here - Madrinha Trust

ANNUAL MENTORING SUMMARY 2013/14
The Madrinha Trust
Developing Future Leaders of the Developing
World
Cover: Science students being taught by Madrinha Trust’s mentees in Ghana
Registered Charity No. 1140672
Vision, Mission and Values
Who we are
Madrinha Trust was set up in 2011 by Mike and Jania Geoghegan based on the
belief that access to education is the best way to create lasting, positive change in
the world and that good education is vital to develop leadership potential in young
people. Leaders in this context comprise not just political and business heads but
also professionals and others whose achievements and standards can serve to inspire others around them and the next generation.
We at Madrinha Trust believe that many young people in the developing world have
great potential and that if they are given the opportunity to realise it, this will improve
the quality of their lives and the lives of those around them. We recognise that there
are many barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals in life; in particular
the lack of access to opportunities for learning and personal development, as well as
positive role models to look up to.
At present, Madrinha Trust is working with forty six young people (mentees) supported by forty four mentors across twelve developing countries. We work in partnership
with eleven UK registered charities, all with an effective presence in these countries.
Our Vision is to ‘Develop Future Leaders of the Developing World’.
Our Mission is to inspire and support young people through…
Providing Education
To provide educational funding for disadvantaged young people with leadership ability. To encourage, promote and maximise their achievement of a high quality, wellrounded education which will enable them to contribute to the development of their
home communities.
Creating Opportunity
To Provide individually tailored support for their development through exceptional
mentoring by people who understand and have an affinity for their country, circumstance, subject of study and/or future ambition; encouraging an open mentoring relationship to boost their confidence and create an avenue for exploring the opportunities open to them.
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Breaking down Barriers
To encourage mentees to take an active role in their learning environment and wider
communities; encouraging them to have a sense of self-worth and to work actively
towards reducing barriers that may have been caused by their initial disadvantage.
Our Values
Our Values– who we are
We are innovative and forward looking, striving to be
dynamic and an inspiration
to others.
Our behaviour- what our values mean in practice
We have continued to be alert to changes in the
needs of our mentees, to be positive about these
changes and we have strived to support them to
achieve their goals by creating an enabling environment.
We are passionate about communicating and celebrating successes to encourage further achievement
and to give our mentees a greater sense of selfworth.
We seek to instil in our mentors and mentees a drive
and sense of purpose to enable them to make a positive difference in their communities and the wider
world.
We are caring, fair and
respectful
We continue to strive towards looking at the world
through our mentees’ eyes; reducing knowledge to
that simple compound of the obvious and wonderful.
We will continue to strive through our mentors, to be
our mentees’ window into the wider world.
We are open and outward
looking
We involve our partner charities in our correspondence with younger mentees nominated by them. We
involve them in decisions concerning these mentees
and create opportunities to enable them to celebrate
their success and ours.
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We continue to value the contribution that our partner
charities make and will continue to take time to consult
them and listen to their views.
We act with integrity and
effectiveness
We continue to striving to awaken our mentees to their
full potential.
Our mentors will continue to gently direct mentees to
learn by what engages their minds, the educational
path that will best suit their individual talents.
We are socially responsible
We have always considered the impact of our work on
the communities we work with. We strive to make a
positive and lasting difference to society. We will ensure our mentoring and funding does not exclude our
mentees from their school community but includes
them at a clear advantage.
We continue to encourage our mentees to be useful, to
be honourable, compassionate and to give back to their
communities and make a difference.
We commit our mentees
to our ‘pay it forward’ and
‘Give-Back’ policies
We have continued to impress on our mentees the
need to have a firm commitment to serve the needs of
their local communities and the wider world as soon as
they are able.
We will continue to make this expectation clear, from
the start of the mentoring relationship.
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Chairman’s Letter
Dear Friends
It is with immense pride that I write this
letter to accompany Madrinha Trust's
first annual mentoring summary.
As many of you know, madrinha is Portuguese for godmother, and it is the role
of wise counsel, guide and mentor that
we aim to extend to our expanding global family of aspirational and inspirational
young people.
Since we took on our first three
"godchildren" from three different countries, on 14th March 2012, our family
has grown to encompass forty six extraordinary young people in a further
nine countries.
We are, of course, deeply indebted to Michael Geoghegan for funding the trust, but
none of our work would be possible without the real dedication of our wonderful trustees, all of whom also double up as mentors. Special thanks are due to our treasurer, Malcolm Durham, who is an ace at providing succinct financial information for
laymen, in addition to most generously providing us with free office space.
Our current forty four mentors come from many different professions, and matching
their skills and expertise to their mentees is what makes our trust so effective in
helping our students to fulfil their potential. For this I have to thank the tireless Ladi
Dariya, our Communications Director, who liaises with all our mentors, mentees and
partner charities. She not only ensures that our students have their immediate educational funding needs provided, but also deals with university accommodation,
opening student bank accounts and has even helped resolve a couple of family issues.
My thanks to all of you who support our aims, and to all our future young leaders.
As our medical student Ayman says, "believe in the power of dreams".
Jania Geoghegan
Founder and Chairman
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Where we are
Africa: Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia.
Asia: India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Middle East: Palestine.
South America: Brazil.
The Trust’s selection of these countries is inspired by the evident inequality
amongst their citizens, high population density in urban areas, large families, high
infant and maternal mortality rates and low levels of education among the highly
disadvantaged, as well as poor educational facilities and low literacy rates. Yet
young people in these countries are very ambitious, desirous and deserving of a
better future, a future free from, if not material then at least intellectual, poverty.
Partnering with like-minded charities that have effective presence in these countries
means that our support goes to the most deserving of candidates; ensuring that we
are able to identify young people who aspire to be pillars of their societies. Helping
our mentees to achieve their dreams is very much a privilege.
Our Mentees

