Blog

Prizes for our Child Shepherds

We are delighted that, following a difficult 2 years in Sudan, with the Covid pandemic, government instability and the very bad rainy season last year, the postponed Goat rotation was finally able to take place recently in Jafaina, a village we adopted in 2018. Our team in Darfur met with the Village Sheikh Mohammed Yagoub Mohammed, the paravets, the first aid workers, the animal loan committee members and Goat beneficiaries to review the current situation and perform the goat rotation, whereby 5 goats from each family who have recently benefitted from our Goat loan are passed on to another of the poorest families to benefit. It was reported that all Goat beneficiaries have cared brilliantly for their goats who have consequently produced more kids which has led to 100% rotation – amazing news! Paravets Amir Ishag Adam and Ibtisam Ali Adam are doing very well.  They visit beneficiaries at their houses, inspecting their goats and donkeys, treating the ill and advising beneficiaries to care well for their animals. 22 new kids were produced last month. Paravet Amir treated 101 cases Read more

By Charlotte Allum, ago

Olga da Polga to the Rescue!

You may have heard that Michael Bond’s favourite Guinea Pig, Olga da Polga, inspired by his daughter Karen’s well-loved pet, will be appearing in a new CBeebies series this weekend! But did you know that Olga da Polga has helped save numerous children’s lives? Back in 2012, Michael Bond, creator of Olga da Polga and the Queen’s favourite bear, Paddington * (see below) of course, supported ‘Drawn… to Darfur’ for the children’s charity Kids for Kids to raise not guinea pigs but GOATS to save children’s lives. Michael said “Goats and donkeys are fairly thin on the ground in this part of the world and Olga is the heroine in a series of children’s books I write. It does sound as though they will be in good company. In fact, the whole project sounds extremely exciting and I am doing my best to impress on them how lucky they are. Guinea pigs do tend to take things for granted!” In 2012, Patricia Parker OBE, founder of Kids for Kids, the only organisation that provides life changing sustainable projects to children Read more

By Charlotte Allum, ago

Calling for Help this Christmas!

“Do you want to give a gift to a child this Christmas that will save her life?”  This is what Patricia Parker OBE, who founded Kids for Kids 21 years ago, is asking?   She says “Christmas is the time of giving but few gifts will last beyond New Year – but not the gifts I want.” “I want A GOAT, a MOSQUITO NET and a SACK OF SEED” Yes that is what Patricia (74) is dreaming of each night she falls into bed after a day of working flat out trying her best to help the children of Darfur, Sudan. Why a Goat? – because it’s milk will save a little 5 year old from starving.  “Conditions are so bad this year in Darfur that even in our Kids for Kids villages I am getting reports that little ones are in urgent need of emergency food if they are to survive. It’s the smallest that succumb first.” A Goat costs £50 Why a mosquito net?   “It’s heart breaking.  There are the worst swarms of mosquitos in Darfur I have ever Read more

By Charlotte Allum, ago

Fishing for Goats in Great Numbers!

Saturday 8th October marked our annual Fly Fishing Event: Fishing for Goats! – and what an extraordinary day it was at Park Lake, Albury. We were blessed with summer conditions, still waters, blue skies, and absolutely beautiful sunshine for October. Although this did not make the fishing very easy, everyone had a fantastic time and have said they want to come again next year! Early warning for next year’s fishing date –  Saturday 7th October 2023! We managed to raise the most funds ever for our fishing day – a fantastic £1,988.51! This amount has enabled us to provide 12 Goats for families still at risk of starvation in Darfur. This has been one of the worst year’s to date and we are so grateful to our wonderful supporters for helping us to provide emergency help to people suffering the famine. We are not an emergency organisation, but when no one else is helping families in rural Darfur villages we have had no choice – we cannot let people or animals starve. We are so grateful to our wonderful fishing Read more

By Charlotte Allum, ago

Christmas is Coming – The Time of Gifts!

