Four London cabbies help prevent Tanzanian orphanage closure

Four London cab drivers have helped a Tanzanian orphanage stay open with a donation from money raised climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Daren Parr, 55, from Blackheath, John Dillane, 57, from Orpington, Bob Barber, 56, from Sidcup and Stuart Lockhart, 49, from Rotherhithe, presented Asha-Rose Migiro, the Tanzanian High Commissioner, with a cheque for £2,000 which will help to buy the land that an orphanage near stands on.

The foursome learned the Huruma orphanage was going to be sold and close down after they visited in a previous fundraising trip in 2019.

When they learned that the land that the orphanage was built on was going to be sold and the children were to be evicted they wanted to help.

John and Daren promised they would raise money to help buy the land from a bigger double challenge to climb Meru and Kilimanjaro.

Mr Parr said: “I had personally never experienced anything like the reception we received when we visited the Huruma orphanage.

“The children were so happy and they smiled and sang to us and left a huge mark on my heart. To hear that the land was going to be sold from under them was horrific and we were determined to prevent the children losing the only home they knew.

“Fast forward a few months and who could have guessed that a worldwide pandemic would delay our trip back to Tanzania to climb Meru and Kilimanjaro, but we finally did it and our generous supporters helped us to reach our targets and secure the future for the children of Huruma.”

The intrepid cab drivers are now training for their next challenge, to row the Atlantic in 2023 to raise money for the Uhuru orphanage, the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans and the Stroke Association.

Pictured top: Daren, John and Bob hand over a cheque to Tanzanian High Commissioner (Picture: Cabbies do Atlantic Row)