Our mentees are High Achievers who very often have no positive
role models within their local communities.

They are from disadvantaged backgrounds and often the first within
their families to aspire to higher education. Without the Trust support,
they will be unlikely to further their education in spite of having great
potential.

Our mentees have the potential to become leaders in various fields
and within their communities. Our mentors continue to guide them to
recognise this potential and fulfil it.

Our mentees have strong commitments to give back and ‘pay forward’ to their communities and to contribute to making the wider
world better for others. Accepting a mentored funding agreement
which incorporates a strong personal statement of ‘give-back commitment’ is essential to the commencement and continuation of our relationship.
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
Our mentees are able and willing to communicate their needs, goals
(short, medium and long) and their challenges to their mentors. Their
mentors will keep working with them to find suitable solutions.
Our Mentors

Our mentors are professionals in various fields who understand the
value of their gift of time to support a mentee.

They have an affinity for either the mentee’s country, subject of study
or aspirations; very often all three.

Our mentors have an understanding of the mentees’ circumstances,
environment, and educational system and are empathetic.

Our mentors attend our interaction and interactive sessions and actively strive to understand and mentor in line with the Trust’s ethos.

Our mentors often have language skills that make communicating
with the mentees both easier and more enjoyable for the mentee.
Our Partner charities:

Our partner charities have effective presence in the countries in
which they operate, and a working knowledge of their individual educational, political and economic settings.

We have easy access to a named individual within our partner charity
who is responsible for responding to our queries, allaying any concerns and is amenable to being guided in our ethos, requirements
and targets.

Our partners are financially stable, have other sources of income
and are not dependent on our funding.

Our partners participate in our interactive sessions and celebrate the
success of our mentees.

