Camps Foundation: Project Update

PROJECT UPDATE
December 2016
Registered Charity No: 1125858

Summer is always the busiest time for us and a great time to make significant progress with our projects. This summer was
our biggest ever with more than 1,700 independent volunteers and teams from schools, colleges, universities travelling out
to eight of our destinations and working hard on nearly 100 different project activities.
So now is the perfect time to give you an update on the progress of just some of the projects that our amazing volunteers
have worked on.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading each progress report and remember, this doesn’t include all our projects worldwide. We’re
hoping to publish the full report at the beginning of next year so keep an eye out for it. As you’ll see, our volunteers and
donors have made a massive difference to thousands of people’s lives so far and helped us safeguard some of the world’s
most endangered and important wild spaces.
With your continued support we can keep making a difference to these wonderful communities, creating a brighter future
for all.
Happy Holidays!

Featured Projects
Medical Centre,
Esmeraldas
‘26 de Septiembre’ School,
Esmeraldas
Tourist eco-cabins,
Amazonia
Children’s Day Care Centre,
Costa
Rainwater harvesting &
reforestation,
Kuri Kucho
Agroecology in the community,
Kuri Kucho
Healthy Homes,
Titicaca
Cultural house,
Colca
Toilets & sanitation,
Moray
Sironko classroom refurbishment,
Jinja
Healthcare Outreach Programme,
Marungu
School administration block,
Itinyi
School improvement & Feeding programme,
Sasenyi
Sports Development,
Sasenyi
Wildlife conservation & Marungu tree nursery,
Rukinga
Community Support,
Muhaka
Classroom construction,
Beng Mealea
English teacher,
Beng Mealea
Village housing,
Beng Pae
English teacher,
Beng Pae
Kindergarten,
Bongkud
Community Centre,
Tinangol
Community Centre,
Timbang Batu
Gravity Water Feed,
Utan Paradise
Fumvhu School refurbishment & Traditional house,
Kidia
Mbokomu & Father Neville School classroom construction,
Mbokomu
Subutuni Primary classroom construction,
Tanga
Subutuni Village Housing Project,
Tanga

Chura, Esmeraldas
Medical Centre
In January 2016 the river Esmeraldas burst its
banks, destroying many homes in Chura and
badly damaging the foundations of the only
medical centre in the area. The building has
since been condemned so the community are
without access to medical facilities.
A benefactor has come forward and offered
200m of his land for a new centre that will benefit
more than 5,000 people.
So far we’ve constructed the perimeter wall for
the centre. The government are also supporting
the project, providing labour and building
materials.
‘26 de Septiembre’ School Refurbishment
Since the founding of the school in 1984, the parents of pupils have been working hard to maintain
and update the space as the government has offered little support. Parents and teachers used to
organise fundraising events to cover the ongoing maintenance costs. However, since a law passed
prohibiting such activities, the parents were no longer able to help the school.
That’s why we’ve stepped in to support this community. We are working in conjunction with the local
council who are providing some materials and labour, gradually improving amenities.
So far we’ve refurbished the dining room and kitchen. Three of the toilets have been restored. All the
desks at the school have been refurbished and we’ve replaced the roof on one of the classrooms.
The next phase is to build a new classroom, install new doors and windows in the dining room, make
furniture for the kitchen, replace the remaining sections of roof, refurbish the remaining toilets and
build a dividing wall in one of the classrooms so that it can be used by more children at one time. We’ll
also construct teacher accommodation and create a playground.

Puerto Rico, Costa
Children’s Day Care Centre
The completion of this children’s centre will contribute to improved development in the children. Their nutrition will improve due to a new kitchen which will
be used to prepare fresh healthy meals.
The concrete foundations and supporting pillars have now been completed. The latest group of volunteers are starting to build the walls for the office,
kitchen and toilets. A septic tank has also been dug out with supporting walls built and covered.
Our next activities are to finish the office, kitchen and toilets, install thatched roofing, lay wooden floors and build an access ramp. We’ll also work on
connecting water and sewage, making furniture, creating a playground and establishing an organic garden and a greenhouse.
The parents within the community are very excited by the prospect of having somewhere safe for their children to play and be cared for whilst they go out
to work. They’ve been very supportive by helping with the construction and bringing refreshments to our hard working volunteers.

