Bushbells has always been about supporting a small, dedicated team of four tailors, Enoch our leather worker as well as the teachers at our school. They, too, are all in lock-down, and the schools in Kenya were shut a week before they were in the UK. In addition, they have a strict curfew imposed at night time and they cannot move out of ‘county’. This has helped stem the spread of the virus but with no local economy or infrastructure, buying food to feed families is now a top priority.
Last month Team Bushbells...
- Sent out 14 ‘virtual’ food parcels before Kenya’s lock-down, so that our team could stock up on staples.
- Bought our team more solar lights for their homes to cope with extended curfew hours.
- Made over 200 face masks from all our left over scraps of kikoy materials, which our tailors distributed to their own communities.
- Completed the build of the new double sized classroom in record time, and Mwana (our school principal) has been working on her shamba/veg patch which is all beginning to flourish with the onset of rains.
- Paid for all the teachers salaries. No children at school means no school fees, and it's imperative we keep the teachers and their families going.
Our plan for May if possible, (and builders permitting), is to install another large water tank and appropriate drainage, to capture vital rainfall. This is generously funded by St Catherine’s School Bramley, thanks to a wonderful fashion show they had recently, where Bushbells featured on their catwalk. Read more here.
You guys are doing fantastic work. Just wondering if you’re planning to make any masks to sell? Thanks.