Mend the Gap was registered in England and Wales as charity No. 1143419 on 17 August 2011 and as company limited by guarantee No. 06655366 on 24 July 2008. Mend the Gap’s mission is to help individuals and their communities to mend the gap between cultures, religions, generations and people of different wealth for the benefit of current and future generations.  We will achieve this by making links and creating bridges between these different groups, communities and individuals. We implement practical projects both in the UK and in Eastern Africa that aim to eradicate poverty and advance education.

We are still fundraising to help build the infant school and multipurpose hall at isolated Bochoroke village, Nyamira County in Western Kenya. Since starting building the infant school in 2008, the first three groups of 28, 26, 27 and 32 graduates have joined four neighbouring primary schools where they are said to be well ahead of their contemporaries in learning, playing, singing, social skills and positive interaction. The centre continues to make a tremendous difference to the quality of life and future prospects for the children, and to their care providers and parents, and to the other impoverished and isolated rural residents.

We implement educational and micro-enterprise projects, provide ICT training to build basic and work skills for the young generation and the older and elderly in local community learning centres, undertake social welfare activities to reduce isolation, and give practical help. We link and create bridges between different groups, communities and individual clients and those with moderate learning and physical disabilities. We provide an opportunity for clients to develop work experience by virtual volunteering; and provide personalised ICT training for clients, keep in touch with family members, find or create employment, do their shopping on-line, improve motor and intellectual skills; improve feelings of self-worth, look and advocate for rights and entitlements, improve creative and social communication skills, find new interests and educational opportunities through use of the Internet and make new friends in a peer support group; and bridge the intergenerational gap.

By the end of 2012, in Kenya, we have trained 2,341 students and teachers in 14 schools in Masaba north District of Nyamira County in basic ICT skills in order to access freely available learning and teaching resources.  We provide them with free access to computers and the internet and train them on basic ICT skills as their sole providers of this service. In the UK, we have trained 132 young people nationally that aren’t in education, employment or training. Training is in specific aspects of ICT (e.g. website hosting, website design and development, website editing, website content management, databases and use of spread sheets, social media, etc.), fundraising, marketing, and programme development and e-commerce. In the UK, we have also trained 2,019 vulnerable young people across 6 schools and colleges in a number of our ICT related activities and for linking with their Kenyan counterparts in linked schools. A number of these young people and students have developed work experience which they have used to secure paid employment or have gone on to volunteer face-to-face or virtually for our projects in UK and in Kenya. Many of these young people are increasingly getting involved with our ethical webhosting services at www.mendthegapinternet.com and in our ethical bespoke safaris and volunteering opportunities at www.mendthegapsafaris.com.

 

Copyright Mend the Gap: Registered Charity No. 1143419 and Company Limited by Guarantee No. 6655366 registered in England and Wales. 

Registered Office: Mend the Gap, 9 Turnpike Close, Churchill, Winscombe, Avon, BS25 5NZ. www.mendthegap.org.uk