San Pablo Urco, Kuri Kucho
Rainwater Harvesting
This community has been suffering from drought for more than a year now. As a pilot project we built
a water tank for rain water harvesting using recycled bottles in the school. We want the community
to see how the tank works and to educate them on water management, conservation and harvesting.
The first rainwater harvesting tank was made from recycled bottles and concrete and has generated
a lot of interest within the community.
We’ve now started the construction of a water tank in the home of one of the community members.
This should be completed in the next month or so in time for the next rainy season. Next year we will
start on the construction of more water tanks for each house that needs one.
Agroecology in the Community
Most people in the community are subsistence
farmers. The community has asked us to provide
training in agroecology techniques to help them
improve their yield.
So far we have installed three fuel efficient,
smokeless, wood fired stoves. We’ve built 14
guinea pig hutches and produced 300kg of
organic fertiliser.
The next phase will be to build six more stoves
and continue train as many people as possible
on agroecology practices.

Hilata, Titicaca
Healthy Homes for poor families
The Hilata community is located on the Altiplano on the shores of Lake Titicaca, where living conditions are harsh. The extreme altitude and climate here
make it very difficult to grow crops, inevitably leading to high levels of malnutrition.
For generations, people have cooked on wood fire stoves. However, devastating deforestation has led to a lack of fuel available for cooking. These
traditional stoves also lead to chronic health problems that cause major respiratory and optical disease as they produce vast quantities of toxic smoke inside
houses with very little ventilation.
This healthy homes initiative is an integrated project that addresses many of these challenges by removing smoke from within the home, providing the
means to produce fresh fruit and vegetables and creating a safe place to rear livestock.
So far we’ve built 15 smokeless fuel efficient stoves, 5 greenhouses and 5 cattle sheds. We’ve completed the walls of 10 more greenhouses and livestock
sheds and are about to install the roof on each.

Colca & Moray, Peru
Cultural House, Colca
The community of Pinchollo is located in the Canon de Colca valley in the Arequipa Region. Due to its
location, the community has been unable to take advantage of the many tourists passing through on
the way to the world famous canyon, the third largest tourist attraction in Peru.
By building a cultural house as a tourist attraction, we’re aiming to make this area more attractive to
visitors thereby providing a sustainable income for those who live here.
The local government are supporting this project by including the cultural house on every ticket issued
to visitors arriving at the canyon.
So far the cultural house is progressing well and we’ve completed the building of the first floor. This
includes the foundations, supporting columns, stone walls and the floor. We’ll now continue work on
the second storey.
Toilets & Sanitation, Moray
Kajllarakay is in a remote area that has been
largely forgotten in terms of development. We
are working closely with the local municipality
to fulfil basic sanitation requirements in the
community; flushing toilets, sinks and shower
facilities.
Last year we built 25 toilets and this year we
finished a further 5 with 15 more well on the way.
This means that now around 150 people have
access to these much needed facilities.

Healthcare Outreach, Tsavo
Free medical care
In 2011, Camps International set up a network
of free medical clinics, providing much needed
support to the poorest rural communities in
Kenya that don’t have access to medical care.
Every year, a group of remarkable healthcare
professionals from the UK travel out to work in
collaboration with local medical practitioners
and doctors, offering free consultations,
vaccinations, advice and treatment to as many
people as possible.
So far, our clinics have helped more than 6,000
people.
Healthcare workshops
In September, 58 UK nurses and non-medical
volunteers travelled to Marungu and the
surrounding area to help us set up and provide
free medical clinics for the community.
As well as providing access to a medical
professional and free treatment, our volunteers
also ran education workshops on sexual health
and hygiene for girls.
Saving lives
More than 800 people received a consultation
with a qualified doctor or nurse and received
treatment where necessary.

