My name is Cherie Tiffin-Szucs but in the village of Usa River (pronounced Oosa), in Tanzania, I am known as, “Mama Dee”. I am the founder of a small orphanage and care centre called Tumaini (which means “hope” in Swahili) Children’s Foundation. We provide love and care to forty children ranging in age from three to twenty three years of age. You can read about us at www.tuchifo.com.
Providing food, a safe home, medical care and a quality education to forty needy children in Africa is a lofty objective but we have been gifted with upendo (love) and tumaini (hope) from many sources. Heidi Pernfuss and Dr. Ronald Yim, both of Burlington, are two prime examples of such goodness.
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| Dr. Yim, of Burlington, his assistant, and Raymond . . . |
My husband and I brought one of our Tumaini children to visit Canada last month in the hopes of finding financial assistance to allow him an international post secondary education. He is a remarkable young man, of, to put it mildly, “modest beginnings”, (think coffee plantation). He possesses discipline and determination regarding his academic studies and additionally is a gentle and kind example for the younger children of Tumaini House. Raymond was enthralled by his safari to Canada, the cultural differences; the cleanliness of our country; THE FOOD! We did though have one objective he was not so excited about . . .
There is virtually no dental care in Tanzania and Raymond only learned about dental hygiene when he entered secondary school at the age of thirteen. Even then he brushed his teeth with a stick. Only recently have we introduced him to toothbrushes and paste, morning and night, “kila siku”, (every day)! He boarded his very first airplane with eight cavities . . . enter Heidi Pernfuss!
Heidi and I met last year in a downtown Burlington shop - Her daughter Katy came to Tumaini House this past summer as a volunteer and met Raymond, and, Dr. Yim is Heidi’s family dentist. You can figure out the rest, hmmm?
Dr. Ronald Yim, via Heidi, invited Raymond to his office for xrays, cleaning and to repair those eight cavities and he did it from his heart, AND, his own pocket. You know what dental care costs . . . you can appreciate what an incredible gift this is, to Raymond . . . to Tumaini. You see, Raymond has lived in constant pain for years, strategically locating food in his mouth when he eats so as not to “set off” a sensitive toothache.
We at Tumaini did not, as a young foundation, have the funds yet to provide the care Raymond needed. Dr. Yim and Heidi Pernfuss reached out and helped us, help one of our children and for that, from half way around the world, where I am now, with the children, I must say an enormous, “Asante Sana, kwa upendo Daktari”, thank you so much for your love, Doctor”. For Raymond, who had an infected tooth extracted in Tanzania, without anesthetic, his trepidation was obvious. Afterward, so was his gratitude. Love (upendo) and Tumaini (Hope) from Burlington to Tanzania . . . Asante!
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| Raymond, at home with watoto Tumaini, and our "Fusion Youth" donated computer! |
