15 January 2010

Taking Full Responsibility

Having made the commitment, there is now no turning back! The school has now been renamed The Limapela Cedric’s Basic School, and we are now fully responsible for all its needs — books, furniture, teachers’ salaries, capital development and maintenance. Some of our friends and supporters still express some mystification as so why we would want to do this. I can only continue to answer, “We cannot turn our backs on the needs that we see among the least of these.”

Setting up Home

Terry Webster has worked incredibly hard. Water, electricity, drainage and sewerage are now connected. The 1 km access road is being rehabilitated, and paths and lawns are now being laid out. The house interiors need finishing and security fencing needs to be erected. Although it is difficult to pinpoint a completion date, we are hoping to have moved into these homes before Easter.

Donee Status in New Zealand

We were disappointed, though not entirely surprised, to receive a letter from the Inland Revenue Department indicating that they will not be recommending to government that the Limapela Foundation be recognised as a charitable donee organisation at this stage. The IRD cites two concerns:

The extent of the Foundation’s religious involvement
The ability of the Foundation to account for funds applied to overseas recipients.

This decision means that we are still unable to issue tax receipts in New Zealand. We will be seeking clarification from the IRD about government policy on religious involvement, as we do anticipate applying again in due course. It must be said that our stance for Christian values will not be compromised simply for the sake of obtaining donee status for the Foundation.

Project Needs

We are most grateful to those who have supported The Limapela Foundation so generously. As a supporter, you can also be an ambassador for the Foundation in promoting our work among your friends and family members. Here are some of our needs for this year:

Capital to start farming and agri-business on the land that we have purchased so that self sufficiency can be more quickly achieved.
Fee sponsorship at NZ$12.00 (US$10.00) per month for at least another 150 children. Head Teacher Mwanza has now received 46 applications for Grade one alone — this is many more than anticipated.
Regular contributions towards the salaries of our teachers, who must be paid monthly.
Books — we have just spent over NZ$1,300 (US$1,000), but children will still be sharing three to a book.
Funding for connecting the electricity and water at Cedric’s.
Funding for a toilet block, and for the new classroom block that is required for expansion at Cedric’s.

—Matthew F. Raymond, CHAIRMAN