Sasenyi, Tsavo
School Improvement
We’ve completed the building of a new classroom
block that’s big enough to accommodate up to
90 students at any one time.
Our volunteers have also constructed 40 desks
- enough to seat 80 children - and handed these
over to the school.
The school, parents and pupils have been really
supportive throughout this project, providing us
with raw materials such as sand and hardcore.
We’ll continue to supply additional classrooms
and repair existing buildings to meet the
increasing demands of student enrolment.
Feeding Programme
We’ve renovated the school kitchen, refurbished 3
energy efficient stoves that were built in 2012 and
constructed a further 3 larger stoves.
Energy efficient stoves are a much cleaner, safer
and healthier method of cooking compared to the
traditional three-stone method, and because they
use significantly less firewood, they’re much better
for the environment too.
Our donors raised enough funds to provide an
essential meal for 720 students during school time
for two terms. For many children, this will be their
only meal of the day. That’s why long term funding
is critical for the continuation of this programme.
Sports Development
In September, volunteers with a keen interest
in sport travelled out to Sasenyi and erected
football, netball and volleyball posts at the
school.
They then coached more than 150 students in
various disciplines and donated games kits to
the children.

Rukinga, Tsavo
Providing water for wildlife
The situation for elephants has never been more
devastating. With more than 40,000 animals
killed each year, it’s estimated that in under a
decade, we may lose them altogether.
That’s why it’s so critical that we support them
by making the environment as favourable as
possible for wildlife.
Since April, our volunteers have expanded
and deepened two existing waterholes and
associated drainage in Rukinga wildlife sanctuary
to support wildlife through extended periods of
drought and discourage them from straying into
neighbouring villages.
Elephant deterrent fences
Another approach to reducing conflict between
elephants and humans is to help protect those
neighbouring farmers whose crops are at risk.
So far we’ve placed 250m of elephant deterrent
fencing along a stretch of farmland neighbouring
the sanctuary.
The fence is made from rope that’s impregnated
with recycled engine oil and chilli peppers -
something that’s unbearable for an animal with
such a sensitive sense of smell.
The success of this project is dependent on
long term funding as the fence needs regular
maintenance.
Reforestation
We’ve also planted around 2,500 indigenous
trees in the sanctuary, helping to offset carbon
emissions and tackle climate change.

Kidia, Kilimanjaro
Fumvhu School Refurbishment
We’re continuing to tackle the severe soil erosion problem on the school site by stabilising the ground
with more sand and clay bags. This summer we filled and laid another 400 bags, bringing the total to
over 1200.
Our next job is to refurbish the classroom floor and reinforce supporting walls by constructing a
veranda around the classroom block.
Traditional House
We’ve also nearly finished the construction of a
traditional house for a 65 year old lady whose
house was on the verge of collapse and asked
us for help.
Once we’ve completed the floor, plastered and
painted the interior, the house will be handed
over to her.

Mbokomu, Moshi
Mbokomu School
We have been supporting Mbokomu Primary School since 2008. The school was built in the 1950’s
and due to lack of funding, it has not received the adequate upgrades and repairs in the subsequent
years. As with Father Neville School and Fumvhu Primary, the area is suffering from severe soil erosion,
putting the infrastructure of the school at risk.
We’ve started working on a veranda to strengthen classroom foundations as well as rebuilding broken
and hazardous flooring inside seven classrooms. So far we’ve replaced the old floor and built a
supporting veranda in four of the classrooms.
Work continues on the remaining three.
Father Neville Classroom Build
We’re making great progress on the second
classroom at Father Neville’s School.
The walls, lintels, gable and wall plastering are
now completed.
We’re now working on completing the roof,
installing windows and doors, plastering and
painting, and furnishing the classroom with
desks and a blackboard.

Subutini, Tanga
Improving education facilities
Construction of the Subutini classroom that will
be used as a pre-school is continuing.
Foundations and hardcore have been laid and
we’ve started building the walls.
Work on the veranda has also begun.
Traditional house building
The elderly lady’s house is nearly complete. We’ve built the supporting structures (poles, weaving
and strengthening) and finished the first layer of mud filling. The roof structure and thatching is also
finished.
All that’s left to do is wall smoothing, the interior floor, white washing and painting.
The local community have been very supportive, providing us with locally sourced building materials.
This has enabled us to keep costs low and therefore be able to build more housing for the needy.
More than 10 families in the village are currently in immediate need of housing.