Our partner charities actively participate in recommending and recruiting suitable mentors, who are familiar with their region or country
of operation.
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Who we mentor
AFRICA
Ghana (4), Kenya (10), Lesotho (3), Nigeria (3),
Rwanda (3), South Africa (9) and Zambia (1)
Snapshot of some mentees
Access to education for most school-age children is still a significant challenge for a
very large proportion of Africa. Barriers include a shortage of funding, negative attitude towards education, constant conflicts leading to sexual and gender based
violence- especially during periods of unrest, forced and early marriages and traditional attitudes especially towards girls. It is therefore no wonder that the bulk of
Madrinha Trust’s pool of forty six mentees are from Africa. Of the thirty-three
mentees that the trust currently has in Africa, twenty one are girls.
Thembelihle (pictured left) lives with her aunt in Kwazulu
Natal (South Africa). There are no parents in the picture.
She has to walk over an hour to get to school and she does
so without complaint. She has consistently been in the top
five of her class.
Thembelihle did not start school until she was nine because
there was literally no money to buy her a uniform. She is
interested in pursuing a career in Law.
Writing to Ushira her mentor (pictured right), who is a lawyer with Baker & McKenzie, she shared her interests in
dancing and languages.Thembelihle is delighted about
the opportunity offered to her by Madrinha Trust. She
now sees her future as being bright and full of endless
possibilities. “No one is going to stop me from being a
lawyer now”, she writes with great confidence.
Thembelihle has achieved certificates of Merit in LLC 1,
LLC 2, Technology, Natural Sciences, Life Orientation,
Arts and Culture, Economics and Management Sciences.
Emmanuel (pictured left) is commencing his second
year at a teacher training college in Ghana. Emmanuel’s
interest in teaching started while he was still in high school.
Upon completing his high school, he became a ‘pupil teacher’. The first child of five, Emmanuel is immensely proud of
his achievement so far. Contributing actively to his community, he wrote “I went to do some teaching observation at
‘The King’s Kids Academy’ where I helped them with the
teaching of Mathematics and they
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were very happy with my teaching”.
Andrew his mentor (pictured right), insists it is a privilege to
support him. “I am really looking forward to being able to work
with you in the best ways that I can” he says. Andrew is head
of science and has been a science teacher for 29 years. He
has very close connections with Ghana.
Vanessa (pictured left) held
the record of being the most versatile learner at her
high school in South Africa. She took part in sports
(Athletics, Netball and Volleyball), was a member
of the debating club, choir, does cultural activities
and is exceptionally bright. She was also the Deputy Head Girl of her high school. She graduated
high school with Distinction in all subjects.
Vanessa was offered two University places; Civil
Engineering and Biomedicine. One year into a degree in Biomedicine, Vanessa was offered the opportunity of bridging over to a medical degree. She
is a remarkable young lady who recently helped in her neighbourhood’s drive to get
blankets to poor families living in her shanty town area.
Krishma her mentor (pictured right) enthused “it is
great to hear that you are such a well-rounded student and a girl of many talents. By this I mean you
are not solely focused on your studies but you have
a variety of interests. Please do not lose this when
you go to University! It is very important to maintain
other interests (as well as scoring high in exams!)
When you start applying for jobs it is sometimes
these "extras" that can make the difference. Being
part of teams and societies at University is a great
way to meet people and it is generally good fun!”
Krishma who shares Vanessa’s love for variety, is
undertaking an Associate Degree in interior Design at Parson’s New York.
In South Africa, Sanele (pictured left) is a keen science student who has won the
admiration of his teachers, other students at his
school and all of us at Madrinha Trust. A recent
school visit by Jonelle (our ground co-ordinator)
revealed that Sanele is doing so well that when “I
arrived at the school the Principal told me that
some of the staff were concocting a plan to send
him to Cuba to Medical School. He did very well
in his marks even though there was no teacher for
a term or longer in some of his
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subjects......exams were still given and marks recorded”.
The very intelligent, serious and shy young man has
also completely opened up to his mentor Richard
(pictured right) who finds so much satisfaction in mentoring him. Sanele now gradually understands the value of
play alongside hard work. One of five siblings, Sanele
speaks of his family’s pride at the opportunity offered by
Madrinha Trust.
Richard is a Chartered Accountant and co-Founder of
Flexible Directors, a UK based interim Financial Directors’ company. Richard
