HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

My Partner Oddo, his youngest son Reuben and myself donning my Christmas gift!

It is New Year’s Eve and I am here with most of our Tumaini family.  Some of our older Lutherans have gone to church to celebrate and Lohai drove.  The service is in Swahili and much too fast for my slow Swahili ears to follow and so I have remained back.

The children had a choice tonight to begin their new year’s celebration with a movie (Merlin) or dancing and they have chosen the movie.  They are enjoying peanut butter “scones” and apples with popcorn on the side and we will wait for the Lutherans to return before we light our fireworks.  I was fortunate to find sparklers at my spice and cashew store (Korosho you remember)?  Our big celebration will be tomorrow.

Our volunteers are across the street “lubricating” but in a much milder fashion than the norm and they will, I am certain, join us for our dancing festivities.  We have already lost Nasma to lala (sleep) and four of our children will miss our celebration for bad choices they have made but the rest of the gang are terribly excited to bring in the new year!

It has been a busy year.  We have struggled with AIDS for Mama Angela and Glory and she is terribly sick again.  She will attend the Dream Clinic in two days to be assessed and to see if there is anything we can do.  Glory’s CD4 dropped precariously and without explanation and both Mary and Neema decided at one time this year that they needn’t take their dawa (medications) and we had to take a “strong” stand in “correcting” their attitudes.  It is pretty simple.  Without proper adherence to their meds they will die . . . and we have told them as much.

We have our enemies and they attempt to hurt us but we have been fortunate enough to discover their intentions and thwart them enroute.  We work to stay together as a family.

Our children grow and change and for the most in good directions.  We continue to struggle with rage and grief and tabia (attitude) with some but there have been some beautiful developments in this past year.  I always worry about "spoiling" our children.  They had nothing when we met them and now have so very much and sometimes struggle with their need for gratitude.  Our volunteers and some of our children went down into the village and handed out dollys to children who have nothing and we will visit another orphanage to remind our children just how much they have.

Our volunteers . . . wow.  Loving, giving, sharing, caring, and yet they must work hard to remember that we are the guests in this country.  It is so very easy to impose ourselves upon the people of Tanzania, child or adult . . . our judgements and prejudices . . . our lack of faith, and these impositions are incredibly dangerous in a country where so many have nothing BUT faith to hold onto.  Each volunteer is a teacher and each child a vacuum . . . seeing and hearing EVERYTHING and this country, this culture hits most first time visitors right in the face. The need, the differences elevate our own emotional issues and force us to look hard inside and assess.  Coming to Tumaini is ALWAYS an emotional journey.

One of our friends was murdered and has left two children without care or support..  We lost a bibi we loved and cared for.

We acquired a new teacher and she is capable and promising, although we must work to iron out some philosophical issues that contradict our policies at Tumaini.

Oddo, my partner is well and happy and working hard to facilitate the many things we count on him for.  His newest son Reuben grows and is walking and just beginning to say a few words.

Our dream of acquiring our own land is just days from reality and that opportunity will open new doors for us, our children, our future.

And finally, to all of you . . . I struggle to find words (I always do) to express our gratitude for the continued love and support we enjoy from each of you.  We are just a tiny, shoestring charity, living from month to month on your contributions and a faith that they will continue.  We struggle every day to care for our family here and to ensure that your dollars are spent wisely and we are grateful.

Until you join us here, until you see firsthand the blatant need, the absolute destitution and squalor so many poor Tanzanian orphans struggle with daily, it is difficult to realize just how important your support is, but please trust me.  Without you, without your heart and your dollars we just couldn’t continue.

I began four years ago on a wing and a prayer and my partner Oddo brought his skills and his heart.  We began caring for 24 children and have grown to more than fifty.  Good food, a safe and healthy environment, quality education and medical care . . . EVERY DAY.  Love, lessons, kindness and empathy.  A fair but firm hand in the lessons of life.  We work hard, very hard, every day, and we do it because there is simply no one else to care for these children who need us so desperately.  We have saved lives and changed lives and we build lives, opportunities where none previously existed and we CAN do that because people like you help us.  We are grateful . . . very, and we ask that you take a moment tonight, on New Year’s Eve, as we welcome 2014, to applaud yourselves for your commitment to us . . . for your hearts and your love.

We cannot continue without you . . . we cannot grow and so we take this moment to send our thanks to each of you.  Asante sana . . . thank you very much and Mwaka Mpya, Happy New Year, from more than fifty children in Africa, and their Mama . . . thank you.

Another Tumaini Christmas . . .

Decorating our Christmas tree at Tumaini

 Each of us enjoyed another beautiful Christmas at Tumaini.  Santa and his helper Rudolph came in the afternoon after a wonderful service at Gloryland International Church.

There were stockings full of goodies and a gift for everyone.

A hug for Santa before Anna got her gift

Mama reindeers Becca and Dee

An early Christmas gift for Mama from Teacher Oddo, Isabel and watoto!

My favorite Christmas surprise this year!

Kaka Oddo wanted to try my new shades!

Rudolph the red nosed Rachel

Our beautiful Tine (heading up Tumaini Belgium) with Harriri and Ema.

Shopping for school shoes . . . 

