2017 Trip – 20 July

Isobel Mason-Nixon

Hello again everyone!!!

Last night we finished the day by the staff from Kupenda Africa (search on the internet and facebook) treating us to a BBQ where we had sausages, pork, chicken, potatoes and lots more, I have never been so full in my life. Today we finally got a sleep in until Joe woke me up! Our breakfast was amazing as always we had French toast and sausages. We have been sorting out everything we brought for the schools and clinic which was quite tiring especially in the heat. The amount of stuff we had to give out was absolutely amazing. There were thousands of pens, pencils, sports kits, t-shirts and lots lot’s more. After we finished sorting everything we carried some really heavy stuff to sort out at the lock ups to be sorted to then be given out. We gave some of the stuff out like first aid kits to the community within the snake park and it was amazing to see how grateful they were for such little things. The snake park clinic was one of the most emotional places I have ever been. There were little kids with snake bites and even burns all over their body but they are such strong children none of them showed the pain they were in and smiled no matter what. We provided the clinic with hundreds of supplies that they use to treat the patients. We provided the little kids with yo-yo’s and they were mesmerised, I have never seen kids with smiles bigger from such a little toy. They loved the company and so did I in the space of an hour we met such amazing people especially the staff as they save the patients lives which such little medical supplies. I am absolutely loving the experience so thank you so so much for making it possible for me to be here. I am missing you all so so much and I am hoping that they are enjoying reading the diary so you know what we are doing from day to day. Please show Nanna because she wanted to know and I know she will enjoy reading it.

I love you all so much and am so grateful for everything xxx

 

Joe Carter

Its just me again. How is everyone? Hope yous are all well. I’m exactly the same as yesterday if you were wondering. My diary finished with me travelling to our new campsite for some time and its truly amazing here. I had such a good night sleep as we got a sleep in for the first time but I woke up with a dead leg which wasn’t pleasant. After we set up camp we were treat to an amazing BBQ by the staff from Kupenda Africa, search them on the internet, facebook and instagram. The food was delicious as expected and I had my fair share of food as I ate two pork steaks and three bits of chicken and plenty of potatoes. We sat in the bar for two hours last night before our BBQ and I had game of round the clock (darts) and I beat Joe Ramsey my new best mate. Breakfast was nice this morning as I had a very nice bowl of cornflakes while everyone else had French toast with sausages. For dinner I had a very special made egg sandwich by my good friend the chef. Tonight im also having a special made spag bol as everyone else is having lasagne. After breakfast we started our very exciting but busy day as we had to unpack all the extra suitcases and separate everything into separate piles, we even had to separate the blue pens to the black pens which wasn’t easy but it was worth it as we are going to make some many kids happy. As a group we worked so well and just helped each other and worked in little groups doing different jobs. The emotions again have been all over the place today as when sorting all the equipment and cloths out I was on such a buzz as we were doing something amazing but then we went to the clinic on the site which is the number one clinic in Tanzania for snake bites. We passed so much medical supplies on and the faces of the staff were amazing as they couldn’t stop smiling and thanking us all. There were a number of children within the clinic who all have different reason for been in as two had been bitten by a snake and two had been involved in a burn incident but all of them had the biggest smiles ever and that was truly inspiring. Outside of the clinic there was a woman and her two children who made me smile so much. I formed a special bond with a little girl and she wouldn’t let me put her down and she kept holding my finger until she took my cap off and put it on her head and that was truly amazing as it was the cutest. I do believe that’s everything for today so Im off for a shower, talk again tomorrow. Love you all and stay safe and happy xx

 

Rachel Smith

So we’re in the Snakepark now and not only is it beautiful so are the people. Everyone is so friendly. Oh and last night Joyce and Bertha cooked us a Barbie… the former veggie had chicken, sausage and a pork chop haha I just couldn’t resist it was lush!! The Snakepark has a bar full of signed t-shirts from everyone that’s stayed including some Acklam Grange ones from previous trips. Today we’ve been sorting out all the equipment for the schools we visit and the clinic here. It was really interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes of the Meserani Project and the amount of organisation it takes as well as the generosity of everyone who has donated stuff for the children. It felt really great to be a part of it and know I’m helping in some way. I was packing up stuff for Meserani Juu primary school. We have a huge bag of pens for them, prizes and sports tops. We also had a quick visit to the clinic that’s here. There are inspiring kids there that are getting treated for snake bites and burns yet their smile doesn’t leave their faces. I also chatted to an older boy Richard who has just finished school and is going to college all thanks to the Meserani Project. I’ve just been so touched by everyone I’ve met over here!

