If nobody has told you this year, the unique things that you do are important. No matter how big or small, significant or insignificant they may seem, the things you do are needed and appreciated.
If you’ve impacted Araba Scott Children’s Foundation this year by doing any of the following, it hasn’t gone unnoticed:
Whether you:
Came to volunteer in St. Thomas
Helped us fundraise
Donated financially, as a one off or monthly
Purchased something using Smile Amazon www.smile.amazon.co.uk
Sent words of encouragement via text, comments or email
Watched our videos
Helped develop our website
Let us leave a collection box in your store
Bought toys and materials for the children
Donated your best child friendly used items for the safe haven
Invited us to speak at one of your events
Bought presents for the children’s Christmas/new year celebration (over 400 gifts were bought!) We’re sure there were many other equally appreciated acts of commitment shown in 2018, so this is by no means an exhaustive list.
In 2018, we’ve had several oversees volunteers accompany us or visit throughout the year to work on the safe haven renovation, with many of you taking time out of your holiday to contribute. We had a number of local Jamaicans who came to help us with renovation, children’s work, the back to school event, Ghana day, running the haven and more. We thank you for your hard work and participation as we launched our first safe haven for children aged 0-17, Barnes Hall.
Moreover, we were absolutely astounded by the hard work, dedication and motivation spurred up by the children this summer. At times they offered stern criticism, the harshest being, “the safe haven should have been completed YESTERDAY!” We soon realised that when we could not meet with local officials we realised that they were the officials. Children of St. Thomas, you are highly esteemed because you are helpful, inspiring and resilient. You deserve recognition and praise for the way that you conduct yourselves, so don’t ever forget how needed you are. Barnes Hall is yours and we are committed to making it as safe, fun and beneficial to all users.
We are especially grateful to the Bank of England for supporting us financially and awarding us the Court Award for our trustee’s outstanding commitment to our work.
In November, we gained a fantastic new trustee to help us mentor the children and young people going forward into 2019. This year was the beginning of our work with children with disabilities, and we made Barnes Hall accessible for wheelchair users, so all can feel welcome. We visited Amanase, Ghana, to hold our first cultural exchange between both groups of children, we helped establish Amanase’s first library in 200 years and train Kidz Klub workers. Partnering with Re:Generation Kidz Klub gave us the confidence and the know-how to deliver our own Kidz Klub in our haven; a joy to watch grow alongside our building renovation.
All of this was possible because you supported us.
Next year we would like to continue renovating Barnes Hall so that it has fit for purpose toilets, electricity and water! We also want to fund a qualified teacher and art therapist for children who’ve experienced, or are experiencing trauma and it’s impacts, as well as reach out to more children across St. Thomas with literacy and numeracy classes, mentoring, arts and cultural activities.
Are any of you reading this right now knowing exactly how you’d like to support us in 2019?
If you’re not sure what you could do, but know you want to assist us in our mission, there are several things you can do to help us shape the young hearts and minds of children in St. Thomas, so please get in contact with us at : [email protected]
No idea is to too small or too big, too strange or too simple. It all helps us make a difference to the big picture, so we look forward to hearing from you! We wish you a joyful and memorable 2019, and we hope you always stay reminded of how treasured you are.