shares Sanele’s love for maths. He has organised workshops for scientists who
would like to commercialise their technologies, in many countries including South
Africa.
Hadiza, (pictured left) recently completed her secondary education in North Central Nigeria. In spite
of being so close to continuous religious and political unrest, and suffering a family crisis last year,
Hadiza impressed Caroline (pictured below) her
mentor, and trustee of Madrinha Trust with her
resolve,
resilience
and ability to stay at
the top of her class. A
visit to her home and
school
last
year
showed us the disadvantaged circumstances under
which she lives and yet manages to thrive so well. The
incredibly resourceful and strong girl has also undertaken to write her account of the ‘troubled North’, its
corruption and the turmoil of living in uncertainty.
Hadiza hopes to start a degree in Computer Sciences
later this year. Her impressive take on leadership and
her desire to make a difference in her community continue to impress us at Madrinha Trust.
The Tana Delta is a particularly poor region of Kenya. The main occupation of the
people is subsistence farming and nomadic cattle rearing. There is a high incidence
of conflict between the nomads and the farmers. In addition to all the other problems that the wider Kenyan population has to face, the Tana Delta is 79% food
insecure and 62% of the population live well below
the poverty line. Education for both boys and girls is
seldom a priority.
Alice our Tana River Delta mentee has also done
exceedingly well under the careful mentoring of Sui
Chin. Alice (pictured left) has been so inspired by
Madrinha
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Trust’s support and its ‘Give back/pay forward’ policy that
she has actively started teaching younger people at her
local school. Alice not only graduated secondary school
with an impressive result but has also been helping her
mother to grow vegetables and fruits for sale in the local
market. Sui Chin (pictured right) who is a toastmaster of
international repute continues to encourage Alice’s desire to
write about life at the Tana Delta. Alice commenced her
degree in Medicine and Surgery this September. Sui Chin
will be co-mentoring with her medical doctor friend.
It has been a huge privilege to watch Thandi (pictured
left) grow from a very bright, studious but rather shy
girl, to this amazing paragon of beauty, full of ‘get up
and go’! Milly (pictured right)
has inspired Thandi to think
outside the box and to also believe that she is the very special
girl that she truly is. Nearly at
the end of her first year of Business Studies at The University
of the Western Cape, Thandi
has continued to achieve incredible grades. What makes this
even more impressive is that Thandi is the first in her family to
achieve higher education. The support of Toni, on the ground,
has also ensured that the transition from secondary schooling
to University was very smooth. Thandi adjusted very well and
quickly to campus life and sends a monthly update to the
Madrinha Trust. Her confidence in her relationship with her mentor enabled them to
find easier means of staying in touch and catching up. Thandi and Milly ‘meet’ frequently on Skype and Facebook. Milly is a life coach.
In Rwanda, many children lost not only family members during the Genocide but
also their opportunity to have an education. In many families, girls had the sole responsibility of caring for their younger siblings. Receiving the funding required and
returning to school is one way of making them know that they belong to a larger
family, giving them the audacity to hope for a better future.
Claudine (left) has been an unbelievable gem! This
highly driven and very motivated learner left no stone
unturned towards achieving the required grade for a
Bachelor’s Degree in Physiotherapy, her life-long ambition. In spite of switching from learning in French to
learning in English midway through her secondary
schooling, Claudine achieved the required grades in all
subjects. One of Madrinha Trust’s first acts in mentoring
and supporting her education was to make science
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books written in English and in line with Rwanda’s new
curriculum available to her. Claudine also graciously undertook to leave the books at her school’s library to enable other students to benefit from its use, upon graduating. Her communications with Rebecca her mentor
(pictured right) has encouraged her and given her the
requisite self-belief for success. Claudine continues to
thrive and was recently nominated and sponsored for a
Leadership programme in Kigali. Rebecca is a chemistry
teacher. She graduated with a first class in chemistry
from Durham University.
About 68% of Zambians live below the recognised national poverty line, with rural poverty rates standing at about 78% and urban rates
of 53%. Zambia ranked 117th out of 128 countries on the 2007 Global Competitiveness Index, which looks at factors that affect economic growth. Social indicators
continue to decline, particularly in measurements of life expectancy at birth (about
40.9 years) and maternal mortality (830 per 100,000 pregnancies). The country's