I am loving it here but I miss you all so much. Hope everything is good back home and please don’t worry about me I’m doing great x

 

Jack Beckley

Yesterday we finally arrived at the snake park and I’ve had two warm showers in two days and actually feel like royalty, honestly it felt so good to feel so clean in warm water. Today we delivered some medical supplies to the clinic at the snake park and met a wonderful boy named Loth and unfortunately he couldn’t complete his last year at school due to a snake bite for which he is being treated for at the clinic and I presented him with one of the football shirts that I brought with me and he was so happy with it and he wouldn’t stop smiling and thanked me more times than I can count. There were some young children there that loved the yoyos that we gave them and all of their smiles were really touching. Today was definitely the best day so far but definitely the most emotional. I can’t wait to go into the primary school tomorrow and givve out some equipment and make more of a difference. Missing you all so much, love you lots Jack.

 

Erin Williams

Yesterday we arrived at the snake park and set everything up without too much bother although I did injure my hand in the process, I know you’re not surprised. I’m tenting with Steph at the moment which is nice and everything seems a lot more chilled and relaxed already. We had a barbeque last night and obviously I couldn’t eat the meat but it was still delicious. This morning I had my second shower and it was warm which was nice and it was a lovely way to start the day. Most of the morning was sorting out all the things that are going to be given to either the school kids or the clinic here and it was amazing to see how many things were actually there so I am looking forward to actually giving it to all the kids. We also met some of the kids at the clinic with either snake bites or burns which was quite upsetting to see but I was amazed by how happy and how smiley they all were despite the things that have happened to them – I think it’s quite inspiring and I’ll definitely remember it. All of the people, especially the staff have been really lovely and helpful so I haven’t had any problems. I’m still missing you all but I hope you aren’t offended by the fact that I feel like I want to stay here longer than the three weeks, I don’t want it to be over. Love you always, Erin x

 

Ameer Ali

Yesterday we had a long journey to Tanzania but when we arrived the views were amazing I have a couple of photos to show you guys when I get back home. Later that night we had a surprise BBQ but before that I went to the bar to get a drink of fanta, but I played darts with my new best mate who I have a great connection with Jack Beckley (bromance). I didn’t get much sleep last night because my tent was on a hill and kept on rolling and rolling. However, this morning I had a nice warm shower which was amazing. Then the group emptied the truck to put 5/6 piles of stuff to go to the school and the clinic. Once we finished that we went to visit the clinic to drop of the stuff for the children, this little boy at the age of 6 months his home got set on fire and has came out with loads of burn marks. I managed to meet up with Lal and auntie Julies sponsor and they absolutely love the gifts what you’se gave them. Also now I have just finished my tea (lasagne). I miss you guys but nothing to worry about as I fine. Love you x

 

Ellie,

Hello again, yesterday I talked about us travelling; we finally arrived in Tanzania after a stressful and unnecessarily long border control.  When we arrived I was so relived because in my opinion Snake Park is best because it felt more homely expecially because of the welcoming staff. Once we arrived we set up out tents and went to the bar to have a drink of coke, it was superb especially after drinking only water. I have been having trouble sleeping at night as I woke up 5 times- its probably from the excess excitement from the day.

Today we ‘technically’ had a day off, I mean to be fair we could sleep in- which I did with joy- but we spent most of the day sorting through our second backs and gifts for the children. I actually enjoyed organising the equipment as it got me excited to visit the schools. As well as that, once we where done we took all the medical equipment to the clinic and we met all the children who were suffering from snake bites it was so emotional meeting all the new people.

