Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - Educational Aid for Children in Burlacu, Moldova

Hello all,

We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) with Land Rover and off road caravan & although we have hardly any posts here on the Hubb, we dip in alot (daily in fact) and have been using lots of information from threads to help us prepare for an overland trip to Australia next year.

Prior to our trip and once 'on the road', we've been wanting to do something useful and related to our children that is educational, tangible, direct and where they can be fully involved. After much deliberation, we found our cause and did some fund raising already earlier this year and now we are staging a series of puppet shows based on a story called 'That Pesky Rat' (a touching tale about a rat who has no family or home). We managed to team up with & gain permission of the children's author Lauren Child (of Charlie & Lola & Clarice Bean fame) to help us make it happen. And now, we are working together with Lauren's My Life is a Story - Lauren Child with UNESCO campaign in her partnership UNESCO, and are supporting Home Page (small, locally based charitable organisation based locally to us which facilitates groups/schools in providing financial, educational, medical and agricultural support to Eastern Europe including schools & orphanages in Romania and Moldova).

We've never done anything like this before and have realised that not just about fund-raising but very much about raising the profile in order to persuade other schools such as our own children's school (teachers fly out annually using own time/money to provide guidance, infrastructure, support to 4 schools based in Burlacu, Moldova) to get involved and do something similar - we are quickly learning what hard work it is too! But, we remain interested and committed to our cause. So, in helping raise the profile toward Educational Aid - we're doing these shows with no previous experience (all stage props made/script written, puppets sourced etc., by us) with all profits being donated directly to the 4 schools based in Burlacu, Moldova. In the process, we'd like to spread the word to see if can get others interested in doing something similar with their children's schools/groups - doesn't have to be Moldova - cause is worldwide.

Small monies raised by us from doing fetes earlier this year (e.g. a Balloon Race) have already enabled, among several items, a Human Torso to be purchased for the Biology Main School, dessert spoons for Kindergarten and even Parachute canopies (just for fun!) for all the 4 schools there in the very hard to get village of Burlacu to share. Quite ordinary items to us but ‘spectacular’ gifts to the children in Moldova.

Good for us too in that we and especially our own children can learn and see direct benefits which we felt can sometimes get lost in translation with large charitable organisations (though we are am not knocking these by any means as they have very important roles to play in the bigger scheme of things).

We'll be visiting the 4 schools in Moldova to provide added support as part of our involvement en-route to Oz and are looking ahead (wish to continue to help build bonds on-going).

Meantime, in our bid to sell tickets and help raise the profile - please come along to our shows and show your support if you can and if your in the area (watch us make fools of ourselves! - even if you don't have kids - your never too old!!!!!!). Based in St Neots, Cambs. Tickets are £3. All details can be found (incl. leaflet & puppet profiles etc.) via our website Overland With Kids | » Welcome to Our Adventure! or by clicking on the following link

Overland With Kids | » Puppet Shows Oct/Nov 2009

Hope those of you who can will come and to see you there - any advice/support in our efforts about how we spend our time and efforts better or target/broaden - gladly welcomed.

Thank you for reading!