Gail Dolphin has organised an African-themed event to raise money for her friend Susan Saleeba, who has built an orphanage/school in the slums of Nakuru in Kenya in 2008.

Ms Dolphin said she recently returned from the school/orphanage, called Nakuru Hope, after spending 10 days volunteering there.

“Besides wanting to offer my support to Susan, I was very keen to meet Sheila who lives in the orphanage with her little brother Stevie, and who Brad [her husband] and I have sponsored for the last couple of years,” she said. 

“As well as taking some lovely knitted beanies for them, made by my good friend Margaret Perrin, I was able to take a large quantity of children’s books for the library, thanks to the very generous Elsie Alp.”

Ms Dolphin said volunteering at Nakuru Hope was a life-changing experience.

“Some of the people are so poor and have nothing, no running water or electricity, very little food and just  a shack with a tin roof over their head,” she said. 

“One woman we visited in the slum was about to have her tenth child, all living in a one room hovel – I left in tears.

“For the children, being able to attend the school is their only way out of a lifetime of poverty and no hope. One impressive young boy called Paul was found living on the streets sniffing glue and doing petty crime.

“Now living in the orphanage and doing very well in class, he wants to be an engineer.”

To help cover the costs of Nakuru Hope, Ms Dolphin decided to hold a fundraiser on Melbourne Cup Day at the Burrawang School of Arts.

Starting at 12.30pm on November 1, there will be a raffle, sweeps, games and prizes for Best Hat and Best Out of Africa ensemble.

Tickets are $40 for lunch with a cash bar available. All the monies raised will go to Nakuru Hope, where a library is currently being built.

Tickets can be bought online at https://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=220626.

More for information, email gail.dolphin1@bigpond.com.

You can also donate directly online at http://www.nakuruhope.org.