A ZAMBIAN orphanage will benefit from the skills of two Portishead tradesmen when they visit it next month.
Plumber Jamie Hayman and carpenter Patrick Hughes are preparing to travel to the Mutende Children’s Village to carry out vital maintenance work at the orphanage set up and supported by a Bristol charity.
The men will spend two weeks with a small team from the Resound church group from Bristol working in the village, which was established in 2002 to provide a full time home and school for a large number of children whose parents have been lost to HIV and AIDS.
Jamie, Patrick and the rest of their team are funding the trip themselves.
The supply of safe drinking water at the orphanage is currently inconsistent and during their stay the UK team is aiming to change this, ensuring a constant supply of safe water.
They also plan to install new toilets, basin taps, showers and kitchens.
Patrick will be making shelving for the children’s bedrooms, repairing bunk beds, fixing and securing doors for security and privacy and re-building the children’s play area.
He said: “There is more to do than we can achieve in our short visit but we hope to do as much as we can while we are there.”
The team will be taking most of the items needed with them due to the poor quality and availability in Zambia and will be taking all their own tools.
Jamie said: “We would like to thank local businesses including Travis Perkins, Fluidmaster UK and Howdens who have been extremely supportive by donating a number of important items that we will need to complete the tasks.”
To find out more about the Mutende Children’s Village, sponsor a child or support the charity visit www.mutende.com
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