Destiny Children News 2011
End of Year 2011 Prize Giving and Graduation at DGS
As the school year at Destiny Garden School comes to a close, the graduation of the pupils from KG3 to Primary Class 1, together with the End of Year prize giving, was celebrated.
The event was a great success with parents and guardians attending, and entertainment by the children which included music and dance shows. There were speeches made by the school head teacher who then handed the ceremony over to Victor, the School Manager, who presented the graduation certificates and then the prizes to the individual students who had excelled in their classes, Baby class up to Class 5
A special cake was made for all, and the children were given biscuits and fruit juice while parents, guardians and staff received sodas. Destiny Children helped fund the event, including the hire of the gowns. .
Christmas Fund buys uniforms for the Children at DGS
Many thanks to all those who contributed to the Christmas Fund. This was used to buy uniforms and a small treat for all the children at Destiny Garden School.
Our UK school children probably wouldn't’t thank us for such a present, but the children at DGS were very excited, and their parents or guardians very much appreciated the gifts. Less than half the children had uniforms and many of those were worn out; those few that had a uniform in good condition were lucky enough to have a second set. Uniforms are important in Kenya, the children are proud to wear them and they make the children feel they belong to the school.
Christmas Dinner Dance - 3rd December 2011
A very successful event which raised over £3,500 for Destiny Garden School and was enjoyed by all - many have asked us to do it again next year!
The event was held at Mykita, Macclesfield, decorated beautifully, with grateful thanks to Michael King and Caterer Oliver’s of Knutsford who provided a three course meal.
Dancing was to the fabulous live 9 piece band – Not Quite Jazz -
http://www.notquitejazz.co.uk/
The proceeds of the event are going to equip the new Classroom 6, ready for the new school year in January 2012. Enough was raised to also help with other improvements needed by DGS.
The Kitchen Table Charities Trust, KTCT, founded by John Humphries, generously gave Destiny Children a grant to build Classroom 6 at Destiny Garden School and to install a Rainwater Harvesting System. Please see this link to view their website.
Holiday Cards Raise Funds for DGS - November 2011
A group of Kate's 4th grade students at Key Elementary School in Washington, D.C. created sets of holiday cards. The cards were then copied and bundled in sets. Students sold the sets to their family and friends. Each set helped purchase a school uniform for a child at the Destiny Garden School for the Christmas Fund project.
This fundraiser helped raise over $1,000 U.S. dollars!
Kate Bergantino, their teacher, volunteered at Destiny Garden School last year. Since her return from Mombasa she has raised over £2,000 to help DGS with much needed school equipment. As a keen supporter of DGS, Kate sponsors two children through Destiny Children, which helps cover the school's ongoing running costs.
Kings School Christmas Fair - 26 November 2011
Destiny Children's committee raised funds for Destiny Garden School at the Kings School Christmas Fair.
Coffee Morning at Elizabeth's - 4 November 2011 
Destiny Children's Trustee, Elizabeth, raised over £200 for Destiny Garden School at her Coffee morning.
Wine Tasting Event Raises funds for DGS - Sept 2011
A very successful event which raised much needed funds for Destiny Garden School - over £500. The event was sponsored by Renaissance Art and Wine - www.renaissance-2010.com - and our grateful thanks go to them for making the event so successful.
It was wine tasting with a difference as we were also able to see round the art gallery and local artist, Steven Bewsher, gave us an inspiring painting demonstration
Laptop and Camera donated to DGS - July 2011
Helen, a friend of one of Destiny Children's committee members, donated her old laptop to DGS. It was transported over by Karen from the UK, who took a few days out from her Mombasa holiday to visit and work at the school. 
The children were fascinated with it – they were like bees round a honeypot. The majority of the children will never have seen a typewriter let alone a computer.
Victor is finding the laptop very useful; he makes his notes directly onto it which
saves him valuable time. The teachers are also benefiting as, with Victors help, they can type results etc directly onto it and also use it for other applications.
One of Destiny Children’s aims is to provide DGS with electricity via solar panels so that we can install computers for the staff and children’s use. We are currently putting together grant applications.
Karen also took over a digital camera donated by Peter Rathbone from the Macclesfield Camera Club. Whilst this is for Victor to take photos for the websites, the children all wanted to try it out!
Jayne and Martin Jackson Visit DGS – June 2011
Whilst on holiday in Kenya, Jayne and Martin visited Destiny Garden School. They met up with Victor, the School Manager, who took them on a shopping trip to central Mombasa to buy food and text books for the school, they spent the afternoon with the children and watched some of their lessons.
Jayne says “ Victor and all the teachers were very welcoming and it was lovely to learn about the school, do some skipping and play with the children. We were very impressed by what the school has achieved so far and are look forward to watching it continue to grow. What impressed us the most, was the eagerness of the children to learn! They are so respectful and attentive in class and when a question is asked, you immediately witness a sea of hands and cheerful calls of ‘teacher, teacher’, keen to answer! “
“To anyone going on holiday or planning a visit to the area, I would definitely recommend visiting the school. We were hesitant at first and wary of visiting because we were unable to dedicate the time we wanted to with the children (it was a group family holiday), but I do feel the few hundred pounds we did manage to raise with the help of our family and friends and the day spent with the children were of great benefit to them and us. We have decided to sponsor Alex in year 4 and to continue to support the school and would like to thank everyone there for their hard work and the good they are doing in educating these children towards a brighter future. “
Cricket Team Visit to DGS – 30 June 2011
A Cricket Team from the UK visited DGS to spend a day introducing and teaching cricket to the children of Destiny Garden School. For most children it was the first time they had seen cricket played; no village greens and no electricity or TV’s in their homes!
