Water Tower project

At Fanatenane, the Director is currently constructing a Medical Health centre that will serve not only orphans and staff but also be open to the wider community. Part of the project required the construction of a large water tower reservoir. One of the limitations to completing projects efficiently in remote areas such as Mananjary is access to materials and transport. Given that Ripple Group are currently also working in construction and transporting many materials between the Capital City and the farm, we were in a position to help the centre in terms of getting materials down to the centre and using known suppliers to buy materials from. We also have a large labour force now trained and specialised in many areas of work especially fibreglass work. As such we offerred our services to the centre to provide both labour and transport means to complete the project.

The project took 2 days of actual labour to complete; fibreglassing the inside of the tank reservoir ready to fill with water. See photo

Project Lullaby

Over the past year or so both orphanages Catja and Fanatenane have been working over capacity caring for both newly born infants and teenagers. The bed capacity has been far from sufficient with children sleeping perhaps 4 to a single bed. The Directors approached me for help to raise funds towards new beds that may help to increase the sleeping capacity for each centre thereby allowing not only more comfort for the children but also more privacy for those children that are reaching teenage years.

I contacted Cathy Lewis in Mauritius to assist me on this project to raise the project profile to her colleagues and friends. I am pleased to say that between various members of Management in Ripple Group, a private sponsor, and a school fundraising event held at Cefn Hengoed Community School in Swansea, Wales (UK), we have raised over GBP1,500 towards the costs of additional beds (over $2,250).

The Director Eliane Bouffet was truly grateful to the Ripple Group for helping to co-ordinate the project and to the kids at Cefn Hengoed Community school, but especially thankful to Tracy and Jon Ball and their twin daughters Maddie and Sophie and daughter Amelia (from UK) who personally donated GBP 1,000 towards the cause. Their huge generosity will go a long way to ensuring the comfort and welfare of many orphan children. (see their photos)

Fanatenane have in September 2010 received 10 bunk beds. See photos below of children taken alongside the newly installed beds in each dormitory. The local director contributed through the provision of mattresses with funds raised externally in France.

There are 12 beds currently being completed in the workshop in Mananjary which shall be delivered to Catja towards the end of September. Photos of these will be posted nearer the time along with specially made plaques that will be fitted to each bed engraved with “DONATED BY THE BALL FAMILY 2010” as a keepsake for the children of their main sponsor.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL CHILDREN AT CEFN COMMUNITY SCHOOL IN SWANSEA     FOR THEIR KIND THOUGHTS AND HARD WORK TO RAISE GBP179 FOR THE CHILDREN IN MANANJARY! ALL THE CHILDREN SEND THEIR LOVE AND THANKS TO YOU IN RETURN!

Finaritra returns home

At Catja rested a little girl with not much hope for a normal upbringing. Both of her feet were badly deformed to the extent that her walking would be permanently hindered thereby reducing her quality of life and future opportunities. I made a request to all for sponsorship to help Finaritra.........

Little Finaritra (aged 18 months old) has returned to Catja orphanage after 3 months of physical theraphy at a specialist health centre in Ambositra (arranged through the NGO: AKANIN’NY MARARY). There she received daily massage, limb manipulation and followed a strict programme wearing specialized orthopedic shoes and the results are fantastic! Given her young age the bones and cartilage were able to adapt and she responded well to treatment.


Yesterday I heard news of her return and went to see her. She has been given special supportive shoes to assist in her continued rehabilitation but her feet are no longer deformed (bent backwards) and she can walk unaided comfortably.

Thank you so much to Ripple Group management who kindly donated money to sponsor her medical fees. She is now able to lead a normal childhood and no longer hindered by her past physical disability. It’s amazing what can be achieved if treated at a young age.

JEREMY LEWIS

CATHY LEWIS

JON MATHEWS

WONDERFUL NEWS :-Wed, 9 Jan, 2013

FINARITRA ADDOPTED BY THE ERIKSSON FAMILY IN SWEDEN


We received this email from her new father.

First I must thank you for being a part in helping Finaritra, I can tell you that there is no sign of any previous problems with her feet. She is running, jumping, climbing like any other kid her age, if not more :)

The medical reports we got from CATJA didn't mention much of her condition, besides that she got treatment for it. So if you have any more details, I think anything might be of interest to complete her medical records here in Sweden (where we live with her) and to her as she grows older and starts to wonder about her background.

In general we do not have much information about her early years, so any information / pictures you might have of her would be greatly appreciated (she really enjoyed watching the picture from you blog post, amazed how small she was).

best regards

//Mattias Eriksson

Pen Pal programme

Following Christmas, children at Fanatenane and Catja wrote thank you letters to Alexandra House for all their efforts into making Christmas 2009 a really special time. Some letters were French and some English but all with the same theme, which was to unite with the children in Mauritius who donated their toys, clothes and other gifts.

Following reception in Mauritius, Cathy Lewis and Alexandra House joined together to commence the "Friends stay connected" project. Each child listed from both Orphanges were paired up with an individual child from Alexandra House. Letters were written in response to the thank you letters and personalised for each orphan child.

The efforts that went into making the cards, letters and posters is something of note; all were beautifully hand crafted withy amazing creativity! There were wall posters for the babies, a lovely tree, which was later decorated with leaves (each leaf had a short letter written on the back), and a cool hanging chain of buses each inscribed with the names of some of the children! The cards all had lovely hand drawn pictures inside them all in different colours and designs.

The parcel arrived in Mananjary, Madagascar hand delivered by Mr Lewis himself (CEO Ripple Group). The orphans received their personalised letters on 28th April 2010. Children gathered round in a state of excitement all eager to hear from their new pen pal friend!

The "Friends stay Connected" project aims to encourage communications between the children and to demonstrate to the children that others are thinking of them and that they are not individuals that should be isolated from society for reasons surrounding local fady. The letters/pictures will focus on general subjects such as: the environment, animals in the sea, etc such that we do not highlight the vast difference in wealth or family status between the orphans and those at Alexandre House, Mauritius.

A big thank you to all at Alexandra House!

Donations

Two dutch visitors from Holland Marius & Willemeen Barboel kindly donated 920,000Ar (320 Euros) to both Catja and Fanatenane. With the money Catja received educational items to improve the existing classroom along with a supply of baby feed bottles that were urgently needed by the baby unit. Fanatenane requested for a water filter to purify local drinking water and nappies for the baby unit. All items greatly received and appreciated! A warm thank you from the directors and children xxx

Cathy Lewis arranges the delivery of 200 Easter eggs for both Catja and Fanatenane. Chocolates well received and enjoyed by all! Big thanks to Cathy!