rate of economic growth cannot support the rapid population growth or the strain
which HIV/AIDS-related issues place on the economy. In 2003, the
adult literacy rate was estimated to be 80.6% (86.8% male and 74.8% female).
Educational opportunities beyond secondary school are limited in Zambia; even
when a candidate gains a college or university place on the basis of ability, the
introduction of fees in the late 1990s has made this level education inaccessible for
many.
Purity (pictured left) completed secondary schooling with the best school certificate
result in the country. She took 8 GCSEs equivalent and obtained six ‘A*’ and two ‘A’ grades, an
extremely remarkable result by any standard.
What makes it even more remarkable is that Purity is an orphan who, from the age of six, was
raised by a poor relative. At senior secondary
school, Purity was at the verge of dropping out
because fees could not be afforded. Madrinha
Trust feels extremely privileged to be able to provide funding and mentoring for Purity. Earlier this
year, Purity started her
medical degree at the
Lusaka Apex Medical
University; a life-long dream she thought was completely
out of her reach. Edith (pictured right) her mentor expressed the Trust’s sentiment when she said ’very many
congratulations for the excellent grades you were awarded
at Grade 12. I used to work in a school very near Kasisi, in
Lusaka, and yours are some of the highest Grade 12 results I have ever seen. I would like to say how impressed I
am with your dedication and
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academic success and how much I am looking forward to hearing about your ongoing studies. It is always an inspiration to hear of a young lady achieving so highly through hard work and commitment and I am so pleased that Madrinha Trust has
introduced us’. Edith is a teacher in London, has taught in Zambia and also has
family living in Zambia. She hopes to pay Purity a visit sometime soon.
Officially called the ‘Kingdom of Lesotho’, Lesotho is geographically surrounded
by South Africa and one could say, economically integrated with it as well. The
economy of Lesotho is based on agriculture, livestock, manufacturing and mining,
and depends heavily on inflows of workers’ remittances and receipts from the
Southern African Customs Union (SACU). According to recent estimates, 85% of
those older than 14 are literate; as such, Lesotho holds one of the highest literacy
rates in Africa. Unlike most other countries, in Lesotho female literacy (94.5%) exceeds male literacy. Despite their literacy, Lesotho's residents struggle for access
to vital services, such as healthcare, travel, and educational resources, as according to the International Telecommunication Union, only 3.4% of the population use
the Internet.
Phetise is a remarkable young man who joined
the SOS village in Lesotho with his little sister. He
found in it a permanent home where he could
grow safely and receive an education. Phetise is
an excellent student whose over ridding ambition
was to excel academically and gain a place at a
prestigious college in Ghana. This year, Phetise’s
dream came true. His excited letter to Malcom
his mentor said ‘I have learnt a lot of skills in the
first academic year; I learnt how to swim at
school…and the basics of a keyboard. I have
discovered my love for computer science and
programming. I joined an online coding school
and I am now certified’. Commending him for
such initiative, Malcolm asserted that ‘swimming
is an important skill: it may save your life one day.
Music is very important to everyone. I am taking
singing lessons so perhaps one day we can give a concert together?! It’s great that you have a passion for coding and it’s wonderful that you have
been able to join an on-line school’.
Malcolm taught in Lesotho in the late 1970s
and remembers Maseru with great affection. In
addition to music, he also shares a passion for
numbers with Phetise. Malcolm is Madrinha
Trust’s treasurer.
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ASIA
India (3), Nepal (2) and Sri Lanka (2)
Many countries in Asia have achieved impressive progress towards the goal of
education for all. But much remains to be done. The 2010 UNICEF Progress for
Children Report estimated that there are 33 million children of primary school age
out of school in South Asia alone. This is because most of these children face challenges linked to income, gender, ethnicity/caste, language, and where they live.
They are often confronted by more than one of these challenges.
It is very well documented that a positive educational experience can play a key
role in helping people to break out of poverty and disadvantage. Ironically, those
children and young people in Asia who could most benefit from education are also
the ones who are least likely to enrol in School.
Bikash (pictured left), one of our very remarkable mentee, came to us through Future Hope.
Future Hope provides a home, an education,
medication, sports and other means of social
cohesion for the street children of Kolkata. Bikash has had an incredible journey from being a
homeless child on the streets of Kolkata (the
capital of the Indian state of West Bengal) to
graduating with a 2:1 in Marine Engineering