Love you all,Ellie

 

James Proud

I was wrong: this is the highlight! The work the clinic does is incredible. In fact, it’s beyond words. And the people are so strong – they don’t let anything phase them. Today when we visited the clinic and some children came to meet us and they had been through some very difficult situations but the smiles on their faces when the girls started teaching them English numbers was absolutely heart warming. We’ve only been here a few days and I feel like I’ve been here years but in a good way. It’s paradise.

Also, I helped teach two local lads Powerpoint with Polly, which they picked up really quickly, and they were so welcoming to us. We ended up being late for tea because we spent so long talking to them. We walked them out of the camp and visited a field where we spent a long time comparing our lives and learning about them and what they were hoping to do in the future. It was absolutely unforgettable.

I just want to thank my Dad again for letting me come on this trip!

 

Anna Waddington

Hi all! The Meserani Snake Park is amazing! The bar is amazing! We have had a really busy day today. We unpacked all of our holdalls that Peter gave us with all the supplies and sorted it into piles for different schools. It didn’t take us that long but I had to sharpen loads of pencils so now I’ve got blisters all over my fingers. Then in the afternoon we went to the Snake Park Clinic where we took medical supplies. We met some amazing children who suffered from snake bites and burns but they had the most beautiful smiles. There was a little girl who loved my sunglasses, she kept taking them off my head and trying them on. Then she asked me to put them on and she gave me the biggest smile and the loudest laugh. It was amazing! There was a little boy called JoJo, whose hut had burned down when he was six months old and he’d suffered horrific burn, then he was mistreated in the general hospital before he came to the clinic so he was really scared of nurses, but today when we met he was the happiest little kid I’ve ever met. He kept coming round and giving us high fives and he now loves his nurses. Later, we chilled at the bar and then I had a shower! We had lasagne for tead and I had an in depth discussion/argument with James about Sherlock! Love to you all and miss you! Love you Luke x

 

Eeman Dad

Hi familyyy! Meserani snake park is WOW! The bar is so funky (of course I am not drinking) just pop. So today we have just been sorting through the numerous suitcases full of project equipment. Peter had us walking back and forth numerous times I have honestly lost a stone solely through sweating. Peter took us to the Snake Park’s Clinic, where there are 4 patients – bite victims and burn victims. Each had an individual story to tell and at first they were all very timid, but they eventually began singing and laughing. I spoke to Luth about education and he was so inspired to see how different life was fin England. It was extremely heart warming to see their desire to learn. I did start to tear up slightly but held back my tears when they were all given a yo-yo.

Can’t wait for the next few days.

Love and miss you, E xxx

 

Georgia Linton

Jambo everyone!

Today has been a chilled day, we had a sleep in and got up at 8:00. We’ve not been anywhere today we’ve just stayed in camp which is brilliant compared to everywhere else. It has flushable toilets, showers which are sometimes warm, it has a bar which is just amazing its got t-shirts signed by people who have been and pictures everywhere. Also there’s a clinic which treats people with burns and snake bites ect. The park was built by two South Africans called BJ and Ma. I feel the most comfortable here! Its going quick the days as I’ve just realized there’s only 14 days left. Also today we’ve been sorting out the suit cases Peter gave us and which school the stuff is going to go to which has taken the majority of the day.

The first time I went in to the clinic my heart broke. There’s babies and toddlers in their with burns. I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s a baby with all his head and hand burnt of scolding water but he is so gorgeous and always smiling. There’s another little girl who’s house was burnt down and she was in it so all her face and arm is burnt. I sobbed and I’ve been the only one to cry (of course) so I’m called tiny tears. But seriously I cant express how I feel when I see them, they’re just babies and I think of Fletcher or anyone being burnt or bitten just unimaginable. The poor little boy with the burns called Jojo his story is so sad because when he came to the park clinic he was in hospital and the nurses and doctors just bandaged him up and when th would change his dressings they would just rip them off him so he would have been in agony so the nurses here at the park were saying how he was petrified when he first came but he’s got a lovely smile now he’s so cheeky. However, there is a little girl who has stolen my heart called Nama and she was bitten by a Cobra snake but she is going to get better they said. She hasn’t yet spoken a word to me but when I ask her questions she just leans into me and acts shy. She’s got the most gorgeous little smile and she’s so loving. I’m going to get them some sweets when I go to the market to give me any excuse to visit them. They’re amazing.