* Sironko, Jinja
Sironko Classroom Improvement
The district of Sironko lies in eastern Uganda, near the border with Kenya and close to Mount Elgon. This is one of the poorest areas in Uganda and is
seasonally affected by severe weather.
The infrastructure at this primary school is in a severe state of disrepair and the majority of the pupils are taught outside in all weathers due to a lack of
facilities.
For the past year we’ve been supporting the school by beginning the construction of a new classroom. Our generous donors have raised enough money
to complete the flooring and plastering of this much-needed building and painting the inside and out.
Over the coming months the doors and windows will be installed.

Sabah, Borneo
Kindergarten, Bongkud
Work on the new kindergarten at Bongkud is progressing well. We’ve erected a boundary fence to
secure the site and installed the roof on the new building.
Work is continuing on the surrounding storm drain and culvert, which is now covered with concrete
slabs. Gabions are filled and are in place to protect the slope adjacent to the entrance and concrete
is now covering the soil.
A reinforced concrete driveway has been completed, allowing access to the site in all weathers.
We’re now continuing work on resurfacing the floor ready for the installation of door and window
frames.
We’re also about to install two large gravity fed water systems at the kindergarten, providing a ready
supply of fresh water for the children.
Water Project, Utan Paradise
Kampung Banjaran Kimanis doesn’t have any
access to the government water supply and
currently relies on an old, small diameter feed
from a source close to the village. Supply is
sporadic and unreliable due to frequent pipe
breakages and poor water pressure.
We’ve started work on building a dam with
associated larger and stronger piping further up
the hill to improve water flow. The 5 x 2 foot
concrete dam is now finished and we’ve cleared
the route and installed 500m of piping.
However, due to the hazardous terrain, the
remaining work will be completed by experienced
locals instead of our volunteers.

Cambodia
New Classroom, Beng Mealea
We’ve made good progress with the new
classroom build at Beng Mealea. Not only have
we completed the construction of concrete
support posts and brick walls, most of the walls
have now been plastered and the roof is in place.
The next steps are to finish plastering the walls,
lay floor tiles, install windows and doors, and
furnish the interior by building desks for all the
children and create visual aids.
Village Housing, Beng Pae
We’ve now completed four houses and handed them over to the families of Ta Lek. The first three
houses were constructed using traditional methods and materials: timber frames, corrugated iron
roofing and simple window hatches (as pictured above).
The fourth house was built using bricks and concrete to make it more resilient to seasonal flooding
(see above).
There are so many houses that need replacing in this area that this will be an ongoing project for many
years to come and is dependent on long term funding.

Status of Other Projects
Itinyi School Admin Block, Kenya
Work is progressing on the new admin block. We’ve
now completed the floor foundation and made
more than 300 bricks that will be used to build up
the walls in preparation for the roof installation.
Muhaka Community, Kenya
Our annual report will include details of our ongoing
community development projects in Muhaka.
Child Sponsorship, Africa
Many of our donors are continuing to support a
child, enabling them to attend school.
Tinangol Community Centre, Borneo
There’s a delay in starting this project because of
ongoing discussions with the community as to
where the new building should be situated. Work
expected to start in 2017.
Timbang Batu Community Centre,
Borneo
We’ve demolished the old abandoned community
centre. However, as with Tinangol, there has been
a delay in building as the community has requested
that the new centre is built on a different site so
that it won’t be as susceptible to water damage.
They’ve also requested a public toilet to be added
to the centre. Plans are ongoing and building work
is expected to begin in 2017.
English Teachers, Cambodia
Due to logistical issues of school holidays and
exams, there has been minimal spend on recruiting
an English teacher at Beng Pae and Beng Mealea.
Instead, children have been informally taught at our
camp by volunteers where possible.
Eco cabins, Ecuadorian Amazon
The Amazon is currently facing an unprecedented
threat from mining. People in the community are
being persuaded to sell their land to large mining
companies. The communities of San Alberto and
Rio Blanco want to preserve their lands for future
generations. That’s why we’re working together
with them to construct eco-tourism cabins in order
to boost community tourism and local income. So
far we’ve built a cabin and finished the sleeping area
and toilets. Our next job is to varnish the structure,
install water for the toilets and build a kitchen for
the eco-bungalow.

For more information on the work of The Camps Foundation or to donate, please contact
projects@campsfoundation.org or visit www.justgiving.com/campsinternational