The Funzi and Bodo Trust

Borne Again is working with the registered charity The Funzi and Bodo Trust not only do we donate one pound from every item sold in the All That's Shoddy section we are also working on selling products from the villages of Funzi Bodo.

How it started

Funzi Island is a popular tourist destination in Kenya. Its beautiful blue waters attract dolphins and whale sharks. The nearby mangroves are home to a huge number of birds and fresh water crocodiles.

Ashley and Sara Peatfield from Morley in West Yorkshire visited Funzi Island as tourists in 1993. Although captivated by the environment they were shocked to see the poverty in which local people lived. They soon began helping people in the community.

In 2006 they heard about a baby boy in Funzi village who was suffering from ear problems. Despite his cries nothing was being done. His family couldn’t afford the cost of transport to hospital or the doctor’s fees. A day later he was treated and free from pain at the cost of just forty pounds.

At the same time Ashley and Sara met a local man called Ali Vuuya. His nine year old daughter had died from malaria after he was unable to reach medical care. He took Ashley to see a dilapidated building which had been a medical clinic many years before- but had closed. Promises that it would be opened had never been kept.

Ali’s story and his belief that one day someone would come and open the clinic to stop others suffering inspired and challenged Ashley and Sara to get the clinic open again. They returned with funds for materials and with the help of Ali and other villagers they rebuilt the clinic in just two weeks.

A full time nurse was employed and supplies of medicine were bought. This was the start of the Funzi and Bodo Trust and since 2006 it has been increasing its help and support for the people living in the Village of Funzi Island and in the village where people cross the water to Funzi. The village of Bodo.

Today it operates two medical clinics, road and water ambulances, pays for operations, has re-built two schools, opened a computer training centre with a full time trainer, has installed toilets and water pumps.

How you can help

Contribute: The easiest way to help is to give a donation you can do this using one of the links to The Funzi and Bodo Trust website.

Fundraise: If you want to get involved in raising funds, why not carry out a sponsered activity, you can find out more by visiting the Trust's website.

Shop: Here on the Borne Again site we have a shop dedicated to products hand made in Kenya, not only will the producer benefit from the sales of these products but also the charity. Borne Again does not take any money apart from postage and packaging from these sales.