Rashid has got a heavy load!

Thank you to Huber (Germany) friends for donating our wonderful washing machine!!!

Please keep us and this land in your prayers . . . we should know soon!

Singing Kumbaya for Avondale United Church in Tillsonburg, Canada

And the rain came in (our front door)!

Tumaini children's hands are growing!

Looking for help to assist this family of six children!

Happy Birthday Lohai!!

Jenny and Connie playing "stones".

And a big fat busu (kiss) from Kaka Lohai!!

First Monday in December from Mama . . .

Stefano and Liadi

Nelson

All of our primary students are home . . .   Nelson arrived yesterday from Dar es Salaam for holiday and Raymond left yesterday Dodoma after a quick trip back home for the weekend.

Athuman

 We were able to take our children swimming at “Tanzanite”, a defunct hotel where the “gatekeeper”, upon receipt of a small fee, fills the pool.  It was cold but they had a blast.  The children are asking for bicycles.  Usually on holidays, (April, August and December) we dig those bicycles out so many of you donated to us and now is the time, however . . . we have tuition (extra study) starting this week through Christmas in the mornings and so am unsure of just when the bikes will be “released” . . .

A smiling Daniel!

I hope you will be a bit proud of your child.  Almost all of our children shone through their final exams and most did very well on their year end reports.   Look for them in my next blog.  We took our top children out for burgers and fries to celebrate and followed up with ice cream.  We have some very happy scholars on our hands.

We have had little water since my arrival and yesterday what little would come in the evenings dried up and now we have nothing.  Lohai has had to take large garbage cans in the back of the truck to the river and fill them and things really are becoming “uncomfortable”.  Electricity is not an issue because our solar system kicks in and takes over whenever we need it but not so for the volunteer house and so between a severe water shortage and regular power outages our volunteers are truly earning their stripes.

Pray for us.  We should have some news about our land before Christmas.

And speaking of Christmas, if you haven’t had a chance to sign up for the Panorama of Lights Cider Booth in the park in Simcoe, please contact my husband steve@mybrokersteve.com to help us out.  We need assistance nightly from 5:30 until 9:00 p.m. if possible.

 My office has a big window which looks out and up towards the main house and the small area where our children play . . . they are changing so very fast.  Growing and losing teeth and replacing teeth and becoming the absolute most interesting little people.  Nasma is four and Liadi five and we have a mittful of seven year olds and on and up and each one is growing into their own unique individual and I absolutely LOVE watching their changes.  Liadi was “sticked” by our first grade teacher (yes corporal punishment is still very much practiced in this country) but he came to us as a two year old and so has developed different philosophies about his identity and his right to make choices, even bad ones.  His teacher is a good one, but, and this is a BIG but, we must find an alternative.  We spend our time teaching our children that they matter, are important and have the right of choice.  We teach them to look at us when we speak together and yet we are teaching them exactly the opposite of what most children learn in school.  I believe we are often confusing them and we must find some guidance . . .Still . . . their smiles and their laughter and their hugs. . .

We walked what we hope will be our new land with the village chiefs and executives, (with Oddo).

Kaka Michael and his mini me . . . 

Some of us, myself included are coming down with the flu and so that will run it’s cycle . . . thank you Mama Joan for all of our oil of oregano . . . and Vitamin C.  We are consuming!!!!

I cannot express my gratitude to each of you who has reached out to love us here at Tumaini.  We have our challenges . . . I would be lying if I told you every day here was bliss (poor Rebecca, Tine and Shivaun spent the equivalent of about three days, sizing our children’s feet, going to Tengeru market with Mary to barter for “gently” used shoes for the emergency cases and then returned to collect worn out models and replace running, sandals and school shoes for our brood).  And Mama Becca has spent DAYS AND DAYS AND DAYS sorting, purging and repairing both uniforms and day clothes for us.  (She hasn’t offered to do MY repairs yet . . . ) And Mary spent the afternoon doing inventory in our store room to allow us an accurate count of all we possess in the food department so you see, not every day is bubbles and sunshine with the little ones but I think we have just enough of those days to carry us along through the more tedious endeavors.

Aussie volunteers Rachel and Eliza gifted each child with a new pencil bag filled with goodies for school.  Asante!

Please pray for our longtime volunteer Alison who returned home to the United States only to come down with malaria . . . for the second time.  She has spent the last week in and out of the hospital.

My partner Oddo and family are well.  His baby Reuben has grown and although slow to speak, he motors about at high speed.  The children visited me the other day and Reuben, who found two of my magnets was enthralled with them at the moment they pulled themselves together.  You remember that beautiful baby giggle of marvel?

It is my hope that each and every one of you who have embraced us and loved us over the years will pause as you make your Christmas preparations and receive our thanks.  Receive some of the love back that you have given us.  Our children know how to say thank you even if they don’t always remember.  They are conscious of the sense of gratitude and they are truly grateful for each of you, as is their Mama.  I wish you the very best of the Christmas season and pray that you come into 2014 in good spirits, health and happiness, and speaking of spirits, please remember our New Year’s Party benefiting Tumaini if you would.

We wish you peace and happiness and send our deepest thanks . . . be well!