Brigades Embu Exchange (BEE)
BEE is a bold and exciting venture that the young people of our Brigade companies worked on for several years. We thank you if you were one of the project's supporters.
It took four years of planning and fundraising to realise the dream of a visit between the Boys' and Girls' Brigades in Sleaford and those in the Embu district of Kenya. The two visits that members of our Brigade companies made provided opportunities to the young people that would otherwise be unattainable. They were opportunities that educated, enthused and broaden their horizons as they meet youngsters from the same organisation, yet from a completely different country, climate and culture.
Sadly, this project never became a true exchange programme. In both 2004 and 2005, a small group of Kenyan Brigades members and their officers travelled several hours to apply for visitors' visas at the British High Commission in Kenya. They also had to pay a significant amount of money to make the applications. On both occasions, they were refused the visas, and so were not allowed to travel to Britain. The fees they paid were not refundable.
The good news that came out of this was that a second trip from Sleaford was arranged at Easter 2007, with two of our officers using part of the time to train the Kenyan officers, whilst our young people and the other accompanying adults experienced more of Kenyan life. You can read their report here.
This second trip still left some money in the BEE fund, which has been used to fund a Training Officer for the Kenyans.
We can't stay away! Another trip to Kenya is being arranged, provisionally for Easter 2008. The plan is to take 4 adults and 8 young people this time. We have a formal invitation from the Kenyan Brigades and the airline tickets are reserved. Now we just need to finalise some arrangements in Kenya, sort out visas and jabs, and off we go! Watch here for more developments.
All of this was made possible through generous giving and through a number of fund raising events carried out by the young people who went to Kenya, including a car wash, a quiz, a sponsored water carry through the town, and climbing Mt Kenya!
The Sleaford Standard also covered the event and gave us front
page coverage - see their report here.
Links:
Background to the project
Boys' Brigade
Girls' Brigade
Brigades Band.
