The trustees based in Cardiff, North Wales, Cambria and Yorkshire Dales

The 2020 year has started with a lot of hard work for Teacher Aid in order to provide the means of extending the support towards the
Nsobe Community School. Providing financial support to the school is our main purpose, however providing support directly to the school in Zambia by visiting
and supporting the teachers and pupils has become a matter of high importance.

Sadly the Covid-19 has prevented all our plans as well as the plans of all those hard working volunteers who regularly visit the school and do such a great work for the school. We hope to resume and continue our future plans with what ever means to at least try and complete some of the projects ourselves.

Maggie Beecher, the chair and founder of Teacher Aid has visited Zambia several times and Nsobe Community School became close to her heart when she visited Nsobe Bush camp with Mike in October 2013. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to support the school and help it grow to a beacon of education in an area where poverty and illiteracy thrived.

In October 2017 Maggie collected 800 pairs of socks with majority donated from the congregation of Lisvane Baptist church. The socks were given to the 300 children during her visit to the school that month as well as football kit donated my Judy and her friends

In November 2018, Maggie brought with her T shirts for the the children's PE since the didn't have any. Some T shirts were donated again by friends of the school at the Lisvane Baptist Church and the children were thrilled to have them especially because the were a present from auntie Maggie.

Maggie on her last visit, gave lessons to different classes on expressive reading and the children enjoyed it very much.

Mike Papadacos is the treasurer of Teacher Aid and apart from looking after the charity's finances is taking care of all the technical aspects, including the communications and the IT of the charity. He visits the school with Maggie on their annual trips to Nsobe and sometimes in May. His 2020 May trip was cancelled due to Covid-19 and hoping, that the November trip might be still on. On his last visit, November 2019, he installed badly needed solar panels in Fiona's house.

In October 2018 Mike had arranged the installation of a 4kw solar system for the computer. He visited the school the first week in November with 15 computers and other electrical equipment and had the computer room fully equipped with electrical sockets, benches and chairs and fully installed a network with a Rachel Pi server.

A delighted Fiona just about to jump with joy, that finally the school had solar power and computers and probably, the only one to have this facility for miles around.

During Mike's visit to Nsobe in May 2019, he realised how difficult was to take children to trips to places of interest in Zambia because the train fares had doubled. After talking to Fiona and Reagan he decided that the school needed its own transport and so he bought a bus from Japan and was delivered in September 2019.
So, here it is!

In July 2019, our Trustee Keith Smith led a team out to Zambia for Soapbox Trips com.
They worked with various projects in Ndola before coming to Nsobe community school. On the team where two psychotherapists who delivered courses on emotions to the older children over two sessions which where warmly received and provoked some interesting conversations which was educational for all.
The team also brought with them pictures children had coloured in from a school in the Lake District which through Teacher Aid is now twinned with Nsobe. This twinning is proved to be a real educational opportunity for both schools and has produce real excitement. We hope that other schools in the UK might take part in the amazing cultural experience. Soapbox team now sponsor the children they met, Its a really beautiful connection.

The team also taught Craft and songs to the children based on the Biblical story of Jonah and the big fish.

Keith raised funds for his amazing Jungle Gym with his friends by doing the Egg and Spoon Challenge to the top of Pen y Ghent or Penyghent in the Yorkshire dales. It was a delight to see the joy it brought to all the children.

The team also played kick Base ball and cricket with the children

Judy Jamieson first visited Nsobe Community School during one of Keith's Soapbox trips to Zambia and has been a firm supporter of the school ever since. Her help towards the school has been invaluable and she has visited the school several time with two of her friends.

Judy taught the young girls how draw a sewing machine. Something they've haven't seen before.

Judy has been teaching students sign language every time she visited the school.

Days for girls was Judy's major priority because there was nothing available to the girls. She provided the materials and they made them within the school with opportunity to also sell sell them in the community.

Sarah, our new trustee is also our social media wizard and promoted Teacher Aid on Facebook

Would you like to become a trustee or a volunteer?

Becoming a trustee or volunteer is a very rewarding and exciting position knowing that you can offer your skills and experience to help the cause of the charity you have chosen.

The Charity Commission has prepared the guidelines of requirements for becoming a trustee. The following link to Charity Commission contains all the information necessary to become a trustee as well as volunteer:
https://www.gov.uk/topic/running-charity/trustee-role-board