from the University of Greenwich (UK).
Kolkata is located on the east bank of the
Hooghly River, and is the principal commercial,
cultural and educational centre of East India, yet
a lot of families in Kolkata live below the poverty
line with no hope of
breaking out of the vicious cycle. However, this remarkable young man had shown great promise even
when he seemingly had no right to hope. From a very
early stage, it was apparent that despite his shyness,
Bikash was bright, hardworking, intelligent and very
eager to learn. He studied hard and with great effort
gained a place in one of the top schools in Kolkata.
Bikash was also a good runner and has won many
medals at his School’s Sports Day; he came third in
the first children’s mini marathon where some 8,000
children took part. Inderneel his mentor (pictured right)
has been part of Bikash’s incredible journey and has
secured him work experience opportunity at the May
Fair Hotel. Inderneel is the Corporate Development
Manager of the Edwardian Group, UK.
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Abhijit (pictured left) is a confident, happy, easy-going
young man. He started his educational journey with Future Hope in 2001. Abhijit went on to gain a place at the
prestigious Calcutta International School. While in India,
Abhijit was offered a full scholarship to Rugby College in
the UK for his academic record and prowess in rugby.
Upon graduation last year, he was offered a place to
study for a Foundation Diploma in
Liberal Arts for International Students at the Oxford Brookes University, UK. Earlier this year, Abhijit completed his Diploma with
two ‘A’s and a ‘B’ grade, giving him the opportunity to start a
Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Finance and International
Business. Will (pictured right), his mentor, is also a keen
sportsman. His background in Corporate Finance (Investment
Banking) is a huge focal point for Abhijit, who aspires to be an
investment banker.
Education in Nepal was long based on home schooling and Gurukula. The first formal school was established in 1853 but was intended
for the elite. The birth of Nepalese democracy in 1951 opened the classrooms to a
more diverse population. There are however, challenges in both access and equity.
Participation in school education is unequal across social, gender, regional, and
income groups. According to the recent Nepal Living Standards Survey II, fewer
than 30% of 6-10 year old Brahmins and Chetris, and fewer than 29% of Newars,
have not been to school compared to 43% of the Hill Dalits (occupational caste),
76% of the Terai Dalits, 62% of Muslims and 45% of Hill ethnic groups. The national net enrolment for 6-10 year old girls is 67% versus 78% for boys. When a family
has insufficient resources, the girls often miss out.
Pasang (pictured left) achieved a First Division with Distinction in her Secondary
School Leaving certificate yet she would have been unable
to proceed to University to pursue her dream of becoming an
Architect or Civil Engineer in the future. Pasang recently became part of the Madrinha Trust family. Her first letter to the
Trust shared her delight at this opportunity. “It’s a really wonderful opportunity to complete higher
studies through your support”. The
youngest of four siblings, Pasang is a
determined young woman who seems
to know where she would like to be.
Her father is a trekking tourist guide
and her mother a home maker. Maya
(pictured right) her mentor, expressed
delight at mentoring her. “I am very proud to be your mentor
and I know you are a very hard working girl”. Maya is an independent film maker and a trustee of Madrinha Trust. She
shares Pasang’s love for beautiful Art and Craft.
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MIDDLE - EAST
Palestine (5)
Palestine has long been a crossroad for religion, culture, commerce and politics.
Living in constant political and religious conflict cannot be beneficial to anyone.
Family sizes are also very large and poverty rife. As spouses tend to be related,
many families have congenitally ill offspring that further strain the usually very small
family budgets. Many ambitious young people are left without the means of an education.
Identifying five medical students to support from a pool of many very deserving
young people was a bit of a challenge, one that the Trust both welcomed and now
tremendously enjoys. Progress in their confidence, academic results, community
work, community spirit and initiative has been very rewarding to see. Above all, the
Trust has provided a window into the wider world for these remarkable young people and they express their appreciation very eloquently!
This July, Ayman (pictured left with the wax work of Prime Minister David Cameron) came to the United Kingdom for a four
week medical elective at the Royal Gwent
Hospital in Wales. His first adult visit out of
the West Bank was when he went to Jerusalem to apply for his UK Visa. Ayman is a
straight ‘A’ student, an official of his medical students union who also devotes time
teaching science to secondary school
children and volunteers in the local hospital during his holidays. He was very emotional about his visit to the UK, calling it a
“lifelong dream”. He told the Trust that he
