Virgin Unite Newsletter 13 - October 2010

8/7/2019 Virgin Unite Newsletter 13 - October 2010

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EVE BRANSONFOUNDATIONNEWSLETTERNEWS AND DEVELOpmENTS FROm

ThE hIgh ATLAS mOUNTAINS

issue 13 OCTOBER 2010

COmpILED By EVE BRANSON

K A S B A H T A M A D OT A S N I A S S E L D A T I M Z R A T A N S G H A R T I M S K E R


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A BIkE RIDE TO ImSkEROh to be back again in the Atlas Mountains: the sparrowschirping, the goats and cockerels making their voices heard

- all competing with each other whilst the donkey with his

raucous call lets it be known hes boss around here!

For this visit to Morocco Ive brought out Tim Souris, Sakiko

Posta and Holly Peppe, the main US nancial board members,

who, or the past 3 years, have run a antastic undraising ball

called Rock the Kasbah in Los Angeles. Each year this ball

raises sucient unds to enable us to continue our work in

the local villages or a urther 12 months.

I awake, unlock the door and let in Amena, the teacher atthe crat house in Tansghart across the valley rom Kasbah

Tamadot, who makes me a special cup o mint tea.

Behind my crat house are the chirping children competing

with the chirping sparrows, the cockerels, cows and donkeys

braying in the valley below.

The sun is now rising, the silence only penetrated by a local

Berber lady shufing past, shooing her ve precious sheep

down the rough path, clutching a bunch o grass to eed her

cow now tethered securely in her back kitchen.

Today was to be a busy day as, on my last visit, Id discovered

a village called Imsker in the High Atlas Mountains, a villageunknown by outsiders with no water, no electricity and no

paper lying around (there is no paper).

It was my next challenge, but money was needed!

Staying at Kasbah Tamadot was a group o some o the

richest people in the world: astronauts who, bravely, have allsigned up to go into space on the Virgin Galactic spaceship.

Little did they know what they had let themselves in or as

hotel General Manager Kenton Jones suggested an organised

three hour bike ride which would take them through the most

beautiul remote mountain scenery.

Thirty hotel guests enthusiastically signed up with some

pledging unds to the Eve Branson Foundation including my

son Richard, daughter Vanessa and granddaughter Florence.

They then set orth, whilst the not so agile were driven a

precarious route through winding unpaved roads passing over

the gushing river and up to Imsker where Kasbah Tamadotsteam had organised Berber tents and carpets all laid out on

the plot we had bought previously, and where we hope one

day to build another crat house.

One by one the worn out adventurers appeared, gasping, but

elated; they had achieved the challenge!

By now all the children in the village decided to join in the

un, beating an old drum and laughing and singing as yet

another bicycle appeared around the corner.

Ludo Brockway, one o my grandsons, had been appointed

ocial photographer, and as he was sat on top o the support

vehicle he was in a position to witness one o the cyclistscrashing into a wall hospitalisation was the only answer

(but no long-term damage ortunately).

Finally, the last intrepid cyclist came panting and pung

home tired but elated as they sat in the Berber tent out o

the midday sun.

The day ended at Tansghart crat house, not only or Vanessas

birthday cake but also or them all to witness the aim o the

Eve Branson Foundation. The philosophy o the oundation

is to teach the local girls lielong skills, removing the need

to beg or ask or charity, or the Berbers are a proud, happy

people. Following on rom the success o the crat house

in Tansghart, you will realise how the people in Imsker are

desperate or one o their own. We plan to send out teachers

and some o the girls rom Tansghart to pass on what theyve

already been taught.

VANessA BRANsON

eNJOYiNG THe RiDe

THe iNTRepiD

siR RicHARD

BRANsON

BRAHim AND

eVe Discuss

THe plANs fOR

THe New cRAfT

HOuse

sOme Of THe fiNisHeD

pRODucTs fROm

THe cRAfT HOuse iN

TANsGHART


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ThE STORy OF ThE CAShmEREgOATSCould it only have been last week that Richard looked across

the table and said, Mum, why on earth did you ever bring

Cashmere goats to Morocco? They wont make any money or

you? (The ull story on bringing these magnicent goats to

Morocco can be ound in some o my previous newsletters).

No I thought dejectedly, he just might be right. The original

30 goats have become 40, and we had another born last week,

bringing the total to 41 pure white Cashmere goats.

By now I was starting to doubt my own judgement, when one

o the uture Virgin Galactic astronauts came up to me sayingit was his wie Bellas birthday, and he was at a loss as to what

she could possibly want. He had heard that one o my goats

had had a baby last night and suggested it could be named

ater her? O course, I said, come over to the pen and well

make that possible.

Over we went and, putting the little white fuy darling in her

arms, I ceremoniously said, We now name this goat Bella. At

that moment Aziz let it be known that the newborn goat was

in act a boy! So, hastily, I changed the name to Bello. But no,

it had to be called Bella, so we settled on Boy Bella.

As she handed the little kid goat back to me, Mummy Bellamentioned that she had heard we needed money to buy some

land next door to the crat house in Tansghart and that should

like to donate US$10,000. Phew! I nearly dropped Boy Bella in

my joy and surprise.

The next job was to nd Richard; I couldnt wait to tell him.

Richard, I said, Who said my goats cant make any money?!

He graciously conceded!

The result o that donation or the extra land means we will

have a place to park the car, set up a pottery class and buy

several spinning wheels where the girls can not only work on

their crats, but also teach others who wish to learn how to spin.Should anyone else wish to name a goat (as each new one is

born), any donation would be so very welcome as we still need

more unds to complete the next crat house in Imsker. In this

village which, at the moment has nothing and asks or nothing,

the girls are desperate to have the opportunity to learn crats

so they too can create and sell gits.

The joy o the day was somewhat spoilt when in the dark

night I ell over a suitcase. Result: two broken ribs and a

punctured arm The surgeon rom Marrakech was called and,

ater three stitches and an x-ray, I was beyond worrying.

A ew days complete rest at the luxurious Kasbah Tamadotand I now pray Ill be able to travel home and continue my

crazy lie in England with no more mishaps!

EVE BRANSON

ThE phILOSOphy OF ThE FOUNDATION IS TOTEACh ThE LOCAL gIRLS LIFELONg SkILLS,REmOVINg ThE NEED TO BEg OR ASk FORChARITy, FOR ThE BERBERS ARE A pROUD,

hAppy pEOpLE.

THANKs TO

BellA Hull

fOR HeR

GeNeROus

GifT!

GOAT HeRDeR AZiZ

sHeARs THe GOATs BABY BellA

GReeDY GOATs


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Virgin Unite Newsletter 13 - October 2010