So, what do you know?

So, 4 weeks ago myself and another colleague of mine Jim, and my Boss, Steven Lancaster (who you will have the pleasure of meeting soon) were told that we would be given the opportunity to visit Africa, and learn more about The Solomon Project. 

Ultimately to raise awareness, creatively, of what The Grand and The Solomon Project do.

So, what do you actually know about The Grand and The Solomon Project?

The Grand, Clitheroe a stand-alone charity itself, committed to the personal, social, cultural and educational development needs of young people and the broader community.

By developing a series of projects, designed to overcome self-esteem issues, raise awareness of bullying and staying safe online as well as develop gifted and talented artists and performers.

Leading in to an inspirational program of arts, music and entertainment, to inspire communities and bring big city culture to a small rural town.

Now, if this wasn’t enough, The Grand’s founders John and Rose Lancaster  along with Anna and Steven Lancaster, were so moved by an experience in their life, when they themselves visited Africa, that they felt the need to do something about it.

 

They were heartbroken by the sadness that they saw in the children’s eyes in Africa. Who through HIV, Murder and Poverty were forced to live on the rubbish dumps and beg for food. Even if they found food, crime is so rife on the dumps, that they would be brutally attacked for the scraps of food they had rummaged from the bins. 

Children as young as 6 were living on the dumps, addicted to sniffing glue to help them ease the pain of hunger.

No child should suffer like that.

So, what did they do?

Enlisting the help of others, they quickly began a relationship with Mary’s Meals, a well-established charity who feed children all over the world.

Realizing that a way to advocate poverty and offer hope would be to feed the street children, and figure out a way to educate them. Giving them hope for the future.

Well, light bulb moment!! Feed the children in the schools! Therefore they will be less inclined to drop out and return to begging on the streets, and have the chance of an education, and hopefully a better life. 

After years of hard work, and some incredibly inspiring people doing some crazy things to raise money for these children, like shaving off a life time of Dreadlocks that had grown down to his hips, to swimming across Lake Windermere , they can now proudly say that The Solomon Project feeds over 8000 children, in school, in Eldoret. 

So, why am I going out to Eldoret?

8000 is a proud milestone, but there is still so much more we can do. To do this, we need your help. To grow the charity, and to continue to have a positive impact on the lives of so many children in Eldoret, we need more people in the UK to stand up and notice!

The trip, for me will be an opportunity to explore my own inner-self and learn true  hope and happiness from the people who have nothing. Allowing the team and I to develop a virtual window into a third world. 

So, it is with this, I finish my first blog post. If before the next one, you want to find out more about The Solomon Project, or even make a donation you can visit www.thesolomonproject.co.uk. 

Remember … It doesn't take a miracle to change the world, it takes one random act of kindness, one person at a time.