now very much believes in the power of
dreams and has no doubt he will achieve and even exceed his own expectations. It
was an absolute pleasure that the Trust could arrange a ‘tourist’ visit round London’s many attractions during his brief stay. Writing to
Nick his mentor (pictured right) Ayman said “I am always appreciative of your support in helping me to
achieve a better future. My journey was wonderful, a
great experience. Seeing British living and values have
given me another point of view; a much broader sense
of different cultures and what life means to different
people”.
Nick is a retired Endocrine and Paediatric Surgeon who
is passionate about Palestine. Ayman has now started
his fourth year of medical studies in Palestine. He thoroughly enjoyed his short stay in the UK and made new
friends.
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Majd (pictured left) is one of those people who
could never sit around and do nothing. It does
not matter what needed doing; she would give
it her very best shot. This July, in the midst of
the Gaza-Israeli conflict, Majd made a video
entitled “Peace is Cheaper” to create awareness of the situation and the havoc on the
ground. Her reason “I can’t sit and do nothing”.
Majd is a beautiful, both inside and out. This
intelligent, vivacious and multi-talented straight
‘A’ student teaches English and Science in the
local school and at summer camps, she is also
the Secretary General of the International Medical Students Association and donates time to
community work. “I participated in a festival
called Rozana, it's a really nice festival that
was held in Berzeit where folk dances and
songs made visitors' days the best. I was the
one to introduce
each team and group on stage (I was chosen to do that
from 21 applicants).It's not the first time I participate in
such an event, but I really liked this one”. Sharing some
of her earlier clinical experience with her mentor Khaled
(pictured right) Majd wrote “I did my first suture on a 12yr old boy!! I'm sure he was not afraid as much as I was!!
It was the first time that I have done that on a human. I
kept asking him, ‘does it hurt?’ And he was such a nice
boy and kept saying ‘no you're good’!! I also helped in the
diagnosis of a case of aspiration pneumonia to a lady
with epilepsy and felt very proud of myself!!”
This summer, Majd gave up her holiday to study a Community Medicine Course which she says she really enjoyed. She is now in her 5th year of medical school and has maintained straight ‘A’s.
Khaled her mentor is a Consultant Surgeon with the University College London
Hospital and a very keen sportsman.
16
SOUTH AMERICA
Brazil (1)
Brazil is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population and the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world. Although it is an
important agricultural and industrial power, with the strongest economy in Latin
America, poverty is widespread. Despite recent improvements in income distribution, the issues of income inequality and social exclusion remain at the root of its
poverty. Brazil is a middle-income country and is rich in natural resources, but poverty levels and human development indicators in poor areas are comparable to
those in the poorest countries of Latin America. In the country as a whole, about 35
per cent of the population lives in poverty, on less than two dollars a day. In Brazil’s
rural areas, poverty affects about 51 per cent of the population. The impact of poverty is very visible in Brazil’s education system; according to a survey, in 2011, the
literacy rate of the population was 90.4%, meaning that 13 million (9.6% of population) people are still illiterate in the country; functional illiteracy has reached 21.6%
of the population.
Marcio (pictured left) was born and raised
in Sao Paulo. He fell in love with dance at a
very young age. At 14, he decided that his
ultimate ambition was to be a ballet dancer
in England. In 2011, Marcio applied along
with 300 other hopefuls for one of 30 places
at the English National Ballet School, he
was thrilled when he was offered a place.
However, his joy was short-lived as he was
unable to secure a study visa without a
higher level of English.
With strength of character and determination to succeed, Marcio secured a scholarship to spend a year training at a dance and art college in Canada and to improve
his English. His perseverance paid off and he secured the necessary English qualifications required to study in the UK. He is currently in his last year of ballet school
and his tutors tell us that “Marcio is a hard worker who gives 100% effort at all
times and is developing into a good dancer with maturity and confidence in his
work”. Nick (pictured right) his mentor, is a life
coach who has helped small businesses to realise their potential. He is looking forward to supporting Marcio to develop more confidence in
his art and to realize his full potential.
17
TABLE OF MENTEES PROGRESSION AT A GLANCE
AFRICA
Country
Mentee
Mentor
Performance
2011/12
Performance
2013/14
Comment
Ghana
Eunice
Mary
Whitehous
e
-
Second year
of teacher
training
school
Relationship commenced
June 2014
Ghana
Mavis
Hannah
Robinson
-
Second year
of teacher
