Fundraising for our two charities
From a Dragon Boat Race which kicks off proceedings on September 15, to the Folkestone Half-Marathon on September 30, this year's fundraising fortnight features a whole host of fun activities to help raise money for Saga Respite for Carers Trust and Saga Charitable Trust.
And it's not just the staff who will be going that extra mile. Cruisegoers aboard our three ships will be doing their bit out on the high seas and even the children and toddlers from the Saga Crèche will be helping to raise money.
Saga Respite for Carers Trust
Here at home, the Saga Respite for Carers Trust aims to give unpaid carers a break. It provides hundreds of free holidays a year for a carer and a friend, together with respite care for their loved one.
Providing respite care can be very expensive, so money raised during the fortnight for the Trust will enable them to allocate many more well-deserved awards.
Funds raised for the Saga Charitable Trust will go towards the following projects...
The Haller Foundation, Kenya
We’ve already seen the positive impact on local communities by funding a well and dam which provide the only source of water for 3,000 people a day in this drought hit region of Mombasa. Now we want to raise enough money to build two dams in the Kashani area.
Rainwater is precious so if it can be collected, local farmers have a chance of better crops, providing not just valuable food but a source of income to help communities become more self-sufficient. By supporting the Haller Foundation, we’ll make sure that the rain clouds really do have a silver lining.
Mukuni Chiefdom, Zambia
We've been supporting projects in Mukuni since 2007 and are now funding a two-year malaria prevention programme. Malaria is the biggest killer in children under five in Zambia but households only have access to one mosquito net even though three are recommended to protect a whole fanily. Nets cost less than £5.00 so we want to raise enough money to buy 2,750 more nets that will significantly reduce the risk to adults and children and save lives.
Last year we built a school shelter for boys who have to travel up to 10 miles to get to the classroom and we also want to do the same for girls this year.
Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge Clinic, Nepal
In 2011 we raised enough money to buy land for the Naxal Orphanage and now we want to continue our work in Nepal by helping to rebuild a clinic within the Tharu Lodge compound. The Community Medical Assistant at the clinic is, quite literally, a life saver for villagers who couldn’t otherwise afford medical treatment for snakebites, rhino and bear wounds, harvesting injuries and winter illness.
For just over £5,000 the existing clinic built of elephant grass, cow dung, wood and mud could be replaced by a more robust cinder block construction, for the benefit of the entire village.
Berber Education Programme, Morocco
Over half the population of Morocco are Berber, most of whom live in the mountains where very little Arabic is spoken. Although Berber (Amazigh) and Arabic are both official languages in Morocco, all government schools are taught in Arabic, so Berber children, especially girls, are disadvantaged from the start and often don't complete their education so the cycle of illiteracy and poverty continues.
We want to fund a learning centre in the village of Agounsane for three years that will prepare young Berbers for primary school by teaching them Arabic, improve literacy rates among women, support school children with homework and provide a library with books and computers. Local people will be trained to take over the maintenance and administration of the centre.
Additional funds raised will be used to support other needs at these or other Saga Charitable Trust projects.