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DETAILS HERE SHORTLY OF VOLUNTEER PROGRAMMES. I AM NOW THE OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR OMWABINI IN THE UK.

SO, IF YOU WANT TO BOOK, DO IT DIRECT HERE, SO THAT MUCH NEEDED FUNDS DO NOT GO ON THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATION.

WE ARE ALSO SETTING UP A SMALL MEDICAL CENTRE WITHIN THE CENTRE AT OMWABINI, KIMILILI, KENYA. IF THERE IS ANY WAY THE YOU CAN HELP WITH SUPPLIES, IT WOULD BE APPRECIATED. CHILDREN ARE DYING FOR LACK OF BASIC MEDICAL FACILITIES.

MANY THANKS TO MELVYN LAKE, HEAD OF PROCUREMENT AT BSUH, ROYAL SUSSEX COUNTY HOSPITAL, BRIGHTON, UK, FOR DONATING MEDICAL SUPPLIES. WE ARE IN YOUR DEBT MELVYN.

L to R PICKING UP MEDICAL SUPPLIES FROM THE ROYAL SUSSEX COUNTY HOSPITAL, MELVYN, KEITH JOHNSON, WHO SO KINDLY TRANSPORTED THE SUPPLIES, AND ME. (WOULD YOU BUY A USED CAR FROM ONE OF THESE CHAPS?)

THANKS SO MUCH TO KEITH AND WENDY JOHNSON FOR ALL THEIR HELP WITH TRANSPORTATION, AND PACKING.

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WE ARE ALREADY PUTTING TOGETHER THE NEXT SHIPMENT FOR THE CENTRE, WHICH IS CLOTHING, AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL. BELOW IS A PICTURE OF CLOTHES BEING DONATED BY CROSBY MENSWEAR IN BROAD STREET, SEAFORD, EAST SUSSEX, UK. OWNER DAVID WINK, SECOND FROM RIGHT, AND HIS STAFF, VERY KINDLY LET US HAVE ALL THESE WONDERFUL UNIFORMS FOR THE KIDS, AND HELPED US LOAD IT ALL UP. IT WAS A VERY GENEROUS, AND MUCH APPRECIATED, DONATION. THANK YOU DAVE.

NEXT TO ME , IS THE BEAUTIFUL ANNIE SYMONS, WITHOUT WHOSE TIRELESS HELP, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND TOLERANCE OF MY WEIRD & WONDERFUL IDEAS, NONE OF THIS WOULD EVER HAVE COME TO FRUITION. THANKS PRINCESS.

BELOW ARE PICTURES OF THE CHILDREN IN THE CLOTHES THAT DAVE WINK AND HIS STAFF AT CROSBY'S SEAFORD, UK, SUPPLIED

ANOTHER SHIPMENT OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES, CLOTHES AND MOBILES WAS SHIPPED OUT ON FRIDAY 19TH. FEB 2010.

THANKS AS ALWAYS TO MELVYN LAKE AT THE R.S.C.H, EAST SUSSEX, AND DAVE LEE FOR ALL HIS HELP AND SUPPORT WITH TRANSPORT.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE PROGRESS REPORT FOR 2010. GREAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE WITH THE CLINIC. I & ANNIE ARE VERY PROUD TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE A PART OF IT. WHEN NURSE ROISIN GORMLEY AND I FIRST STARTED TO PUT THE IDEA TOGETHER FOR A CLINIC, IN JUNE 2009, WE WEREN'T SURE HOW IT WOULD MATERIALIZE. IT HAS BEEN A FANTASTIC SUCCESS, DUE TO JAMES AND MARY'S HARD WORK. I REALLY AM OVERWHELMED TO BE PART OF ALL THIS!

BELOW ARE PICTURES OF TAKEN MAY 2010 OF THE WORK GOING ON AT THE CENTRE, WITH NEW BUILDINGS, INCLUDING CLASSROOMS AND A CHILDREN'S HOSTEL. CLICK TO ENLARGE.

The children of Matili Orphan's School, Kenya, singing a traditional song, Sept. 2008.

The photos below are of Karen, a beautiful young Lady, who I had the privilege to know, and spend time with. She died at the age of three in April 2009, from Leukaemia.

Jambo, and welcome to RickSharpe.co.uk. This site is to hopefully try to raise awareness, and funds for 'OMWABINI', a charity based at The Rescue Steps Centre, Kimilili, Kenya. The Charity was started by Mary Bunyasi in 2002. Mary, then a 48 year old Kenyan woman had worked for 15 years with a large international development NGO and had remarkable skill, experience and knowledge as a Kenyan development worker. She has worked tirelessly with her family, James, Mili, and Mike, along with many other workers, to facilitate the construction of traditional mud housing for widows and orphans. The houses are now built with tin roofs, instead of the traditional thatch. They are also working on projects to bring clean drinking water to many communities in Western Kenya. The Omwabini Recue Steps Centre at Kimilili, an agricultural area in Western Kenya, is a school that teaches trades such a s IT and dress making to children that are victims in one way or another of AIDS, be they orphans due to their parents dying of AIDS, or are HIV positive themselves, in order that they may go out into the world and be able to work for themselves. 'OMWABINI' rescue many children, clothe and feed them and make sure that they have medication for their illnesses.

I was there for a month in September 2008, and June 2009, as a volunteer, and was amazed at what they have managed to achieve through extremely hard and difficult work. In June 2009, I recorded enough material with the The Rescue Steps Gospel Choir to produce a CD that they can sell and thus raise more money. This is Swahili Gospel music and is pretty stunning stuff. I will put a few examples on this site soon. One of my wishes is to bring them to England at some point. More will be added every day from now on.

Kimilili is about 180kms North of Kisumu, which is on the NE shore of Lake Victoria