You might be wondering: “Why didn’t Simwood send me a Christmas hamper this year?” Here’s the story.
In recent years, we’ve sent out different things at Christmas. We know they’ve been appreciated by our customers, but this year, we decided to do something a little different, as we mentioned earlier in December.
Regular readers will know that we’re supporting a ChallengeAid in Kenya. These people are doing incredible work in the slum settlements, places where bigger NGOs often won’t tread. Some of their students have even gone on to university and become national chess champions.
Seeing the incredible talent these children can achieve sparked an idea: if we can give more kids access to activities like chess, we can help them to realise even more of their potential.
There are 53 schools in the ChallengeAid programme, so we’ve sent them 106 new chess sets for Christmas.
Now, we could’ve just “Temu’d” a bunch of stuff, but we chose to go local. No middlemen, just a local craftsman making 106 chess sets for the schools, ensuring our support has the maximum possible impact on the ground too. Shoutout to James from Pikseli, honestly, such a pleasure to work with.
And can we talk about Kenya for a sec? I spent a week there in 2024, and they’re some of the warmest, kindest people you’ll ever meet.
The team at Billian’s (Simwood School of Hope) has been busy expanding chess opportunities in Mathare. Some of the previously trained coaches have moved on or live elsewhere, so this week, 19 young people were trained, and a coaches’ training was held on Saturday to ensure they can properly guide and support the children’s chess clubs. They aim to set up 10 clubs with at least 10 players each and plan a community-wide chess tournament in April, when schools break after the first term.
When Sophie sent the pictures this afternoon, it really made my day!
We’ve also just received the latest report from Billian’s (Simwood School of Hope), and it’s so uplifting to see the progress being made. Even during the school holidays, the children stayed engaged through revision, mentorship, and group discussions. The school also hosted Under-13 and Under-15 football tournaments in Mathare, bringing together nine teams for fun, friendly competition. These sports activities were also used to pass on important messages about drugs and substance abuse.Music and performing arts sessions continued on Thursdays and Saturdays, giving children a safe space to express themselves, build confidence, and enjoy their creativity. Support for children with special needs went on into December too, with therapy sessions delivered hand-in-hand with caregivers to make sure every child keeps growing and learning.
So that’s where your hamper is – transformed into a board and 32 pieces, to inspire thousands of children in Africa.
