MARCH 2015
As our last newsletter went out we were
looking forward to the Christmas Challenge. A
group of supporters had promised to give £2,500
but only if we managed to raise £2,500 over the
weekend. it was touch and go till the end but we
did manage to raise £2,535. We sincerely thank
everyone who helped to make the fundraiser a
success.
As those who visit Goa will know December to February is
the peak tourist season. There have been many visitors to
Mango House and it is always a pleasure to meet old friends
and make new ones too. Lots of people have given donations,
brought gifts in kind or given their time to put on an
activity. You can read about some of them below but to each
and everyone who has given a helping hand we say thank you
for helping us to make a difference.
HMS
ENTERPRISE
In early December Mango House was contacted by HMS
Enterprise and asked if they could drop off some surplus
supplies and if we had any jobs they could help with. It's
not every day we get the chance to list all the things that
need doing around the house so we were very excited. On the
day a team of 20 arrived and set to work. It's impossible to list
all that took place but suffice to say our electrics are
safer, our well and washer area is improved, we have a tidy
and open yard for games, a fabulous play area with a rope
walk, swings and tent and our trampoline is back in action.
They served lunch, entertained the children and found a
little time to play too. It was a truly memorable day and an
absolute privilege to have the team with us. See our photos
here.
ANNUAL DAY
CELEBRATIONS AT CHIMBEL
In early December the children from Chimbel put on an
extravaganza to celebrate their Annual Day. Although we had
seen some of the practices we could never have imagined the
display that ensued. Children from pre-primary up to 8th
standard took part and the Mayor or Panjim presided over the
proceedings. Speeches were given, dances, plays and even a
fashion show took place. Prizes were also awarded. Our
congratulations went to everyone who had worked so hard to
ensure a memorable celebration. See photos from the event
here.
THE MANGO HOUSE CHRISTMAS
PARTY
The Christmas party is a special day in the Mango House
calendar and last year's was no exception. The children
arrived in the morning and had photos by the tree, snacks
and then took part in party games around the garden. A
special lunch was enjoyed before the children gathered
around the cake to sing Happy Birthday to those celebrating
in December. The high point of the day was the arrival of
the Christmas Father who distributed presents to all. Every
child left with fruit and biscuits. As you can see from our
photos here
it was a joyful day. You can also see all the beautiful
Mango House Christmas Decorations which were made
here.
LET IT SNOW
Last month Mango House was very lucky to receive a visit
from 15 travel and tourism students and their lecturers from
Sandwell College. Not only had they fundraised, brought a
huge soft toy collection and lots of treats but they
introduced the children to snow. The students and children
made snowmen from socks and rice, cut out and decorated
snowflakes and coloured and decorated characters from
Frozen, Better still they made snow which the children all
got to touch. The afternoon wound up with party games and
dancing and the children all left with a party bag and an
orange. We say a huge thank you for such a thoughtful
activity and a really fun time. See our photos
here.
THE RICE
REWARD
When children attend Mango House we know they are getting
a nutritious meal and that they will do better at school
since they can do their home work and have the support of
teachers to help them. We also know that they have time to
have fun and be children. Sadly, there can be all kinds of
pressure for children not to attend. We hoped to encourage
parents to support their children's attendance through a
rice reward scheme. Thanks to the generosity of two
supporters. Joe and Helen, the scheme was introduced in
December. Along with friends Yvonne and Eddie they were able
to give out the first rewards in January. 57 out of 75
children took rice home to their parents - a great
achievement by the children.
FAREWELL FRAN
Last week everyone at Mango House was sad to say farewell
to our volunteer Fran. Fran bravely joined us in September
when it was still quite wet and sticky from the Monsoon and
there was a hardly an English person in sight for company.
From the start she set about using her skills as a
pre-primary teacher to occupy the children with so many
lovely activities. She enriched the children's lives in so
many ways and they are very lucky to have had her with them.
