education

Thank you.

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child smiling

Austen, with his excercise book outside the classroom at Friends of Street Children.

Thank you to all those who have donated. I try to write either by email or post, but sometimes I miss donations and don’t. Some donate anonymously. Your generosity is very much appreciated. You are helping to save lives, for street children do die, damage their health, or simply disappear and the work you are supporting gives them a way out. For those that take this path, the work of Friends of Street Children (FSC), which through Romilly you are supporting, dramatically improves childrens’ life chances. FSC gets them back to school and what remains of their families. What struck me on my visit to Kitwe was how heroically the staff coped with lack of water and electricity (due to the drought), how generous they were of themselves, with their time and energy and how happy the children in their care were. On behalf of the staff of FSC and the children, thank you making for this possible. It would not be without you.

If you have not done so and would like to, please make a small monthly donation at

https://checkout.justgiving.com/c/3333173

A Happy New Year to all Romilly’s Supporters and Donors

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On behalf of the children and the staff at Friends of Street Children, Kitwe, Zambia (FSC) we wish you a healthy, prosperous, and peaceful 2025.
The FSC shelter rescues vulnerable children who have no home.
If you have donated to Romilly your donation will have gone to pay the staff salaries at FSC (Friends of Street Children) and through them the care of homeless children. We cannot thank you enough. 

At their last AGM, FSC replaced their board of trustees. We are delighted with this new infusion of energy. I am going out Kitwe, Zambia in February to see how they are getting on. I will return with photographs and video and will give a series of talks this spring explaining the work of FSC. If you would like to host my talk, with slides and video, please click here to send me an email. If you would like to make a donation, please click here https://checkout.justgiving.com/c/3333173.

With best wishes for 2025,

James Forshall

This is Dominic Sahuku

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Dominic is 16 years old and studying Grade 11 at Mindolo Secondary School. Since his mother suffers from poor mental health and has been unable to take care of him Dominic has been moved from one relative to another. From the house of his last host, he was walking over five miles a day just get to and from school. He often returned late and tired, which led to arguments with his aunt. He was denied food for many days. His mother’s relatives treated him so badly that he ran away to take his chances on the street. At night he slept in a abandoned building until he was taken in by Friends of Street Children (FSC), who lodge him, feed him, and pay for his secondary school fees, books and uniform.

Dominic has always loved school and believes that education is the key to his future. His ambition is to become an accountant, but before he can, he must pass the exams and find the fees to enter university.

To come from such an unstable family background, to go from homeless to model pupil shows great character. We hope that his determination and hard work will be rewarded.

If you would like to help Dominic please donate through our Just Giving page here.

https://checkout.justgiving.com/c/3333173

Spread a little warmth with your winter fuel payment. More street children than ever need our support

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Remember that dreadful moment when the teacher summoned you to the blackboard in front of the rest of the class?

The pandemic brought record numbers of street children to the safety of the two shelters in Kitwe. The pandemic has also brought rampant inflation and economic uncertainty and so we are appealing to anyone who receives a Winter Fuel Allowance but does not need some, or all of it, to make a donation so that we can continue to support Friends of Street Children and their mission to help these very vulnerable children.

How to support our Winter Appeal

You can donate some or all of your Winter Fuel Allowance using the donation links below. A donation can make a big difference to these children.

  • £365 will pay the salary of a staff member for three months.
  • £200 will pay for food for ten children for a month
  • £100 will pay to educate three children for a whole year at secondary school.

You can make a donation through Virgin Money Giving here:

https://www.givey.com/romillyforshallfoundation

Ex-street children on their way.

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At the very least Friends of Street Children (FSC) provide homeless, very vulnerable children with a respite from the abusive, filthy life of the street. Beyond this,

Boys, classroom, Kitwe, Zambia, Africa, education
Meya Mbulo with boys in the classroom at Friends of Street Children shelter Kitwe

the aim is to reintegrate them with whatever remains of their families, and while these are being traced, get them back to school. School is one of the best ways to keep the children off the street, as well as equip them for life. Primary school fees are £33 and secondary school fees are £65 p.a per pupil at the time of writing. You can donate here.

In the picture above children pose in the classroom with teacher and administrator Meya Mbulo.  Meya has dedicated her life to street children. No one who has seen her in action with the children on the streets of Kitwe can doubt her compassion, dedication and courage. Through thick and thin, and there have been some very thin times, she has soldiered on.

Help Meya help these children. Donate here:   https://www.givey.com/donations/new?charity_id=11250

If you would like news of Meya’s work and how the children she cares for are progressing please fill in the form below.

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From Street Child to Teacher

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” I walk more than 6 kms to school and back. It is great excercise but sometimes I get too tired”, says Kunda Benson. When he was very young, five years old, both Kunda’s parents died and he ended up homeless, living on the streets from 1999 to 2002. He was taken into care by Friends of Street Children in Kitwe (FSC). Kunda had the imagination to see that it was worth going back to school, which, with FSC’s help, he did. He had the character and determination to pass his exams year after year, while also helping at the FSC shelter.  He succeeded in passing the exams to take a place on a teacher training course. Now he will be taking his final exams in April, which will enable him to start his teaching practice. Kunda has always wanted to give something back and still helps at the FSC shelter.

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Kunda in the lab.

