Neema Crafts - Latest News

British High Commisionner Opens Guest House

'At the end of July Her Excellency Diane Corner, the British High Commisionner to Tanzania officially opened the new Umaki Neema Crafts Guest House. The new 10 bedroom guest house, already a big hit with our first months visitors, offers fantastic ensuite rooms and is the first fully disabled run guest house in the world.

We are now able to employ more deaf and disabled people and bring many more people to our centre, helping us to highlight the skills and abilities of our workers. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped us finish on time and especially our plumbers and electricians, Hugh, Terry and Bill for their incredible work. Do come and stay with us, we'd love to welcome you all!

Ben and Katy Ray arrive

Ben and Katy, new CMS-uk Mission partners who will be taking on the leadership of Neema Crafts Centre once Andy and Susie return to the UK in 2012 have arrived in Iringa to start their Kiswahili and sign language training before beginning the hand over later in the year. We are thrilled to welcome them to their new home and wish them every success and blessing in their time with us.

Neema Crafts and the Royal Wedding

The British High Commission in Dar es Salaam hosted a ticket only Royal wedding party with Susie and Andy from Neema Crafts as special guests. Proceeds from the day are being donated to Neema Crafts to sponsor a room in the new guest house. The High Commission will dedicate one room in our guesthouse in recognition of the royal wedding which will have a plaque to remember the occasion. The British High Commissioner had also offered to come and officially open the guest house for us.

A Neema Quilt and elephant dung guest book have also been commissioned for the occasion which will be sent to William and Kate as a wedding gift from the High Commission together with a letter to say where the gifts have come from to tell the Prince and Princess all about Neema Crafts! Maybe we will get a royal visit next!!

Woman of The Year 2010

Susie Hart, founder and Co-director of Neema Crafts with her husband Andy was awarded one of four Women of the Year awards at a ceremony at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel in London in recognition of the amazing work done at Neema Crafts Centre. She was nominated for the award by the comedienne Sandy Toksvig and seconded by the actress Maureen Lipman. The award was presented in front of 450 of the most eminent women in the UK and Susie, apart from the singer Annie Lennox, was the only award winner to receive a standing ovation.

As a result of the award, we are very grateful to June Brown (Dot Cotton), Annie Lennox, Julie Walters and Baroness Floella Benjamin for their generous donations of paintings for Neema Crafts to auction at a charity comedy evening with Sandi Toksvig to raise money to build our new guest house.