HOW ARE WE DOING SO FAR??

Asante to Cindy Pichette as several of these photos are hers . . .

Asante Sana Springboro, Ohio!!

September 26^th, back at my desk in Canada

What a productive weekend for Tumaini!!  Thursday morning I left for Springboro, Ohio, a visit with my sister and her family and to pick up “some” donations for Tumaini.  Pam arranged for me to have breakfast with a few of her girlfriends who had expressed interest in Tumaini and for me to revisit her church, Springboro United Church of Christ (www.springboroucc.org) and update them on Tumaini news since my last visit in late 2010.

L/R - Krista, Teri, Jenny, Elizabeth, Maryanne, Louisa and my sister Pam

 First of all thank you SO much, to Louisa and Teri who already support Tumaini, and to new friends Elizabeth, Jenny, Krista and Maryanne thank you also for reaching out to help us, help our wonderful kids!  By extension thanks to Scott and Elizabeth for purchasing us soccer balls, for working so hard to get us the cleats before I left and for your wonderful soccer “challenge” idea . . . we’ll make the trophy!!!!

Thank you to Scott and Elizabeth for ALL of the soccer equipment you arranged for us!

Asante Sana to friends of Tumaini including Springboro United Church of Christ!

 Secondly, my sincere thanks to Pastor Terry, Trent, Dee, and the entire congregation of Springboro United Church, not only for welcoming me back to provide our progress report, but for including Tumaini so warmly (and generously) into YOUR family.  Your generosity not only helped us load my sister’s living room (and my car to the MAX), (Tom and Diane the Lego were in there too thank you!) with donations and gifts for Christmas, we had a balance of funds remaining which will help us send one of our children to school next year!  From all of us . . . “Asante Sana”!

Back in Canada (Customs had some questions . . . ) and ready to unload our many gifts!  Thank you SO much!!

It never ceases to amaze me how people open their hearts and their wallets to help us help children they have never even met . . . how they put their confidence in us to do with their hard earned dollars what is right.  What we should.  And please remember, that every part of your dollar goes to helping our Tumaini family.  All of it.  And remember also please how very far so very little goes when we use it all to help one of our children.  Thank you so very much for your confidence and your kind generosity and for those of you considering a visit to Tumaini . . . Karibu . . . sana!!

Finally, to my sister who has put weeks and weeks of work (and had her family endure Tumaini's "chaos") thank you so much!  It goes without saying that you, Dada, are a Mama Mzuri sana!!!

Okay guys . . . walk away . . . just walk away from this story!

Many of you will remember that during my August trip home to Tumaini we had some visitors stay with us who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro . . . you might remember my “lost toenails” stories.  In the photo below, note the blonde in the pink tshirt (Lauren who is my daughter Amanda’s best friend) and (John) in the back in red who are the main characters in this story.  Girls you are going to LOVE John . . . Guys?  Not so much . . .

(R-L) Jamie, Norma, Jason, John and my nephew Sean (he and Norma lost the toenails) departed for a one week climb of Kilimanjaro after meeting up with Norma’s son Rob who flew in at the last minute.  Lauren and Kathy (front centre) stayed back and worked with our children.  Now, the story of the climb is interesting enough on its’ own . . . five of the six summitted Uhuru Peak at 5895 meters (19,340 feet), the highest point in Africa but this gets even better!

John left Lauren with us for a week while he attempted his climb and on his return put together a slide show of his great adventure.  We assembled the children, our staff and the balance of our volunteers who gathered around John’s computer to see his photos.  Lauren is in the background taking photos of John sharing his tale.

At one point John explained to all of us that the next slide had a lot of words in it and asked Lauren to come up and read it.  Check it out . . .

John dropped to his knees presented a VERY NICE DIAMOND (Lauren can share an hilarious story about John wanting to take separate customs clearing counters at each leg of their journey – to prevent her from seeing the ring he had in his pocket) and Lauren, who self-admittedly, “isn’t emotional” became, well, “emotional”!  John had lost it on the way to one knee.

                                

Our children didn’t understand much of what was going on until John and Lauren kissed and hugged at which point they understood the tears were “happy” and not sad.  We all burst into applause, some of the guys, Sean and Jason, who are unmarried, jokingly cursed John out, remarking on how he expected them to top this and Rob, who IS married, laughed in what I interpret to be the “appreciation of experience”.  Let’s leave it at that!  The rest of us were moved beyond words to share such a special moment with the happy couple and Oddo summed it up beautifully when he thanked John for wanting to share his special day with Tumaini and how our invitation to witness their engagement was a special blessing for Tumaini, the children, all of us.  Thank you John for sharing and Lauren for accepting!  It would have lacked something had you declined!

Sooooooo, guys, have we got a destination engagement location for you or what?  The children were so happy to share the day because John had us arrange for music and soda and popcorn and treats and we danced the afternoon away!

Congratulations Lauren and John on your engagement.  We’ve got a handle on ring bearers and flower girls if the need arises!!

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!

Asante Sana Dr. Yim from Tanzania to Burlington, Ontario, Canada!!

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.

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!

Raymond, at home with watoto Tumaini, and our "Fusion Youth" donated computer!