Another thing that’s happened today was because people know peter sponsors children kids come to the park and ask if they can be sponsored but because they didn’t pass their exams they cant get funding for college because its too expensive but if they had passed they could have been sponsored as a sponsor may have been found and it would have been cheaper. It was very sad because seeing them waiting for Peter hoping they could have been but they got turned down.

We’re going to be have tea with two sponsored kids and one of the girls had 7 family members die of aids and she grew up in a orphanage and when they found out she was HIV positive they kicked her out so she had to survive on her own. So it will be very inspiring.

Hope everyone at home is well, miss you all. Love G x

 

Abi Pentney

Hi everyone!

I am so glad to be back at the snake park – we set up camp and got all sorted. Last night we went to the bar, had a drink and saw Ma and BJ again. The bar is amazing; there’s really good music and t shirts all over that are signed. I found the t shirt that we all signed in 2015. We then had a BBQ that some women at the snake park cooked and it was so lovely. We’ve all started to have a laugh and the group is much more relaxed. I’m sure they weren’t disappointed after I raved about this place so much. Today we got all the suitcases and sorted out the group equipment. I got the job of sorting all the pens and pencils out and I can’t wait to see how happy they make the pupils! (we’re going to a primary school tomorrow.)

We then took supplies to the clinic at the snake park and it was so heart breaking. There was a small kid whose house had gone up in flames and all their head was scarred and sore. Also a girl who had a snake bite from a red spitting cobra is getting treated. It’s just phenomenal the work that the clinic does and it is all free, all the proceeds from the bar pay for it. I met the cutest little girl and got some pictures with her. She loved wearing my sunglasses and looking at the pictures I took of us because they will have never seen themselves before! I feel so much more confident talking to the students and the locals and getting to know them, I have so many more questions for them about their culture.

We finished all the work at 4:30 so we’re going to chill in the bar, play darts and then have lasagna for tea! I have finally had a nice, warm shower and I am so glad haha! One more day at school for you!!! Bet you can’t wait to go on holiday, have a safe flight. Love you all lots,

Abi xxx

 

Joe

Today we had a longer sleep in, only till 8 but its better than 6, we spent all of today in the Snakepark, it Is amazing here, I especially love Mas’ Bar which has soft drinks to buy. We mainly sorted our extra luggage into separate piles to take to the schools throughout the next week, I am so excited to meet the children and learn more about their interests, culture and hobbies and tell them mine. We finished organizing the bags at about half 4 and had about two hours to just relax, we took supplies to the clinic and saw some of the kids there who have terrible snake bites and scars but the most beautiful smiles you will ever see. It is amazing to see the amount of work that the clinic puts in to treat these people for absolutely no money and the effort that Ma and BJ have put into the Snakepark. Tomorrow we are going to visit a primary school which I am really excited about as well as a market to hopefully I can find some nice elephant pants that Jenny wants.

 

Sam Matthewman

Hi! We arrived at Meserani Snake Park yesterday and it is different to what I expected. It is dry but there is many birds. We set up camp again and there is a bar so I’m drinking Fanta. The meals have been good and I have been enjoying breakfast. We had eggy bread and sausages this morning and I really enjoyed that. Today has been quite relaxed but productive. We have sorted all the medical supplies and stuff we brought in the spare suit cases today and have taken some supplies to the medical clinic. The people there were great and so caring; they all were so appreciative and we got pictures with everyone there. It is on site so I will be visiting again. We are at a market tomorrow and visiting a school so that will be a great experience. I am doing well and enjoying it so far, although I am missing chocolate and chocolate biscuits. I hope you are all having a great time.