We say a huge thank you and that our door is always open.
SANDWELL STUDENTS SPORTS DAY
Recently we were very pleased to welcome 14 Sandwell College
sports students and their lecturers to Chimbel. The group
visited the pre-primary school in the morning and then in
the afternoon they were ready to entertain a group of 50
children with all manner of sporting activities. The
students threw themselves into entertaining the children
with so many games including football, cricket, skipping,
badminton, catch and even rugby. Lots of sporting equipment
was donated, which will continue to provide the children
with a lot of fun in future, and every child received a t
shirt. Take a look
here to see the photos of a very happy afternoon.
|
THANK YOU YVONNE AND EDDIE
Seen here with just a few of the
things they bought are Dunbar couple Yvonne and Eddie - two
Mango Tree supporters who worked hard throughout the year to
raise a staggering £1,100. They organised an Easter Raffle,
put collecting tins in local shops and enlisted the help of
the local Countess Youth Club who raised £300 by selling
pizzas and cakes. By any measure its an amazing effort and
the funds raised helped us buy very many much needed items
for Mango House.
LESLEY'S TOOTHBRUSHES
A massive well done to Archibald First School at Gosforth,
Newcastle who collected over 400 toothbrushes for Mango
Tree. Thanks to the school we have enough toothbrushes to
put one in every school bag this June. It's a big help and
always wonderful to see children helping children. Special
thanks to Lesley for putting the idea forward and bringing
the toothbrushes and many other lovely items out to Goa.
NICKS PLACE FUNDRAISERS
Since our last
newsletter two more fabulous fundraising nights
have been held at Nick's Place in Arpora.
Thanks to the many kind and generous people who
attended and the contribution from the football
cards during the intervening weeks over 87,000
rupees and £30 has been raised. We think that
the "Fun" in fundraising is important and we say
a huge thank you to Bob and Linda for making
sure the nights were great fun too.
THE COLVA CHRISTMAS
The children at the Colva
project also had a joyful Christmas celebration. Thanks to
Farhan, all the children were treated to a special party and
each received a brand new outfit. The party took place on
Boxing Day and you can see the children proudly wearing
their outfits above.
CONGRATULATIONS SHIV & TATIANA
We sent our best wishes and
congratulations to Shiv and Tatiana on the occasion of their
marriage in India recently. This generous couple honoured us
by asking guests if they would like to make a donation to
Mango Tree in lieu of a wedding gift. We say a huge thank
you and hope to see the happy couple at Mango House in the
future.
OUR FIRST SAVINGS POT OPENED
Our thank to Joe and Helen who cracked open their Mango
Tree savings pot recently. Somehow they had managed to stuff
in £123 - a very determined effort we think. We were very
happy to send them away with a new savings pot when they
visited us recently. If you would like a Mango Tree Savings
pot then please email us at
mangotreegoa@hotmail.co.uk.
PRE-PRIMARY PARTY AT CHIMBEL
Although the children at Chimbel focused on
their Annual Day in December it didn't stop the
pre-primary children having a little celebration
before breaking up for Christmas. As you can see
it was a happy morning.
MEDICAL CAMPS
During December Mapusa Urban Health conducted
medical camps for both the pre-primary and
afternoon children. The pre-primary children
were generally found to be fit and well.
Amongst the afternoon children a few had
dental and eye sight problems all of which have
since been followed up. Many of the children
were found to have low haemoglobin levels so
following the doctors' advice some changes have
been made to lunch and iron tablets are being
given.
THE GOOD DEED TREE
As the festive season approached and everyone
was looking forward to the Christmas Party it
was a good time to encourage children to be
thoughtful and think of others. A bare tree was
put in a pot and each time a child did a good
deed they wrote about it on a leaf which they
tied to it. The children's good deeds took place
at home, school and Mango House and they helped
their family, friends, teachers and neighbours.
It was wonderful to see the tree quickly bloom.
You can see our photos
here.
|