Yes, after a difficult year in so many ways, it is time to think about our favourite time of year when we remember our friends and our families – and those less fortunate than ourselves.   I know things are not easy for many of us, but I also know, like me, you worry about those in even greater need.   In Darfur, life has never been so hard.   In the remote villages where Kids for Kids has been helping, children who drank the milk from our little goats are now having children of their own.   But life is even worse than when they themselves were little.  Climate change is affecting us all.  Today, as I write, there are devastating floods in Pakistan.   But has anyone reported the floods in Darfur? Rain destroys straw huts and families lose their homes. Is anyone helping?   Or done something about the terrible walk for water small children make every day in the blistering heat of summer?   Or the absence of even the most basic health care in villages?  It is up to us!  Kids for Read more

By Charlotte Allum, ago

New Drought-resistant Tree in Darfur to tackle climate change

We really are turning Darfur GREEN together!  We are so excited to share that we have recently started planting trees in our new villages, including a newly introduced drought-resistant tree, named Albizia Lebbek. This means we are now planting 15 varieties of drought-resistant trees! The Albizia Lebbek gives wonderful coverage for shade and can be used for medicinal purposes to treat such conditions as inflammation, boils, coughs, flu and lung problems. Wow, isn’t nature just incredible! Thank you so much for supporting our tree-planting projects! All the trees you have helped us plant will help stabilise the sand , give shade to families and their animals and stop the desert spreading any further. All our trees also have by-products, such as gum arabic (Acacia Senegal), pesticides (Neem Tree) and citrus fruits, that will add to people’s livelihoods.  This is important as watering them is a labour of love with water often miles away across the desert. To date we have planted over 53,000 trees and made great progress but there is still lots to be done! Many will have died – as of Read more

By Charlotte Allum, ago

Villagers learn about best Pasture for new Goats

As part of our Animal Husbandry Training sessions which are taking place over the next few weeks in our recently adopted villages, it is crucial that the Goat beneficiaries learn which plants are best to feed their new animals. Howeida Mohammed Ahmed, our Animal Production Officer, is leading the training in this area and will be explaining about local natural pasture plants. Awish, gow, kerjina, Bano, gharoub and grass roots are all natural pasture plants which provide a very good source of vitamins and minerals for Goats and help the animals stay healthy and give good milk production. There are also man-made fodder cakes, made from melon juice with millet corns and cotton seed cakes, which are especially good for pregnant or lactating goats. Howeida will show the trainees how to plant fodder like sorghum in the rainy season in late July or early August when the rainfall rate is at its peak. The plants should be weeded before the final maturation when the fodder is cut. The fruits and the stem can then be put in sacks and kept Read more

By Charlotte Allum, ago

More Rain in Darfur than UK

With the recent heatwave in the UK, we can start to imagine just a little of what it must be like to live in Darfur. But can you imagine surviving that intense heat for many more weeks, months, years..?? With very little access to water…? Incredibly, however, this month Darfur has had more rain than the UK! Late July and early August tend to be the rainy season in Darfur and we are delighted that this year the rains have indeed come. Grass is growing, crops are flourishing, families will have food, animals will have fodder… This picture was recently taken by our Darfur team and shows a green pasture in one of our newly adopted villages, Hillat Sabil – isn’t it just wonderful! Now we just need to pray that there is no flooding… But the green pastures really do bring hope for the future. Hope for children and their families, hope for their animals and, particularly, hope for the new villages we’ve adopted this year. Now we can start purchasing Goats and Donkeys for these new villages. Soon Read more

By Charlotte Allum, ago

What a Night, Such a Ball!

The Ambassadors’ Ball 2022 has broken all records! After all the expenses, including administration, the profit from this year’s Ball, which we will be spending directly in Darfur, is a staggering £40,209. This will fund not just an additional village in North Darfur, but go a long way to enabling us to build our fifteenth Kindergarten – something mothers have been begging us to do. They know that education is the way out of poverty. We are basking in the afterglow of this year’s Ambassadors’ Ball held once again at The Hyatt The Churchill Hotel in London. We were delighted that so many of you could join us, despite Covid, despite travel problems, and despite it being in the holiday season. Your help has raised vital funds for the children of Darfur. I would especially like to thank all of you who could not join us this year, but who have contributed so generously towards the Ball. After all the hard work behind the scenes, the moment the first guests arrive – the ladies in beautiful Ball gowns, the gentlemen Read more

By Charlotte Allum, ago