The day started with the team visiting the classrooms to introduce themselves and to see how the children were taught in Kenya.
At break time they bought enough fruit juice and bananas for everyone, much to the delight of all the DGS children. They then played cricket with the children, teaching different groups on how to play the sport.
The cricket team also bought lunch for the whole school; rice and a vegetable stew with a rare treat of beans. DGS slaughtered a goat in their honour as it is an African tradition to honour esteemed guests by killing an animal of some kind.
The team met the District Officer, Madam Joy, who told them a little about the area, and they signed the guest book. They crowned the afternoon by playing against the DGS soccer team, which included Jacob, the School Director. They were beaten 2-0 by the DGS boys but put up a good fight!
It was a very successful visit and one the DGS children will remember. The Cricket team donated many cricket sets which will enable the children to continue playing the game, together with some rugby balls and footballs. Also some much needed English and Mathematics’ text books.
Dominic, the Cricket team member who organised the trip, said “everyone on our side really enjoyed our visit to Destiny Garden School and got a lot out of it. It was great to do something different and also a chance to see and be in a real Kenyan community. We were made very welcome and were touched by their hospitality. The children come from such poor backgrounds, but were happy and so enthusiastic. All in all it was a most enjoyable day and everything went to plan including an impromptu football match against the school, although we were mostly in bare feet and they in trainers; they deserved to win!”
Lemonade and Cakes Raise Funds for DGS - 8 June 2011
Kate Bergantino, a teacher from the USA, spent a few weeks doing voluntary work at Destiny 
Garden School last year . Since her return from Mombasa she has raised over £1,500 to help DGS with much needed school equipment. As a keen supporter of DGS, Kate sponsors two children through Destiny Children, which helps cover the school's ongoing running costs.
Recently, girls that participate in a running program in Washington, D.C. in the United States, learned about Destiny Garden School through Kate. They voted on a fundraising project and executed their plan. Through a lemonade stand and bake sale the students were able to raise over $500 U.S. dollars.
DGS Football Tour, Nairobi - May 2011
British charity Vision Africa organised a football tournament for children from deprived areas in Nairobi (they did a similar tour in October 2010 – see their report) and they invited DGS to send 2 boys and a girls team. The cost of this tour, which was not inconsiderable,was kindly donated by one of Destiny Children’s generous sponsors; it required hiring a bus, traveling nearly 700 miles, paying for accommodation,supplying the football strip and boots for the teams, and providing the children with warm clothing and bedding . This was a wonderful opportunity for 36 DGS children, most of whom had never been outside the village area where they live.
In preparation for the tournament, the children were trained by the teachers and visiting volunteers and had a number of practice games with other local school teams. On Saturday May 28th at 6:00am they boarded the coach and left for the 330 mile 13 hour trip to Nairobi. On route there was great excitement when they saw Elephant, Antelope, Buffalo and Giraffe, for many the first time in their lives. During their stay in Nairobi they were accommodated at the Lutheran school sleeping on mattresses and under blankets, the weather being much colder than they normally experience in Mombasa.DGS Football teams
The tournament was held on Sunday 29th and was between boys teams from Kibera, 
Kandara, DGS and Westende School in UK Wokingham. DGS drew there first match 1-1, won there second 2-0 and drew the third 0-0, unfortunately losing on penalties to the eventual tournament runners up. A very good result for such a new school and one that has never competed in a tournament before. Only one other girl’s team competed in the tournament, DGS girls finishing a very close second.
On Monday all the children were taken to the Nairobi giraffe centre and the elephant orphanage plus a mini tour of the Nairobi National Game Reserve. The trip ended after they had a meal together with students from the Lutheran academy whom had hosted them together with the Westende students from the UK. They sang, danced and recited poems and said goodbye to each other as they prepared for their journey back to Mombasa.
The whole trip was a wonderful experience for the children and something they will remember for the rest of their lives. We would like to express our very grateful thanks to our benefactor and to Vision Africa for inviting us and for their excellent organisation
For more photos please see - DGS's Football Tour 2011
The Leicester Shoe Box Challenge - May 2011
Amy and Mark's family, friends, colleagues and supporters have met the challenge and within the month filled all 245 shoe boxes together with lots of generous donations for Destiny Garden School. A big thank you to all who have contributed!
For more details and photos see this link
Carol runs the London Marathon - 17 April 2011 
Carol, mother of twins and keen amateur athlete, is also a keen supporter of Destiny Garden School. On Sunday, April 17th 2011, she ran the London Marathon for Destiny Children and raised over £1,200 !
