It was my friend Chu, a bright, charming and vivacious 11 year old with an exhaustingly enquiring mind, who got me thinking about education support.

Chu is one of those kids who thirsts for knowledge about things beyond his world. Yet one day I learnt that he would not be going beyond primary school.

As the youngest son with aging parents and no older siblings able to afford his school fees, he would have to help his parents in the fields.

€30 would pay his fees for the year.
€60 would equip him with books, clothes, shoes as well.

His little sister Tzum wanted to start junior school - €10 all inclusive.

So I went along to the schools and for €70 a year I am fully supporting two children in school.

In 2010 Chu's elder brother Kum passed 3 A -levels. He wanted to go to college in Bamenda to study banking. I am paying Kum's fees of about €500 for the year. 

Kum will be the first person n his famly ever to have even taken A levels, let alone go to college. Such a relatively small amount of money can change a whole family's projection for what they can achieve. Hopefully Kum will get a better job than his brothers or ssters and be able to pay for his younger sister to go to college when she s older. I beleive education is the one area of "aid" where there is a constant and ongong return to the community on your money.

Chu, Martin, Kum and me.

Education support schemes with From Here 2 Timbuktu

For all new subscribers to From Here 2 Timbuktu I will donate €5 towards keeping achieving children in school in Esu, Cameroon.

The new technical school in Esu.

Mispa and Tzum kitted out for school for €10 each.

Esu, Cameroon

I am providing scholarships to keep achieving pupils in school.

• €40 keeps a child fully supported through a year of senior school.
• €10 keeps a child fully supported for a year in junior school to include uniform and books.
• €100 pays the fees for a student to go on to higher education.

If you would like to help in any way please contact me. 

Mali - the remote Tuareg region of Aguelhoc

I have begun building a school in a remote region of the Sahara desert, outside the community of Aguelhoc in the Adrar Des Iforas mountains of Northern Mali.

The first part of the programme is complete - we have a school building. We now need one more building to house the students as they are from nomadic families so need to sleep at school during the week.

Once this has been completed the state should provide a teacher and fees are free. I will be looking at ways to provide help with food which is the main expense for families.

This project has had to be put on hold as the region is no go for security reasons. Sadly after construction the threat from AlQaeda terrorists camped up near Aguelhoc meant I have benn able to visit the region. From january 2012 there has also been a resumption of the Tuareg rebellion which has further cut the north of Mali off.

Photos of my school project in northern Mali

The bricks are made by mixing sand and water and baking them in the sun.

The mud brick surface is rendered to make it last.

This is now the first stage completed. This will be the school house with two classrooms. The second stage will be to build accommodation for the pupils who, coming from nomadic families, will have to stay at the school during the week.

Other From Here 2 Timbuktu support programs.

 Africans have to think very carefully about going home as it is a costly business. If you have flown the nest and made your own way in the world you have to support those back home in need. And they do it. Remittance to Africa from Africans living outside the continent is now greater than international aid.

In my years traveling I have made many friends, and now that I run a business I employ people who are also friends. These friends have families, and these families have become my home in Africa. 

Having this wonderful home all over Africa is great, but it is also costly.

I say this to reassure you that any international aid given to me will be topped by greater "remittance" from me. There is no way of me making money from this relationship I assure you!

and from time to time some of them get into desperate need. 

As I write my Malian friends are facing civil war. Mamayiti, my Tuareg fixer and chamelier, has had to eveacuate his family to Mauritania.

Because I cannot operate a trip Jeneba my cook  has no work. She is the eldest in the family. She wants to borrow some money to buy goods in Bamako to bring back and sell at market.