteer role to ‘keep me busy’. It’s anopportunity for me to be engaged in something I feel passionatelyabout, and dedicated over 10 years of my working life to.

Inspired by stories of my father’s volunteer work with VSO inSierra Leone as a young adult, and the collapse of apartheid in

DAVID LEAR

is the cause of much of this illness; the disease kills an Africanchild every 30 seconds.

In Malawi, malaria is the leading cause of death among childrenaged under five, who make up 17% of the country’s populationof 13 million. Each year there are at least five million instancesof malaria being caught, with almost half of the under-fives likelyto contract the disease.

The Government of Malawi is taking action to address thesituation, and provides a drug (Coartem) to treat the disease.However, if the treatment is to be successful, a quinine sulphateinfusion and quinine tablets must be taken during the week afterCoartem has been prescribed. While the Malawi Governmentmakes Coartem available free of charge, many health centrescannot afford to buy quinine, and so the Coartem treatment maybe rendered ineffective.

Thanks to the money raised through the Quiz, and by makinguse of additional funds held in reserve, SMOAT has been able tosend £1,500 to InterCare. This sum will enable 450 malariasufferers in Malawi to receive the quinine that they need tocomplete their treatment. Without question, lives will be savedas a result.

The SMOAT Committee sincerely thanks all those who, bysupporting the Quiz evening, helped to raise money for this mostworthwhile cause. Please come back to the 2016 Quiz!

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the 1980s, I choose to study African politics and economics fordeveloping countries. After completing graduate andpostgraduate degrees, I moved into a career in internationaldevelopment in my mid 20’s. I had the opportunity to work andtravel in over 10 Sub-Saharan African countries, as well as acrosssome of the poorest parts of Eastern Europe on projects fundedby the World Bank, UK Department for InternationalDevelopment, and the European Union.

For three years I worked on projects in Tanzania and Ugandadesigned to support their governments to improve theopportunities for small businesses. In these countries, up to 80%of the economy is ‘informal’ comprised of small-scale business –individual traders, famers and service providers. Our projectsfocused on reducing ‘red tape’ and removing opportunities forbureaucratic corruption. This type of reform enables individualsand communities to develop their own enterprises and businessin a fairer environment, even if it’s as simple as selling home-made produce at a local market.

With enterprises, comes livelihoods; the opportunity to make aliving, to feed and education their children, and remain healthy.This is true ‘development’ and has far reaching impacts onpoverty reduction. I felt proud to be part of something that waschanging “the way things work” in countries well known fortheir corruption and high levels of poverty.

I’m at a time in my life right now where it isn’t practical for meto be working for long period overseas on these projects. Withtwo young girls of my own to care for, my priorities have beenwithin the home. However, as they grow a little older and I findmyself with some free hours, I have sought opportunities to thinkabout how and where I can make some contribution.

In fact, there is another important side to the work I was a partof in East Africa.

People need opportunities to develop their own enterprises. Theyneed education. They need good health and clean water. Theyneed infrastructure, like roads and water supply. They also needskills – to learn how to operate a cooperative for example. Theymight need equipment, like a bee keeping kit or a simple

Barbara Perkins (Chairman) e-mail: chairman@smoat.org.uk Naomi Flood (Treasurer) e-mail: treasurer@smoat.org.uk

irrigation system. They also need access to finance – many livein communities where people don’t have access to banking orany kind of collateral against which to borrow.

Many of the projects that SMOAT supports focus on exactly thesethings. It’s development at a micro level – helping individualsand communities to seize opportunities for themselves. Ourprojects are carefully selected and assessed to focus on both thesocial and economic returns to our generous investment gifts.

To see poverty, first hand, and in its most raw state, is a humblingexperience. To be involved, in some small way, in helping toalleviate it, is hugely rewarding. Sadly not all aid programmesachieve their desired objectives. Money is wasted. Wars andconflict, environmental change and disease materialise, knockingeverything off track. Politics gets in the way of progress, Not allthings remain equal and it’s often hard to see where progress isbeing made. It is a continual learning curve for all involved,especially for large aid programmes funded by governments andcharities.

What I do know, and what I have seen first hand, is that small,carefully targeted and carefully managed projects can havetremendous impact, even when the wider circumstances canseem very bleak. There is much more to be done – and here ourcontributions really can make a difference. I’m really proud tobe involved in SMOAT and really excited about our forthcomingprogramme of events and planning our donations.

NAOMI FLOOD

Louise BarrClaire BowersHarry Ingram

Richard SalmonDavid Lear

For more information, or to join our mailing list,please e-mail: richard@smoat.org.uk