LYT Newsletter July 2025
Dear LYT Team.
Here we are again! It's been a very busy 6 months since we last spoke in January, and we have stacks of exciting news for you. Shall we dive in?
£44,500 GIVEN IN DONATIONS IN FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR!
With the first half of the year coming to an end we wrap up our time with a very special UK based project, Music for Memories. Thanks to the continued generosity of our incredible, committed supporters we are so pleased to announce a donation of £22,500 was given to MFM! This will fund an entire year of growth for Music for Memories, as they look to expand their reach into neighbouring areas, which include Caldicot, Monmouth and Chepstow, and help lead to their long-term goal to further expand across England and Wales. To achieve this, they will employ a dedicated staff member to manage operations, partnerships and volunteer recruitment, increase their Volunteer Programme and Training, create an awareness of their initiative with Festivals, music days and visual information, develop sustainable funding streams through corporate partnerships and grant applications, and eventually, have a dedicated space. This expansion will allow them to bring music therapy to at least 300 additional individuals over the next 12 months.
We're so very happy to be able to help them jump start their future growth, and we look forward to hearing their updates in the coming months.
Trevor & Jackie of MFM at MJ’s Bristol show
In addition to this donation to our 6 month partner, we're so pleased to have been able to support a further 4 new Community Development Donations (CDDs) - £6000 to West Wales Friends of Palestine/Sumud School in Gaza, £6000 to Just Small Change's Nutrition Program in Uganda, £5000 to Fireworks mental health program in Staffordshire, UK and £5000 to Grounded Community's Little Gardeners program in Bournemouth, UK.
From a vital opportunity for education amid surrounding horrors via a tent school in Gaza to an urban food growing and wildlife gardening group for under 7's in low income families and more - you can learn about each incredible project by clicking the links above.
We are in awe of how much good you've helped us to do in the world in the last 6 months. And we're only halfway through the year!
MEET OUR NEW PARTNER: TRANSFORMATION THROUGH EDUCATION, ZAMBIA
Transformation For Education was registered as a charity in July 2023 to raise funds to support the children attending PIZZ School, Monze, Zambia. PIZZ School is a project founded by Mrs. Sianga. Mrs. Sianga was a Home Based Care Nurse in the early 2000s when there were no antiviral drugs available to treat AIDS. Her clients were all dying leaving orphaned children. She established the school primarily to provide a safe place for the children who otherwise were likely to be found on the streets
Over nearly 20 years the project has developed, and the school now has more than 500 children from pre-school to grade 9. One of the most important benefits of the school is the provision of free school meals to all of the children. Without school meals many of the children would find it very hard to concentrate on their lessons. It also provides a big incentive for the children to keep attending school. Some of the children have been supported after leaving PIZZ school to enable them to complete their Secondary Education and some have been funded to take up university courses or vocational studies such as nursing. Past students have been employed in teaching, nursing and veterinary services as well as the building trade, transport and entertainment.
Transformation Through Education was established because the school's major funding source was stopped at the end of 2022.
PIZZ School initiated discussions in 2024 with the Education Department with the intention of becoming a Primary and Secondary School. PIZZ School was originally set up as a Basic School which caters for children from grade 1 to grade 9. This matched the Government system at the time which was to have a Basic and Secondary system. The current Government system has Primary Schools from grade 1 to 6 and Secondary Schools from grade 7 to 12. PIZZ will match the Government system which will make it much easier to support the children to the end of their secondary education, if all goes well. PIZZ hopes to begin the building of a science laboratory during 2025. The science laboratory and extra classrooms are required in order to become a secondary school. The buildings will be dependant on Transformation Through Education finding funds of about £30,000 for the science laboratory and a further £20,000 for a three classroom block.
Transformation Through Education runs on a budget of less than £38,000 a year, all going to support PIZZ School and the over 500 children that attend. Additionally, the extra support that the project provides for the families in the community helps many of the children persevere with their education. With no extra room in the budget to make these necessary changes to continue to educate these hundreds of children, Let Yourself Trust felt it urgent to team up with Transformation Through Education over the next 6 months, to try to help them move toward their goal.
Please visit https://www.transformationthrougheducation.org.uk to learn more about their vital work.
FINALLY, IN MARTYN JOSEPH NEWS.. MJ's FINAL USA APPEARANCE UNTIL 2027
USA Northwest! Martyn will be touring in Washington state and Oregon in September, and won't be returning to America until 2027 - don't miss it! Martyn will be playing in:
Seattle, WA - Sept 12th & 13th
Tumwater, WA - Sept 14th
Portland, OR - Sept 18th & 19th
Springfield, OR - Sept 21st
Sisters, OR - Sister's Folk Festival Sept 22-28th
You can find full details here on his tour page - come say hello and pick up an LYT booklet!
With our biggest gratitude to our small but mighty army of believers,
Justine, Martyn & the LYT Team