The Kepplewray Centre - Burundi Project

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Current News

Stephen and Lucy are busy organising last minute items of equipment to go in a container to be shipped out in February 2010. They are saying goodbye to family and friends and will be flying out to Burundi on 17 January 2010. There will be a commissioning service for Stephen & Lucy at St Mary’s Church in Broughton-in-Furness on 10 January 2010. For those near enough to come you are very welcome.

A bike ride took place on Sunday 30th & Monday 31st August. Out of 24 hours in the saddle 22 of them were in rain - well it is the Lake District! The team did brilliantly, as did all the background staff and support team. Below are some photos of the ride.

A team of people, including Stephen & Lucy, will be cycling round the Lake District in 24 hours. They will set off from The Kepplewray Project, in Broughton-in-Furness, on Sunday 30 August – not very exciting or different you may think BUT the team will be riding a Harmony Trandem (see photo), a hand cycle, a recumbent trike and a tandem!

Stephen & Lucy on the trandem

The team will only be able to average 5mph on the heavy steel trandem hand cycle/pedal cycle and the course will take in the highest pass in the Lakes, Kirkstone Pass - no mean feat!

The route is a variation on the Fred Whitton Challenge and will cover a total of 92 miles and take in Birker Fell, Cold Fell, Matterdale End, Whinlatter Pass and Kirkstone Pass, returning to Kepplewray via the east side of Coniston Water.

Peter, Evariste and Charlie completed the 10K Sunderland Run and we are now counting up the sponsor money. Its not too late to give to this please use the link below. Evariste is now back in Burundi having finished his time with us.

As you will have seen from the news page, Peter, Evariste and Charlie are running (and walking) the Sunderland 10K Run on Sunday for The Bethesda Project. If you would like to sponsor Evariste please visit his justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/muyinga.

Fundraising for Bethesda is moving on a pace. Stephen and Lucy have done a number of presentations to groups and churches around the area. You can see from the chart below that we have raised, so far £5,000 but still have £7,000 to raise in order to send Stephen and Lucy out to Burundi in November.

Amount still to raise

£7,000

Amount raised

£5,000

Evariste has settled into life in England and Kepplewray. He is helping Lucy and Steve with their Kirundi and they are helping him with his English. He is working with the groups who are staying at Kepplewray and helping with activities. His favourite activity is canoeing! When asked how he felt about Kepplewray this is what he said:

“Kepplewray is a good project which is well organised and has a good hospitality for the guests.

It has a lot to teach me and others and has provided a good opportunity

to set up The Bethesda Project in Muyinga, Burundi.”

Evariste has now arrived! His plane landed at heathrow airport on Wednesday 13 May at 7am. On Thursday he was out canoeing for the first time with a group. He has settled in well and is getting on with his training. He is trying to teach the staff some Kirundi - our Kirundi is much worse than his English!

Evariste, joint coordinator of The Bethesda Project, will be arriving in the UK any day now. His visa has taken weeks to organise and now we are waiting for flights to be booked. Evariste is coming to Kepplewray for about 3 months, during which time he is hoping to pick up a lot of training and ideas for activities. He will work alongside Steve during his time here. We will keep you informed of his progress.

Stephen and Lucy have spoken to Broughton Primary School and have linked their work for The Bethesda Project with the school. This is an exciting development and one we hope to expand. If you know a school who would be interested in linking with The Bethesda Project then please contact Lucy.

Stephen & Lucy have a presentation about the work of the Bethesda Project and the link with Kepplewray. They have spoken to a group at St James Church in Carlisle and taken their presentation. If you would like to know more about the Kepplewray Burundi link and would like Stephen & Lucy to bring their presentation to your group then please contact us.

Stephen & Lucy joined the Kepplewray staff on 01 March 2009. Stephen is an Activity Instructor and Lucy is a Trainee Instructor. Lucy is having to take on board lots of training and qualifications in her first few weeks of being here. Stephen is a returning member of staff and has most qualifications but has to renew quite a few.

On 12 November 2008 at 7pm over 40 people gathered together at Kepplewray for a Taste of Burundi. There was a meal consisting of Goat, beef and Chicken Stews, cabbage, plantains, potatoes and rice with fresh fruit as a dessert. Brian and Marian Wright then talked about their time in Burundi over 20 years ago. A presentation was then given by Peter Sanders of his time in Burundi this year and how the Kepplewray Burundi Link was brought about. The architect, Mark Tabert, brought and displayed his vision for the Bethesda Project and it is hoped to be able to build this for around £20,000. The evening was a great success and £441 pouonds was raised for the Kepplewray Burundi Link. If you would like to give towards this project please go to our Support Us page and state that your gift is for Burundi.

Stephen and Lucy were married in August and are now completing their work in Devon before going on honeymoon. They will then join the staff at Kepplewray from March 2009.

History

Bishop Eraste Bigirimana, from the Diocese of Muyinga in Burundi, visited Kepplewray in February 2007, as part of a UK tour organised by Lambeth Palace. Whilst here Bishop Eraste heard about the work of inclusion undertaken here at Kepplewray and was impressed by the work done with disabled and non disabled people.

Bishop Eraste was inspired by the approach of Kepplewray to bring disabled and non disabled people together. Many disabled people view their physical or mental impairment as only part of the disadvantage they must face. How society views that disability is often a much bigger problem to overcome. Kepplewray addresses these issues by providing opportunities that promote the principle of inclusion. Using challenging outdoor activities to develop social integration and help breakdown prejudice and misunderstanding, developing a team spirit, encouraging self-esteem and the appreciation of others, we hope to be a catalyst in tackling exclusion. Bishop Eraste believes that this approach could be of great value in the process of healing a nation and people ravaged by warfare and racial division.

Communications by email then began between Kepplewray and Bishop Eraste and a link between Kepplewray and the Muyinga Diocese was established. The aim of this link is to share experiences and help each other develop an understanding of what it means to be inclusive, disabled and accepted and to start and establish a similar project to Kepplewray in Burundi.

Bishop Eraste has called this project The Bethesda Project after the Bethesda Pool in Jerusalem (John chapter 5 v1-9).

In June 2008 Peter Sanders and Stephen McIlhenny visited Burundi to see the site of the proposed project for themselves and to explore further the possibility of setting the project up. It is hoped that in 2009 the coordinator of The Bethesda Project, Everiste, will work at Kepplewray for a few months to exchange ideas and to learn from the experience. Stephen will then move out to Burundi in Winter 2009, with his wife Lucy, to help establish the project and work for a period of around two years.

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The Kepplewray Centre, Broughton-in-Furness Cumbria, LA20 6HE, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1229 716 936 Fax: +44 (0)1229 716 938