New Ways supporter writes new play
Long time supporter of New Ways, Tony Earnshaw, has written a new play 'Visiting Time'. Here he talks about his involvement with New Ways.
"We went to a Ball on Friday, a fund raiser, and listening to my
friend Scholastica speak, I was reminded of my trips to Kenya and
the people I met. The charity was New Ways and the ball was packed
with familiar faces, regular supporters who run, bike, climb, and
do many other things to help the people of Turkana gain access to
clean water, better nutrition and education for their children.
Children who have proper nutrition when young grow up healthy -
with better brain and body function. Areas with a sustainable
source of water are less prone to famine and disaster. We all do
our bit to help, and it's a joy to do so, especially when the
opportunity arises to visit Turkana.
I've been twice, riding my bike round the Rift Valley and meeting
the people in central Kenya before heading north to Lodwar and
Nariokotome. The people are a delight. Friendly, interested,
dignified and fun. Much of the teaching in schools is done by
singing, and the children love to sing. The picture shows a group
we encountered by chance at a lunch stop on our first bike ride. A
group of children keen to sing for us and to laugh and shout.
England and India were in the midst of a test series at the time
and I doubt whether they'd seen much cricket but one of the guys on
the ride had them enthusiastically chanting for India (he was
rather outnumbered by English supporters the rest of the time). But
the most poignant moment came when the girl in the picture sang her
song. She sang beautifully but in Swahili and we asked for a
translation. The teachers answer? 'AIDS kills everyone. Rich or
poor, old or young, AIDS kills everyone'. Another hard lesson for
these youngsters and another dose of reality for the
cyclists.
There's another lesson in this for us too which is to take a leaf
out the Kenyan book and enjoy ourselves in the midst of difficulty.
In Turkana, where life is tough, the people sing and dance. So
should we. So I'm looking forward to the next Ball - and to the
fundraisers in 2012 which will include performances of my play
'Visiting Time' which explores the issues around Aid and AIDS among
other things. "
You can read Tony's blog here: Tony Earnshaw's blog
Author: Stuart Garner
Date: 24 November 2011
Source: New Ways