It's Monday 8th May 2006 and the punchy elephant...

Firstly – the education project…..help needed urgently!
Kawaza School Project has changed considerably over the last few years.

We have expanded from helping the one school to trying to help the education of an entire community.
Kawaza has been rebuilt, and two teacher’s houses have been completed.
Nsefu School needs a lot of help and we have managed to renovate one classroom block.
Money for building a headmasters house has been pledged and we are looking for more to build another three houses. They also need another classroom block.
Finally we have helped start up a community school this year.
Along with teacher’s salaries and 52 children on a sponsorship program this is a considerable financial responsibility. Many of you are supporters and without you we would not have been able to make such a difference to so many childrens lives. But the need continues and right now the coffers are empty (and to be really open about it, my last four pay cheques have gone into the bank to keep the funds going).

So if anyone would like to donate, please see below for how to do so. And if anyone has contacts to raise lump sums from foundations, charities etc please do let me know.

Annual costs before the building program:
Teachers salaries paid between the 3 schools = $ 14100
Sponsoring 52 children through secondary and tertiary school = $ 29,800

And so on to the chat…..
I am writing this a week before it is sent. Kim and I are traveling to South Africa tomorrow for our annual migration to the trade show at Durban. This is the show we all enjoy – as after the rather grueling days of 8 hours of back to back appointments we then socialize with all the friends we have made in the business over the years. Lots of dinners and parties. Of course it is all “networking” as they call it. Hmmmmm…

I decided that I had to take a day off before the travels so I was not tired (must say the energy levels aren’t what they used to be!). And we popped into the park. Robin decided to see how close he could get to a huge male giraffe and tried various approaches including disguising himself as a bush. Not massively successful. But a hoot watching. Meanwhile Peter was on a game drive with our guests and saw in the distance someone out of the vehicle. He was all ready to drive over and remind them of the rules and then realized it was the boss. Oops.

On the way back to camp we stopped under a winterthorn tree for a drink. The leaves are just coming out and with the sun shinning through it looked so like the tree was covered in frost. A strange sensation in the hot sun of Africa.

Meanwhile back at camp Kellie was having a very funny time watching a large male elephant meet her punch bag. He approached, sniffed, wrapped his trunk around and pushed. When it swung back at him it gave him a huge surprise and he leapt back and hid behind a bush. A second approach and the same. On round three, Kellie managed to snap some shots. Classic!

So....I hope you are having a great week. I am sure Kim and I are.
All the best
JO

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