Mid-Sussex Group
Set up in 2001, FOCC Mid-Sussex is a well established group. We are based in Horsted Keynes where we are able to use the Martindale Centre as our daily meeting point during the visit. Each year we bring between 12 and 16 children, accompanied by 2 interpreters, to Sussex for 4 weeks, usually mid-June to mid-July. Each child comes for 4 consecutive years, allowing them to bond with their host families and vastly improve their English.
The children are aged between 7 and 12 and come from Mogilev and surrounding villages in Belarus. They are mostly from single-parent families, and generally live in very poor conditions, often whole families live in a single room, many without basic indoor sanitation and running water. Many of their parents work long hours in factories on very low pay, so the children often have to spend time alone at home.
While in Sussex each child stays with a local host family who provide a loving home, and look after them each evening and at the weekends. During the week the children meet at the Martindale Centre for the activity programme. They experience a huge range of activities including swimming, art and crafts, horse riding, trips to farms and activity parks, visits to local schools and much more. We even go camping at a local Girl Guide camp for three nights in the middle of the visit! They also receive annual dental treatment and eye check ups to ensure they stay healthy.
The visit ends with the children's concert where both the Belarusian and English host children are encouraged to take part to say farewell to their new friends. Each child goes home at the end of the month with a bag stuffed full of clothes and vitamins, and a wealth of happy memories.
The cost of getting the children to England and running the activity program is high, and in the present economic climate fundraising is difficult, so we are always looking for new ways to raise money. If you are part of a school or business who would like to help with our fundraising, sponsor a child's visit or an activity please get in touch. We also very much appreciate offers of good quality children's clothes.
The children are aged between 7 and 12 and come from Mogilev and surrounding villages in Belarus. They are mostly from single-parent families, and generally live in very poor conditions, often whole families live in a single room, many without basic indoor sanitation and running water. Many of their parents work long hours in factories on very low pay, so the children often have to spend time alone at home.
While in Sussex each child stays with a local host family who provide a loving home, and look after them each evening and at the weekends. During the week the children meet at the Martindale Centre for the activity programme. They experience a huge range of activities including swimming, art and crafts, horse riding, trips to farms and activity parks, visits to local schools and much more. We even go camping at a local Girl Guide camp for three nights in the middle of the visit! They also receive annual dental treatment and eye check ups to ensure they stay healthy.
The visit ends with the children's concert where both the Belarusian and English host children are encouraged to take part to say farewell to their new friends. Each child goes home at the end of the month with a bag stuffed full of clothes and vitamins, and a wealth of happy memories.
The cost of getting the children to England and running the activity program is high, and in the present economic climate fundraising is difficult, so we are always looking for new ways to raise money. If you are part of a school or business who would like to help with our fundraising, sponsor a child's visit or an activity please get in touch. We also very much appreciate offers of good quality children's clothes.
