Exclusive:Leeds charity founder kidnapped at gun-point in Kenya after establishing charity 20 years ago receives MBE
Ashley Peatfield had just overseen the opening of the first medical clinic in the Kenyan village that he had vowed to help when he was kidnapped and taken prisoner at gun point.
20 years ago he and his wife Sara set up the Funzi and Bodo Trust from their home in Morley, Leeds, after visiting the two villages that it is named after on a holiday to Africa and being devastated by the levels of suffering.
Ashley said: “They were without the basics like clean water and toilets, medical care, access to food and were living in mud huts. At the same time tourists were staying in luxury hotels up the road and spending £300 a night.
“It was that contrast that was so shocking that made us feel we needed to do something.”
The couple helped families on their first visit and decided to set up the charity after witnessing first-hand the heart-breaking conditions and hardship faced every day.
They returned to the coastal, east Africa villages to help transform an old and derelict building into the first medical clinic for the area; with a nurse, assistant and medicines ready to help the families who lived in mud huts.
But joy soon turned to horror after Ashley was kidnapped in the dead of night by seven men carrying rifles and pistols.
“I was told to give money or face being shot”, he said. “The gang leader pressed his gun against my chest and said he would kill me if I didn’t hand over cash.
“They later took me to where the manager of the accommodation was sleeping and beat him with their guns until his face bled.”
Ashley said that the gang had been watching him from a distance help out in the villages over the previous days and had targeted him after seeing him take out money.
After being kidnapped Ashley and the two other captives were forced to lead the gang to a nearby hotel, which was then aborted when they suspected they were being led to a trap, before being threatened and locked in a drinks store.
Ashley said: “After they left I climbed into the roof space and tried to break out . Unfortunately the iron roof made such a loud noise that the other two captured people asked me to stop as they feared the gang would return and shoot us.
“We were eventually released by villagers who realised something was wrong and broke the door down. I then ran to the village and raised the alarm.”
Ashley said that in the moment he was frightened but that he remained calm as he focussed his efforts on staying alive and escaping.
Upon returning to Morley, many who had supported the Peatfields said that they would understand if they decided to call off their charitable work, but Ashley had no plans on letting the terrifying ordeal stop him.
He says: “Lots of people said ‘I bet you won’t go back there’ but we said that we would because we had promised we would do things for the villages and we had received donations that we needed to honour.”
Ashley added that in subsequent visits to the country, which the couple have tried to do bi-annually, the villages have kept their living quarters guarded to help them feel safe, with members of the local football team often taking up the role.
In the 20 years since the couple have worked tirelessly to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds to provide electricity, clean water, access to education and health care to the villages. Farming schools have been set up and students are funded to go to university, while a women’s sewing group produces reusable sanitary pads and specialist clinics are held to remove parasites from children’s feet.
The charity also provides up to 2000 meals every week to hungry and malnourished children, while the two clinics run by the charity have nurses available 24 hours a day and operate birthing rooms too.
The work has not been without its hardships though, with the couple struggling in recent years to receive the same level of funds while also coming to terms with the inevitable tragedies that come with the nature of the charity’s work.
Ashley and Sara, both aged 62, were awarded MBEs in the New Year Honours list for their incredible work for the charity, which they carried out until recently while also working fulltime jobs as a journalist and teacher respectively.
Sara said: “It came as a complete shock to us. We thought it was a scam!”
The charity is run entirely by volunteers and a set of eight trustees based across Leeds and Yorkshire help direct the work. The couple have also received immense support from local businesses and churches; with large amounts of clothing donated throughout the year that is then sold to help fund the projects in Funzi and Bodo.
Ashley said: “We have always been well supported because the people who donate to us can see that we fulfil our promises. They know their money is going to the right place.”
Among their success stories is a young man called Hamza who they first helped when they visited on holiday 20 years ago. After paying £40 to help his family take him to hospital back then, they now help fund a course for him to learn to install air conditioning systems.
While the couple have amazing plans for the coming years, including building a solar plant to provide clean water, Ashley has had to contend with the news that he has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer.
“It was a real shock”, he said. “It’s true what they say that nothing can prepare you for receiving that news.
“One of my first thoughts was how can I sustain the charity.”
Ashley is currently undergoing chemotherapy and he says he hopes to be back out in Kenya in July and make the most of the charity’s 20th year, adding: “We’ve got big plans. Right at the very beginning one of our major concerns was that people were drinking dirty water so we hope to build a giant solar plant that will produce water that is clean and had all of the salt removed.
“It’s an investment of about £70,000 so it will take a lot for us to get the money together but we are confident that we can do it in our anniversary year.”
To find out more about The Funzi and Bodo Trust or to donate visit their website.