Kunda’s choice may seem like the obvious one, but not to all street children. For many, the idea of submitting to the discipline of the classroom in order to achieve long term goals is too difficult. Kunda has shown real imagination, tremendous purpose and determination, but there are other street children like Kunda, who follow his example. Their school fees need to be paid. Currently  these are about £88 p.a per child in secondary school, depending on the exchange rate. If you would like to donate to support street children returning to school, please go to https://www.givey.com/donations/new?charity_id=11250

Thanks to the donors and supporters of Romilly, the college fees of this exceptional young man have been paid for the last three years. Thank you all. Kunda writes, ‘I am so thankful for everything that you are doing for me and I am deeply humbled’.

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Kunda Benson ex Street Child, and, thanks to Romilly’s generous supporters, Trainee Teacher.

After his teaching practice he will return to college for six more months. If you would like to contribute to his fees for this, please donate at

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/donation-web/charity?charityId=1003642&stop_mobi=yes

Keen to learn. Ex-street children with a foot on the academic ladder.

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These boys were street children. Not anymore.  They’ve worked hard at the Naivasha Children’s Shelter to pass their KPCE exams and are now going to high school. Street children don’t go to school. Unfortunately like many in Africa the Kenyan government does not pay for school fees above a certain age. One of the best ways of making sure that a child or young person does not end up on the street is to make sure that he or she is able to go to school.  This is why we are so pleased to be able to pay for a years school fees for these 6 boys (only five in the picture).
For that thanks to all Romilly’s kind, generous donors.  Good work.  Five african boys in coloured background blue doorsThank you Julius for taking the picture and Kristen for sending it.  We hope that we will have more news about these boys and how they get on at high school.

We are also grateful to Romilly’s supporters for enabling her charity to pay a years salary for a social worker at the shelter.

Miki’s Marathon                                                                                                                                  Thank you very much indeed too to all those who have donated by sponsoring Miki Jablowski’s heroic London Marathon.  So far 45 people have sponsored her. At the time of writing there are 32 more days to go. http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Mikirunning

The Friends of the Street Children in Kitwe.                                                                        Christopher Mulenga, the executive chairman and our interlocuter, has had malaria and has been out of contact. Having recovered from his malaria his internet went down but I am hoping to have news from him soon.

Philemon Chilufya is not a street child. This is his home.

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This is the house where his mother Mrs Chilufya looks after Philemon, his two sisters and their children.  She is a widow.  Readers of this blog will remember that her husband, Philemon’s father, a security guard, was murdered in July 2012 while on duty at the Friends of Street Children site where Romilly’s donors had paid for the construction of two dormitories. African child in yellow top standing in front of house with corrugated iron roof and washing lineSince her husband’s death life has not been easy for Mrs Chilufya and her family. Christopher Mulenga of Friends of the Street children tells me, that they live in ‘abject poverty’. Now she is unable to find £170 to pay for Philemon’s school fees and uniform.  Philemon has done well at school and passed his exams to move up into Year 10, but the Zambian government does not provide free schooling after Year 7. Thanks to his gallant mother Philemon is not a street child, and keeping a child at school is one of the best ways of making sure that he (0r she) does not become one.

The trustees of Romilly’s charity will be sending the money for Philemon’s school fees and uniform, as well as £360 to repair the minibus generously paid for by Romilly’s donors.

If you would like to help Romilly  to give street children a chance click on the button below to donate.

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Naivasha Street Children learn to succeed

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‘Great news! ‘  Kristen Sayres of the Naivasha Children’s Shelter writes,

‘Six of our KCPE candidates (boys who completed class 7) have secured a place in secondary school! This is a huge achievement, and shows not only the dedication and talent of our boys, but also of the teachers, staff and donors who have invested in them throughout the years.

I’d like to introduce you to one of the boys, James. Kenyan Boy from Naivasha Children's Shelter, blue denim waste coat, yellow and blue football shirt, blue doorJames is 14, and has been at the shelter for three years, since he was left at a bus stop in Naivasha town. He did exceptionally well in his exam, and wants to be a neurosurgeon when he grows up. He also enjoys art, and recently drew a picture of a man with a book for a face (what he imagined when he heard the term “Facebook”).    He is very excited about attending high school, and says that he will study hard to realize his dreams.

We appreciate your continued support for these boys, and look forward to sharing more with you in the future. ‘

Kristen, thank you for sending this.

Good work, James (14). From streetchild to neurosurgeon, that is a tremendous ambition. Thank you, all you generous Romilly supporters for helping to give James this chance.

Street Children Grow their Own – Still a few tickets for FASCINATING AIDA’s concert 3rd December, London

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Christopher Mulenga of FOSC sent me this picture of one of the boys picking onions at the Kawama shelter for street children, run by Friends of Street Children in Kitwe, Zambia.  The children there aim to make themselves self sufficient in vegetables.

Harvesting onions in the garden at FOSC's home shelter for street children Kawama
Harvesting onions in the garden at FOSC’s home shelter for street children Kawama

Help FOSC help homeless children.  Come to FASCINATING AIDA’s CONCERT for Romilly, at the 20th Century Theatre, 291 Westbourne Grove, London W11, this Monday 3rd December.                        

There are a few tickets left and you can buy them at the door. Check availability with Tim or Lizzie at 0208 994 8544  Mobile 077 892 51837All Proceeds towards the care of homeless children in Zambia and Kenya.  Romilly pays no European salaries