TEIGNMOUTH fundraisers are paying for a new school in Kenya brick by brick. Operation Imprezza, a charity set up four years ago to support poor children – including many Aids orphans – through school, is facing its biggest challenge yet. The charity, headed by Bishopsteignton man Chris Hulme and Whistle Stop café owner Melissa Middleton, needs to raise £100,000 for a purpose-built school with accommodation for staff and children. They have been given a six-month reprieve by the Kenyan government when the current school premises were condemned. Now, fundraising is under way in earnest with locals, businesses and organisations invited to sponsor a brick or a room at the school. The community has responded warmly to the charity with many families offering to sponsor children through school and university. Mrs Middleton said: 'A lot of children are Aids orphans and they need somewhere safe to sleep. 'We have 43 orphans at the school at the moment and if we an provide accommodation for them and the teachers then we can provide 24-hour care.' Just £8 a month can transform the lives of youngsters, many of whom rely on the school for their only meal of the day. Some have already been able to go on to university thanks to the help of generous donations. 'I find it so humbling,' said Mrs Middleton. 'The children here face so many challenges, but they do not look at the negatives. 'When we see how much these children want to learn and how well they are doing, we know that they deserve a new school,' she said. The school is doing so well, that it has become the exam centre for other poorer schools in the area. Already £10,000 has been raised and hopes are high for a new plot of land on which to build the school. Mrs Middleton took her first trip to Nairobi last year and is returning with her husband Bill and son Ben in July. Ben, a Trinity School, Teignmouth, student has helped to raise more than £300 for the charity through school activities. 'I have had so much support and without the generosity of people, including my customers, I could not do it. I never thought I would be involved in something like this and it has changed my life. 'You know, people say that charity begins at home, but we are doing all right at home and it gives me so much joy to know that we can help others have a better life.' To sponsor a child or the school build project, contact Melissa at the Whistle Stop Café, Teignmouth train station or telephone 01626 777419. Visit the website http://www.operation-imprezza.org">www.operation-imprezza.org.
