Football Projects in Africa

This company send volunteers to help coach/teach at various football projects throughout Africa:

http://www.sportventurer.com/spring-special.htm

African TV programs

Tap into local tv shows - the African equivalent of Soccer A.M.

Africa - Vodafone PR lady

A girl steve was at college with is the PR lady for Vodafone in Africa.... Melissa something, Steve to follow up.

Small world - Bear Ghrylls

Not only did Alice's uncle, Graham Strong, direct Bear Ghrylls latest adventure but Steve shares a flat with his cousin!

Trade fairs

Once initial plans are laid, the team firmed up and the pitch out, we need to purchase the pitch, get the website going and... get a stall at trade fairs, such as the TNT Adventure travel show etc. That way we can raise interest, get football donations and email addresses of people to bug over the next two years.

Sound like a plan?

3 dramatic events...

1. Seb and Martha have bailed. (boooooo!)

2. I've handed in my notice. (yeeaaahhh!)

3. Rolex are doing a "sponsor explorers" type marketing campaign (worth a letter! Odds on free Rolexs for the team?)

Rolex U.K.
19 St. James's Square
London SW1Y 4JE
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel.: + 44 207 024 7300
Fax: + 44 207 024 7317
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

HGV course - Clear Stone

Good work by Mr Spence:

"Mate - this is the fastest course I've found for getting an HGV licence. Seems that to get a full articulated licence will take around three weeks (a rigid HGV licence about a week). It's not clear what the exact cost is, but I think it's definitely over a grand."

http://www.clear-stone.co.uk/default.asp

Uganda - School Number 1 - OCS

If we go through Uganda... School number 1:

4 January 2007 , Geneva

Dear all,

The Organisation for Child Support, a small non-governmental organisation,
based in Namukongo Village, Mbale, Eastern Uganda, is proud to announce the
launch of its website: http://www.ocsuganda.org

To coincide with the site launch, we are embarking on a fundraising campaign
to find sponsors for over 80 Ugandan children whose profiles can be found on
our website.

We therefore ask you to stand with us in our efforts to assist the children
and families of Namukongo Village, in either sponsoring a child or
forwarding our information to any persons interested in our activities.
Furthermore, as part of our fundraising efforts, we welcome volunteers and
interns on site at our project in Uganda.

OCS was established in 2003 as a result of a friendship between a British
citizen and a Ugandan national, who both are currently still managing the
NGO with the same passion and principles which first guided them.
On behalf of all the children of Namukongo Village, we take this opportunity
to wish you all the best for 2007.

Sincerely,

Adeline Mills Elam Wabwire
Director Coordinator/Deputy Director
Geneva Mbale, Uganda

Go West

Martha West on board and raring to go from the evidence of Sunday lunchtime's tete a tete with boyfriend Seb, myself and Alice.

Team so far:

Andy
Alice
Seb
Martha
Steve
Vince
Rob (?)
+ 1 (auctioned place to random backpacker?!)

Most importantly, Vince is still alive....

"The reason I can only get to back to you now for the first time is a little less fantastic though.Wanted to spent new year outside Holland for a change, decided to go to Paris, went there with 3 friends + my Russian girl... 31 December... 3 friends are in the centre, Alina & I jump in metro to meet them... few stops further somebody snatches her back from behind and runs out of metro (3 guys)... I run after them... following me is Alina & 3/4 more guys of them same group... I catch up eith the 3 dickheads before me... in the meanwhile we have exited the metrostation... I make one of them fall of the pavement... bag falls on ground, passport Alina and some toher stuff falls out... I pick up bag... I get a kick from behind (didn't see him coming)... I fall to the ground, get some kicks but no problem... I get up in struggle... I'm hlogin bag in on one side, 2 guys holding it onthe other side... I look around; Alina is on ground and 7 guys against the 2 of us... quick thinking; this is not gonna work... so I let bag go... (since we had the most important thing; passport)... we go back to metro to get the hell out of there, in case they come back... adrenaline running like crazy, I fell nothing... we get in metro... Alina asks; what that? and point at upper part chest... I take away shirt... damn! I have been stapped with a fucking knife!... we took metro, I almost faded and same story when we got out at some stop... there people called ambulance and so I started 2007... in an ambulance on my way to the hospital! :SWas on intensive care for 3 days since my long got seperated from my ribs because of the knife (there is a term for this in dutch but I don' t know the english one)... anyway, instead of returning home on 1 January I returned home last night... feeling so-so but anyway, still alive!"

Africa Overland Websites

Some websites for ideas on route/equipment etc:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/

http://www.africaoverland.info/index.htm (via a more unusual route & in 6 months)