The Tumaini Miles of Smiles Centre in Kenya offers safety and eduction to hundreds of local children.
It is able to do that, in part, to the generosity and passion of people in Benalla and the north-east.
Dave and Lios Tharratt have been travelling to Tumaini most years since 2008.
After missing a couple of visits due to COVID they were back there earlier in 2023 for the official opening of the centre’s new primary school.
“The centre has a (primary) school, kids home and trade school,” Dave said.
“And they run a lot of community development projects.
“It was great to be there in February for the official opening of the new primary school.
“It replaced an existing one and it was good to see that opened up.”
While there Dave and Lois had an opportunity to reconnect with some old friends and take a look at other projects which are ongoing.
“They are building a new trade school at the moment, there is one already there but they want to grow that.
“They also have a brand new building that is a commercial kitchen so they can offer catering and hospitality courses.
“There is a high demand in Kenya for people with those skills”
On top of raising funds for the centre Dave and Lois also welcomed centre director Rose Bugusu to Benalla recently to give her a much-needed break.
“We’ve brought her over here about five times now,” Dave said.
“She was here for about three weeks this time.”
Ms Bugusu also used the visit as an opportunity to visit people who have supported the centre, specifically several local churches.
“I wanted to acknowledge that nearly all the support our charity sends over is from local people living in north-east Victoria,” Dave said.
"We wanted to say thank you to the different churches who have helped fundraise including the Benalla and Euroa Baptist Churches, the Wangaratta Wesleyan Baptist Church, and others in the area who have helped.“
The next project that Dave and Lois plan to help with will be the construction of a new high school at the centre.
The Tumaini Miles of Smiles Inc is a registered charity and all donations are tax deductible.
If you would like to donate you can call Dave Tharratt on 0429 201 149 or visit www.tumainimilesofsmilesaustralia.com/