During a chance conversation in a radiotherapy waiting room in Southampton Hospital, Dana Elsworth from TEDS and Kate Michell discovered a shared passion - helping children! Kate had travelled to various countries including Estonia and Peru to teach children and had helped out at various schools and orphanages abroad. Hearing what amazing work Kate did, Dana invited her to the TEDS shop in Ringwood and a huge suitcase was filled to the brim with lots of toys, games, musical items and lots more for her visit to the Casuarina House Orphanage in Utange, eastern Kenya. Once a week, on Saturdays, 500 orphans would turn up from the village and the neighbourhood for a free hot nutritious meal. Sometimes the children would not have eaten for days and arrived tired and weakened by their journey. Volunteers would cook and interact with them, also handing out a bag of maize flour to take back to their guardians which helps feed them for the following week. Kate’s role for her three months volunteering at the orphanage included helping out with the Saturday “FEED 500” project, as well as being involved with house tasks, growing vegetables, cooking for the children, helping the resident orphans with homework and activities and assisting at the local primary school by listening to children reading aloud. Click the button below for more info if you wish to help or take part too.

And to Kate and people like her - You really do make the world a better place and we thank you!