training
school
Relationship commenced
June 2014
Ghana
Emmanuel
Andrew
Shipley
-
Second year
of teacher
training
school
Relationship commenced
June 2014
Ghana
Mohammed
Mark
Telling
-
Second year
of teacher
training
school
Relationship commenced
June 2014
Kenya
Sure
Ushira
Singh
‘A’
Average
‘B+’ Average
Kenya
Faith
‘A’
Average
‘B+’ Average
Kenya
Perez
Jania
Geogheghan
Amrit
Singh
‘A’
Average
‘A’ Average
Kenya
Alice
Sui Chin
McKeand
‘B’
Average
Completed
KSCE with
‘B’+ Average
Will sit for
KCSE in
2015
Will sit for
KCSE in
2015
Will sit for
KCSE in
2015
Commenced
Bmed and
Surgery,
Sept
Kenya
Rabbia
Sui Chin
McKeand
‘A’
Average
Diploma in
Vet medicine
with distinction
18
Works in
Animal
Husbandry
at TRLF
Kenya
Kalu
KSCE
‘C+’
Average
KSCE
‘C+’
Average
Admitted
into UTAR,
Malaysia
Admitted
into UTAR,
Malaysia
UTAR, Malaysia Jan
2015
UTAR, Malaysia/
mentoring
start
01/2015
Kenya
Komora
Barney
Battles
Kenya
Evans
Jonathan
Hick
KSCE ‘B’
Average
Admitted
into UTAR,
Malaysia
Timson
CD
KSCE ‘C’
Average
Admitted
into UTAR,
Malaysia
Kenya
Gwiyo
Adam
Honey
KSCE
‘C+’ Average
Admitted
into UTAR,
Malaysia
Lesotho
Teboho
Malcolm
Durham
‘A’
Average
‘A’ Average
Lesotho
Phitise
Malcolm
Durham
‘A’
Average
Lesotho
Lehlonoholo
Malcolm
Durham
‘A’
Average
Moved to
International college
in Ghana
‘A’ Average
UTAR, Malaysia/
mentoring
start
01/2015
Awaiting
Uni acceptance in
Kenya
UTAR, Malaysia/
mentoring
start
05/2014
Current yr
academic
report pending
First year in
Ghana
Kenya
Nigeria
Hadiza
Caroline
Pocock
‘A’
Average
‘A’ Average
Nigeria
Shalom
Caroline
Pocock
‘B’
Average
‘B+’ Average
Nigeria
Omolade
Caroline
Pocock
‘B+’
Average
‘A’ Average
Rwanda
Claudine
Rebecca
Norman
‘A’
Average
‘A’ Average
CD
19
Current yr
academic
report pending
Computer
Science,
Fountain
Uni
JSCE results pending
Improved
communication skill
B.Med,
Physiotherapy
Rwanda
Monique
Edith
Bugilimfura
-
‘A’ Average
Starts
B.Sc.
Nursing
Rwanda
David
Kate
Wratten
-
‘A’ Average
First year
of mentoring
South
Africa
Vanessa
Krishma
Singh
‘A’
Average
‘A*’ Average
Bridging to
Medicine
South
Africa
South
Africa
Antoinette
Lebohang
Maria
Patsalos
Gail
Budd
‘A’
Average
‘B’
Average
‘A’ Average
South
Africa
Thandi
Milly
Pocock
‘B’
Average
‘B+’ Average
South
Africa
Sanele
Richard
Brooks
-
‘A’ Average
South
Africa
Thembelihle
Ushira
Singh
-
‘A’ Average
South
Africa
Kwenzokhule
Myles
Stacey
-
‘A’ Average
South
Africa
Nokuthula
Jania
Geoghegan
-
‘A’ Average
South
Africa
Zamanguni
Amrit
Singh
-
‘A’ Average
Zambia
Purity
Edith
Bugilimfura
Graduated
top of the
country
First year
of Medical
degree
Teacher
Training
Completes
secondary
this year
First year
Business
degree
Start of
relationship
Start of
relationship
Start of
relationship
Start of
relationship
Start of
relationship
Start of
relationship
20
‘B+’ Average
ASIA
Country
Mentee
Mentor
Performance
2011/12
MBA
Bournemouth
Performance
2013/14
Graduated
with Merit
India
Deeepak
Jamie
Malcolm
India
Bikash
India
Inderneel
Singh
University
of Greenwich
To commence
work experience
Abhijit
Will
Dear
Foundation
Diploma in
Liberal Art
Graduated
with 2:1
Marine
Engineering
First year
B.Sc Economics,
Finance
and Int’l
Business
Nepal
Pasang
Maya
Sanbar
Final year
of High
School
Graduated
with Distinction
Nepal
Tenzin
Malcolm
Durham
‘A’ Grade
average
Sri
Lanka
Malki
Nick
Flewin
‘A’ grade
average
In final
year of
High
School
Final year
of High
School
Sri
Lanka
Sashipraba
Charlotte
Dicks
A’ grade
average
To Commence a degree programme this
year
To commence
degree programme in
2015
To commence
degree programme in
2015
To commence
degree programme in
2015
21
Final year
of High
School
Comment
Now Product
Devt Manager
in India
Foundation
grade: A, A
and B.
MIDDLE-EAST
Country
Mentee
Mentor
Performance
2011/12
Performance
2013/14
Comment
Palestine
Ayman
Nick
Dudley
‘A’
Average
‘A’
Average
Palestine
Haytham
Anjum
Misbahud-
‘A’
Average
‘A’
Average
Palestine
Mahmoud
John
Scadding
‘A’
Average
‘A’
Average
Palestine
Majd
Khaled
Dawas
‘A’
Average
‘A’
Average
Palestine
Raneen
Zina
Jardaneh
‘A’
Average
‘A’
Average
4th year
medical
school
4th year
medical
school
4 year
medical
school
5th Year
medical
school
3rd year
medical
school
SOUTH AMERICA
Country
Mentee
Mentor
Brazil
Marcio
Nick
Flewin
Performance
2011/12
-
22
Performance
2013/14
Final Year of
Ballet
School
Comment
First year
of relationship
Patron:
Michael Geoghegan
Trustees:
Jania Geoghegan (Founding Chairman)
Malcolm Durham
(Hon Treasurer)
Sui Chin McKeand (Legal Adviser)
Caroline Pocock
Amrit Singh
Maya Sanbar
Jamie Malcolm
David Levin
Jonathan Hick
Communications
Director:
Ladi Dariya MSc, ACMI
Principal Bankers:
HSBC Bank, Church Street,
Weybride, KT13 8DF
Accountant:
Robert McLaurin
Independent
Examiner
McBrides, Chartered Accountant
Nexus House, 2 Cray Road, Sidcup,
Kent, DA14 5DA
Registered Charity No. 1140672
Madrinha Trust
Registered Office: 4th Floor, 100 Fenchurch Street, London
EC3M 5JD, England
Tel: +44 (0)2072 655900
Mob: +44 (0)7828 436381
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.madrinha-trust.org
Partnering with; Future Hope, SOS, The David Rattray Foundation, The Institute of
Physics, CCLEF, Starehe, Rwanda Aid, The Himalayan Children’s Foundation,
The Al-Quds Medical Foundation, The English National Ballet School, TRLF.