Love Sam x

 

Elodie saha

Once again I’m back, today we woke up at camp Messerani Snakepark. I’m pleasantly surprised at how well the camp is run. With the many people I have grown close to, we all go to the bar-not drinking parents don’t worry; the decoration is amazing I can’t describe the junk that has some form of meaning apparently! Finally we all sorted out the many supplies and it was a chore, however we all managed. I can finally say I am never wanting to sharpen thousands of pencils again…..ever- the blisters are proof! Lastly we ended the night visiting the Messerani medical clinic. The young children were badly injuries yet still were smiling ear to ear….i have a lot of respect for them and their strength. Lastly our chef made a really nice lasagna and fruit salad to die for. I bet all the family is having a nice time, miss you all love elodie xxxxxxx

 

Rebecca Henderson

Yesterday we traveled all the way from Kenya to Tanzania overall it took about 9 and a half hours to get to our new camp for the next 2 weeks called Meserani Snake Park. We spent about 3 hours in border control. It was the first day where I have really began to feel more positive and less homesick. On the night Lisa promised to tell me who the new Doctor Who was, so I was very excited to know. I also really appreciated that she took the time to look it up to surprise me. Today was a much more relaxed day compared to the first 5 days. It’s been rally good because we’ve had much more time to properly and together and socialize. Me and some of my friends have already claimed a tree in the shade to spend all day under. All of the different year groups have really started to mix and were separating off as much. We sorted out all of supplies for the children and the charity which was actually kind of fun as we were all having a laugh together. The bar onsite is very good as it provides me with endless supplies of fanta and all of the money goes into the clinic on the site. We took some medical supplies to the clinic and met the children. They were so sweet and I felt so bad for them as some had been bitten by snakes or had serious burn, yet they were so happy. Overall I am such a good time but I am missing everyone. Sending lots of love xoxo

 

Olivia Sharrocks

Hi back home I hope all of you are well I miss you all but I am still having a good time. Today was really good and we didn’t have to get up early we only had to be down for breakfast at 8 which was a sleep in for us! We then started to unpack all the bags that had the aid in to give the children. We had to sort them out into piles which took up most of the day as there were so many cases but we got through it and it was so good to know how we are helping. The camp we are stopping at has a bar with really good drinks so just before my WARM shower I had a Fanta pineapple which taste amazing compared to drinking water all the time. It also good drinking the drinks as the money goes to the clinic that on site and that deals with all the snakes bite and burns that people get. It was really hard there as the children are so strong and they have gone through so much. A young child had been in there since 6 months old as he was in a house fire and now he’s 3 which were really upsetting.

Love you all lots hope you are all having a good time liv xx

 

Polly Dowdle

The Meserani Snake Park has warm showers and proper toilets! We are in a permanent campsite which means we only have to share a tent with one other person so we have much more room, and we change tents less often. Today we sorted out the charity stuff we brought over and sorted it into suitcases, along with the materials for the Snake Clinic. When we went over to the snake clinic there were several children there, two of which had infected snake bites and the other two were severely burnt. They spoke no English or Kiswahili so we had to sing songs to them with actions so they could interact with us. Despite their serious injuries they were so excited and were very open to interaction. James and I taught two university students how to use powerpoint but we had to teach them on 2003, which I haven’t used since primary school. We also met several sponsored pupils who want to do a-levels and university but were not accepted, which was sad because they were all so eager to learn and had impressive English.  Tomorrow we are going to Meserani Chini Primary School, which is half an hour away and we will give out a lot of important school materials.

Miss you x

 

Daniel Jones

Once we finally got to the Snake Park we found out that there were showers and hat they were warm this time which I was relieved to find out we were also told we could have a sleep in which just made everything better. I woke up early to make sure I could have a shower in time for breakfast after we got out all the suitcases and sorted everything into different bags for different schools and places. After sorting out a lot of things we went to the Meserani Snake Park Clinic where we took medical supplies we also met some of the kids there called Jojo, Naserian, Raheam, Loth it was very eye opening to see that even though they had such horrible things happening to them they were still smiling which in return made me smile. After coming back and sorting out a few more things I played a couple of cards games with some friends we then had tea and my group washed up. I’m still loving being here as the Snake Park is very homely and welcoming and finally feel very relaxed I also cant wait for the rest of the days here and I cant wait to tell you more about my fantastic experiences.

daniel