Dear Tumaini Friends

Things are busy with us preparing for our departure on December28th (Lohai, Kelvin, Mama Corosho and myself).  I will be gone until the end of April.  Christmas cards, letters and modest gifts if you wish for your sponsored child are welcome but please hurry.  We have twelve hockey bags packed thus far and are not finished. Whew! 

Many of you have expressed concern over Susan Wells’ (Ontario resident killed in Arusha, Tanzania) recent death with respect to us at Tumaini.  My understanding is that Susan was a six time volunteer from Collingwood, Ontario, just 41 years old and on return for yet another month of work helping youth.  She didn’t make it . . . we don’t know Susan, but we know her work and so send our heartfelt condolences to family and friends, as they must be struggling with how something like this could happen to a woman just trying to help. 

Susan was evidently, met at the airport by a young man she knew and found dead the next day.  There is all kinds of gossip about how.  The young man who met her is currently in custody.  That is all we know at present . . . My partner in Tanzania, Oddo is following the story from his end but is gleaning less information than we have here.  Some of our volunteers at Tumaini had not even heard of this tragedy until I shared it with them from Canada. 

Please try not to worry.  We have cautioned our volunteers further who have been cautioned in the first place.  We try to be careful and with God’s blessing will continue to remain safe.  We will update you when we have more information, but for now we ask from those of you who pray (I know our Tumaini family will be praying) to take a moment and include Susan Wells’ family and friends in your prayers . . . we are so sorry for your loss.
 

From Tumaini, many of you know that Christina has (had) a shida (problem) with having too many front teeth growing in . . . well, she no longer has that problem.  She fell coming down the stairs and knocked one of her permanent teeth right out!  Katy tells me it didn’t even slow her down from eating dinner that night!

 

Kaka (brother) Michael, Executive Director of our soon to be Tumaini Australia is at Tumaini and (training in medicine), he, Oddo, Katy (who is suffering also), and Mamas are struggling with some of the children (Harriri, Christina) and a few others with a nasty stomach virus . . . sending hugs!!!

And, unfortunately, in the excitement of a month’s holiday (December) and upcoming Christmas holidays, I am hearing reports of the misbehaviours and negative attitudes of some of our children!  This is certainly not the right attitude as Christmas approaches and although it is only a few of our children, it saddens me, and I am sure it does our supporters, to hear that even ONE of our Tumaini children would take advantage of the incredible opportunity granted him/her by their sponsorship support!  I hope Oddo, and Katy, you will share my and our supporters’ concern with the children involved!

 Dave Egles, Mike Morley, Dave Spittlehouse, and Paul Tasker arrive in early January in preparation for their climb of Kilimanjaro.  Please visit our site www.climbkilifortumaini.com to read about our newest climbing team and how YOU can help!  They are two thirds of the way to their goal of raising $30,000 towards building our new school!

 

And about Christmas gifting this year . . . we are focusing on growing our school building fund and so, should you choose to help Tumaini as a part of your giving plan this holiday season, please consider purchasing a brick @ $20.00 per, (or as many bricks as you wish), and your generous donation will be directed towards our Tumaini school building fund.  Tax receipts (in Canada) will be issued and a Christmas thank you “brick” card will be sent out to you or your chosen recipient.  Please provide instructions on your online donation request.  (www.tuchifo.com – How you Can Help – Donate) or email me mamadee@tuchifo.com if you require assistance, and ASANTE!!)

We are working on rebuilding our Tumaini website and thank you for your patience in waiting for it to occur.  It is an enormous undertaking as you can imagine and so I would like to personally thank each of you for your patience . . .

To our sponsors . . . some of you have been caring for your chosen child for more than three years now and your love and support has changed their lives . . . forever!  There really are no words to express Oddo’s and my gratitude for what you have done . . . some of your children would not be here today, alive, without our intervention and we could not have done THAT without you . . . I wish there was a way to thank you sufficiently, to illustrate how different their lives are because people have chosen to love them, to care for them . . . suffice it to say that you do a wonderful thing for a very lucky  young person on the other side of the world and from their Mama and Baba (Oddo), Asante sana, (thank you very much) . . .  

 

To donors new and (I cannot say “OLD”!) experienced . . . to supporters of our first annual golf tournament, to those of you who send us your money telling me, “just use it as you see fit”, thank you.  So many new projects have been initiated as a result of your support and I’d like to remind you that we STILL work as volunteers, all of us.  Only the staff at Tumaini are paid . . . our board, and Australia’s, and the developing U.S. board mandate volunteerism in our commitment in order to maximize the utility of your donation dollars.  I am proud to share that 96% of your donation dollar goes directly to Tanzania to do the work you WANT it to . . . (we still have to pay insurance . . . )



The Retired Teachers of Grand Erie have granted us $4,000.00 to be used towards an ESL program and the expansion of our children’s education at Tumaini and we could not be more grateful, stay tuned for updates after my return . . .

 

 

Kelvin (currently in Victoria, BC, attending Glenlyon Norfolk School) returns to Ontario on Friday and then we’re off on a whirlwind of Christmas school speaking engagements and visits before our return to Tumaini.  His principal, Mr. Jake Burnett (pictured with Kelvin) will visit us at Tumaini in January to educate himself on our culture and hopefully to set the foundation for a long term mutual relationship between “GNS” (Glenlyon Norfolk School) and Tumaini.  Karibu (Welcome) Mr. Burnett and Asante . . . Enormous thanks to GNS staff and students for embracing Kelvin and making his experiences with you unforgettable . . .

To new BC Tumaini friends from Kelvin and myself, Asante sana (thank you very much) with a special call out of thanks to Anna and Thomas from Ema, and to Noah and Oscar and Jordan and Christy and Mama Jack and Baba Dave.  Someone’s life is forever changed for having shared time with you . . . Asante. 

 

To each of you from Mama.  It has been a dizzyingly busy time since my return in mid-May and here I am preparing to leave again.  To those of you who know me personally you know how much I love these children . . . how I worry about them . . . how I mother them.  We have 51 children at Tumaini now and Oddo tells me there are three more to consider upon my arrival.  Not all of our children are fully sponsored yet and so, if your family would like to embrace a young person needing assistance in order to have hope at a real future please contact me mamadee@tuchifo.com and we can discuss sponsorship support.  A full sponsorship is $144.00 monthly, but not everyone can afford that . . .  let us know what you can afford on an ongoing basis and I’ll pair you with someone else and together you’ll provide much needed support to help build a child’s future.

We have so much in comparison to the poor . . . we have health care and social assistance and enough food and hopefully love . . . it is our dream to provide this care to our Tumaini children and carry them as far as they need to be carried until they will be in a position to support not only themselves but to help carry someone else . . .

From the bottom of my heart to each of you . . . happy, happy holidays with prayers for good health, peace and joy, to you and yours . . . from Oddo and myself, we hope you will pause for just a moment and savor a warm feeling when you think of all you have done to help us help a child . . . . Asante!