Haiti Earthquake Appeal
Dear Supporters,
You will have heard about the terrible devastation that the earthquake in Haiti last Saturday has caused. The heavy rains this week, due to tropical Storm Grace, have made the situation worse, leaving thousands of people without shelter and the basic necessities to sustain life.
News reports are that:
At least 1,941 people are known to have died.
Nearly 10,000 people have been injured, and many are missing after the 7.2-magnitude tremor.
The UN says about 500,000 children now have limited or no access to shelter, safe water and food.
We have been in contact with our colleagues on the ground and thankfully they are safe. They want to support the people in the south of the island who have been hit extremely hard by the earthquake and subsequent flooding. They have reported that they are in need of solar radios. These radios will be a lifeline, enabling families to keep updated with local and national news, they also have a phone charge facility so people can stay connected with their loved ones. The radios also emit some much-needed light at night. These items will remain even after the period of emergency and have longer lasting impact.
It is recommended that this is the best way to support people at this time. The easiest way for this to happen is to send funds so that they can purchase the solar radios directly in Hai-ti and distribute them to families who need them, avoiding shipping costs and supporting local businesses.
We have experience of providing solar radios in The Gambia to ensure children could continue learning during the pandemic and in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew, so we know it works and that it will make a small but significant difference to people’s lives in Haiti right now.
You can purchase a solar radio here today for £25:
(Please note the solar radio image on our website gift image is different from the ones we will provide in Haiti which have a light, radio and phone charger).
IF YOU CAN DONATE MORE, PLEASE HELP TODAY
The safest way to donate is by direct transfer to our bank with SOLAR HAITI as your reference:
The Steve Sinnott Foundation
Co-Operative Bank
Account Number: 65318371
Sort Code: 08-92-99
In Haiti they say, ‘’ men anpil chay pa lou’’ which means “with many hands loads are not heavy’’.
We are determined to be there for the families and communities we work with over the weeks and months to come, when they may need our support more than ever before.
Thank you so much for anything you are able to give.
Best wishes from us all.
Steve Sinnott • August 21, 2021
Portsmouth Branch of NEU (National Education Union) held it’s AGM on Friday April 25th. Around the AGM several organisations and speakers were invited to take part.
This week while out and about in Hertfordshire and we visited the British Schools Museum. We discovered the first school opened by Joseph Lancaster, was known as the ‘Poor Childs Friend”, was in 1810. It was his lifelong mission that all children regardless of their circumstances, should benefit from an education. Apparently, Joseph heard a small girl say, “Oh that I could read!” and this inspired him to create a simple education system that eventually would benefit children across the world. Joseph was the tenth son of a poor man himself from South London. His aim was to offer free education for everyone. However, it would be 93 years before the U.K. government finally made education free for all. There are still many countries today where education is still not free to access and it is certainly not compulsory for primary and secondary age pupils. Joseph’s mission really resonates with that of the Foundation, to support access to education for all. We enjoyed our visit and appreciated the tour given by two of the Museum’s volunteers, Angela and Clare. They described some of the challenges faced in the early years of formal education and shared some of the rules that teachers and students had to abide by with us.
Sparks Bristol is a collaborative community project initially envisioned by The Global Goals Centre, (GGC) more of which below. A few years ago, GGC took over an empty Marks and Spencer store and that’s how Sparks was born. Sparks is a department store with a difference, co-created by Global Goals Centre and Artspace Lifespace. On the ground floor is a huge range of shops, installations, events and more. Upstairs is a hub for local artists, it offers affordable studios as well as rehearsal and performance space. The Global Goals Centre is a Bristol-based educational charity inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs). GGC believe the SDG’s or Global Goals as they are sometimes known, can be reached, with imaginative solutions and widespread education and engagement. They work with partners to promote creative solutions and deliver ground breaking projects that work towards these ambitious goals. The Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the Global Goals Centre with seed funding when it first started over 5 years ago. This month we went to visit them to see how they are getting on and we were taken aback by the volume of work they have achieved since they started. It is amazing to see how though working together with other local community groups it has grown into the vibrant centre it is today. All of the creative projects they host are linked to the SDGs. They cover topics that tackle poverty, education, climate change, fashion recycling and upcycling, to name a few.
