In just over two years, the Kirk of Calder, in the small West Lothian village of Mid Calder, has raised over £76,000 towards the construction of a children's home in Tanzania! Launched in September 2014, the Kirk of Calder’s project will support Vine Trust’s charitable work in Tanzania, and specifically the construction of a large children's home in the Kilimanjaro region. With the support of neighbouring churches and the local community, the Kirk of Calder is racing towards its fundraising target of £85,000 by the autumn of 2017! The local community have organised events and undertaken a variety of fundraising…

I have recently returned from Tanzania, where I was working on-board the Jubilee Hope Medical Ship on Lake Victoria. The ship is an ex-Naval vessel which was sailed on an epic journey all the way from Glasgow, around the Cape of Good Hope and up to Mombassa. It was then cut in half and taken by road to Lake Victoria, where it was rebuilt and sailed 36 hours across the lake to Mwanza. The ship has been operating out of Mwanza for 9 months, serving the island communities of Lake Victoria who would otherwise have little or no access to…

In September this year I spent an amazing three weeks in Tanzania, returning there for my 3rd time. It was a truly special experience and one I yet again will never forget. The first week of my adventure was spent taking part in a Vine Trust Care expedition, which then led on to a two-week home building expedition, during which the group were involved in building 3 family homes.  I spent time in a primary school called Rafiki Foundation, where the children living at the Kimashuku Children’s Centre attend.  I visited their classrooms, spending time in music and geography classes,…

Kelvin, 16, was homeless. The young Tanzanian schoolboy had to move in with his cousins and his dream of becoming an engineer was disappearing. It wasn’t until our volunteers at Vine Trust were called in to build him and his family a home brick by brick, that his dreams were given a new lease of life. Many children and their families in Tanzania have a story like Kelvin’s. The devastating effects of poverty and HIV are tearing families apart, often forcing young boys to provide for their families rather than getting an education and following their dreams. When we returned…

We first met Nehma, Goodluck and and Emmanuel when we arrived to build the 1st children's home in Kimashuku in 2011. The children all have different life stories, but what amazes me is seeing their growing confidence year on year. I wrote the following in my 'blog' about these three children after seeing them again earlier this year. Nehma, a lost little girl 4 years ago, is now 12. She is happy and contented and now attends secondary school. She hopes to become a teacher. Goodluck, once shy and retiring, is now much more confident, and would like to be…