Reading and Reaching . . .

What a wonderful experience listening to our children read . . .

Close your eyes for a moment . . .now imagine watching some of the children, some of the YOUNG five and six year old children, whose lives you’ve impacted, the same children who only a year ago could not speak English, read, AND UNDERSTAND, (I asked them to translate to Swahili) an English story book!  THAT was my experience on this last, month long trip back to Tumaini House!  Additionally, Latifa who only joined us in December chatted away to me, along with Liadi and Harriri in the car after they and Oddo (and Jeremiah) picked me up from the airport!  It was/is remarkable!  Our children are conversing and reading – in English!

Latifa chatted all the way home . . . in English!

Liadi can write his name!!

Harriri read me an entire "Jane and Paul" story and understood!

Not only does Gerhad read the nightly stories, he LOVES math!!!

AND, they are well!  They are happy most of the time (even children in Africa bicker sometimes) and healthy almost all of the time, and learning every single day.  They are eating nutritious food and playing after homework and on Friday and Saturday nights we indulge in either a movie or music and dancing!  Sounds like any ordinary child right?  Right!  Because, with your help that’s what the children of Tumaini are becoming . . .  ordinary, (our measure) everyday children, and it is absolutely, without a doubt, THE greatest feeling I could imagine to be a part of this!!!

Every time I return to Canada people enquire as to the children, their health, what’s new, what do they need?  I have been sharing about the children reading (Harriri, Stephano, Gerhad, Ester and even Christina to an extent) and how (I tear up just writing the words) their most recent accomplishments epitomize everything Tumaini stands for . . . our children are functioning, progressing, in English! 

Priska (above) and Connie (below) in their new lipstick from Mama Heidi!

Eliza working on a new book . . .

Christina and Ester in their new dresses from Waterford Catholic Women's League!

Francis is serious about his studies and excels at reading . . . heck he excels at every subject!

It has been two years since I first landed in Usa River, Tanzania.  Two years since I met Francis and Zawadi and Pendo (the first Tumaini children I selected, and the first time I cried in Africa), Christina (the second time I cried), Jenny, Athuman and Harriri, Eliza, Emmanuel, Evelin, Margaret and Tony, Latifa, brothers Stephano and Lazaro, Neema, Priska.  Two years have passed since I visited Josephat, Marko, Yusuph, Rwekiza and Georgie at that terrible school we took them from.  Two years have passed since Oddo and I met, teamed up, and began working . . . today we are forty children strong!

A primary objective for me initially, and for, I think, everyone now involved with Tumaini, is sustainability.  As most of you know, the lovely stone house we occupy in Usa River is a rental.  Our goal, our dream, is to purchase land and to build Tumaini’s permanent home, with our own school, volunteer quarters, a playground and a football field.  Oddo and I have located land near to where we are now, but just east of Usa River.  This land fits the bill . . .

We will require a survey to verify the acreage but a current estimate sits at twenty . . . acres . . . for our children to play, and grow, and thrive!  It is surrounded by existing farm land so we will not have to breathe the smoke from the burning plastic of others.  Water and electricity is accessible (when electricity is running) but with our own land we will be in a position to solicit local (Tanzanian) corporations for funding to help with, among other things, solar power!  We will be able to generate a long term (20, 30) year growth projection.  Tumaini will own its’ own home!

Oddo is happy to see the children doing so well!

This is the first step and if ever we are going to take that first step towards long term sustainability we are going to need your help.  Building costs have increased at a frightening rate this year but to give you a perspective, I priced cost to construct one classroom recently and it came in at just over $7,000.00. 

I am not asking for money – yet!  I am asking for your ideas on how we might raise upwards of $250,000 CAD.  For ideas on financing, for options!  We are working hard as a Board to advance the vision of Tumaini and Oddo and I have been working on expanding our volunteer program (you’ll LOVE the new digs!) so that volunteers will still be near to Tumaini House (just across the street) but have a bit more privacy and space of their own to “recharge” more effectively and bring more to the (homework) table when working with the children!  

This is a lofty objective and we will not be successful without you so please put on your thinking caps.  Please send me an email with your ideas!  Let me know who might be a potential lender, someone in a position to possible help us arrange to “mortgage” a purchase (mortgage funding and interest rates in Tanzania are prohibitive).  Please consider what you might be able to pledge, either in the form of a donation or a loan to facilitate us taking this next step?    Please pause and consider how you, your family, your friends, could help us help our children take another step towards independence, and, as always, thank you!  It is so very refreshing not to be reporting crises but routines for our little ones!  They learn, they play, THEY READ!!!  They are not sick (Liadi and Priska recently had fevers but after a trip to Dr. Lyimo are on the mend), they are developing into happy little children who, for the most part, so very much appreciate what we do to improve their lives.  You are a very large part of that and for each of them, who would if they could tell you themselves, Asante sana kwa upendo wako kuendelea . . . thank you very much for your continued love!  cheriemszucs@gmail.com. Be well!