Running the London Marathon is a huge achievement at any time but for Carol it was particularly difficult having been laid low with back problems during training and up to hours before the event.
See this link for Carol's full report.
Amy and Mark Visit DGS - March 2011
Amy and Mark booked a trip to Kenya for some winter sun and wanted to do something worthwhile whilst there. They came across Destiny Garden School on the internet and arranged to visit the school.
Amy says: “we have had an unforgettable trip to an amazing charity and cause. We met some fantastic people and unbelievably brave and wonderful children.”
“What the Destiny Garden School offers is a safe haven, a good education and regular meals.
Jacob, the School Director, is so remarkable we did name him “The busiest man in Mombasa”; he is constantly working to give more to these children and the future of Kenya, because children are the future. Jacob's motto “Education is the way out of poverty” fits here perfectly.”
"We met the Governing Commissionaire, who wanted to thank us in person for what we are doing and the help we are providing, without people like us there would be no schools like Destiny Garden. She said “this is not a drop in the ocean, it is a pebble in a bucket, so a big thank you”
“The £500 we raised before our visit to Mombasa bought 17 desks. We managed to get an increase to our baggage allowance and took donations of clothes and stationery. We would like to say a big thank you to all those who contributed and put smiles on so many faces, 240 young ones to be exact.”
Read Amy and Marks full report and see the difference they made and will continue to make. Amy’s full report
Their first challenge is to collect 245 Shoe Boxes! See this link for details
Football Tour – 30 March 2011
Vision Africa are arranging a football tournament in the Nairobi slums of Kibera, which they did last October – see their report. They have invited Destiny Garden School to send 2 teams but we couldn’t justify using funds from Destiny Children with so many essential items still required by the school.
We therefore approached local football clubs, players and organisations, and have been successful in obtaining the funding! Committee member, Elizabeth, has a family friend in Holland who is a football enthusiast and is keen to see DGS take part in this tournament as he considers it a great opportunity with many benefits.
The training, preparation and the event itself will be posted here in due course.
Shipping Container Project - April 2011
One of Destiny Children's sponsors has a contact who is converting a container into mechanics workshops, shipping it to Mombasa, and then running vocational training courses for disadvantaged children. He has agreed that spare space can be filled with educational resources for charity schools in Mombasa. We are therefore collecting items to send to Destiny Garden School. Please see this link for details. Shipping Container
Project
Ladies Lunch on Wednesday 23rd March 2011 
A big thank you to all those who attended the Ladies Lunch at the Fina Bar and Grill Market Place, Macclesfield. It proved to be a hugely successful event raising over £750 for Destiny Garden School.
Grateful thanks to Fina who made the event possible - please see this link to their website.
Judy's Visit to DGS - February 2011
Judy Roper, Chairperson of Destiny Children, visited Destiny Garden School on
1st February 2011.
Her principle job whilst there was to update the Charity's records, together with those for the sponsorship programme, which entailed taking photos and updating the profiles of all the 245 children now at the school.
Judy says "The visit went brilliantly. It was great to see all the children again and many remembered me from my last visit.
The school has come on leaps and bounds but still has a long way to go. Jacob is trying so hard with everything and is well known and respected by the people in the local community, who really appreciate DGS "
'A Quid for a Kid' - February 2011
Matt McGuiness, a sponsor of Destiny Garden School who is fast becoming our Bedfordshire branch!, has a nephew, John Patrick Flatley, who plays in the band PERMISSION (see this link). At a gig in the local pub called ‘Olivers’ Permission played whilst Matt made a collection getting the customers to donate a ‘Quid for a Kid’. They raised £185 which will go towards new desks for the DGS children.
Destiny Children would like to thank Matt for organising this, his nephew for playing in the gig and bringing in the customers, especially those who kindly donated, and to also thank Olivers' landlord Adrian for permitting the gig and the collection.
Matt has organised several fundraising events for DGS, see the entry below on
3 December. He visited DGS in Mombasa in November 2010 and you can read his report on the School website via this link.
Kitchen Table Charities Trust supports DGS - February 2011
The KTCT, founded by John Humphries, has generously given Destiny Children a grant to build Classroom 6 at Destiny Garden School and to install a Rainwater Harvesting System. Please see this link to view their website
The grant is a huge boost to everyone connected with both our charity and the school, and we would like to pass on our thanks to the KTCT. These funds will be a tremendous help in enabling us to achieve our objectives for DGS.
Work has already began on the Rainwater Harvesting system and on Classroom 6.
Amy and Mark raise funds for DGS
Amy and Mark booked a trip to Kenya for some winter sun and wanted to do something worthwhile whilst there. They came across Destiny Garden School on the internet and are now going to spend 3 days helping at the school during the last week of February.
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Before leaving the UK, they decided to put on a few fundraising games to provide DGS with some much needed funds for desks and uniforms, and have so far been successful in raising £500!!
They have also managed to get extra baggage allowance with their airline and are taking over clothes, shoes, colouring books, note pads, pencils etc for the children at DGS.
Please see this link for Amy’s full report so far. We wish them a great time and know that the School with be very grateful and the Children very excited! We look forward to hearing all about their trip on they return – watch this space!