Happy New Year!

The Christmas season has been a whirlwind of busy-ness here at Tumaini.  (You can only imagine).  Returning volunteers Mama Sharon (CA) and Dada Erica (AUS) assisted our local social welfare office with their inspections of children’s centres, (thank you for the funding to allow Reward http://www.bingwasafaris.com to drive them) verifying the safety of hundreds of children.  Sharon and Erica also helped in preparing for our rather LARGE Christmas prep with new backpacks and zawadis (gifts) for almost 80 children and young adults!

Mama Minke (NL) joined us in preparation for a self and sexual awareness program she collaborated on and presented with Mama Shelley (CA).  Our children have been educated on THE FACTS, (invaluable in a culture of misinformation) about puberty, reproduction, safe sex and we’ve expanded discussions on self-reliance, independence, choice, making better decisions and responsibility which includes respect for self and others and it is incredibly important.  We’ve experienced a third, unwanted pregnancy and this one resulted in physical abuse and non-support of mother and child.  This program will continue on an ongoing basis as we form our 1,2,5,10 and 15 year vision statements with an eye towards independent, successful futures for our family.

Returning volunteers Brent Andrews (US) and Kara Tringali (US) brought a new dada (Katie Sweetlove – US) and not only helped us finalize Christmas but painted classrooms at Nshupu Secondary, our adopted school.  In addition, Brent, Katie and friends/family donated $5,000.00 towards our new pick up truck!  We need just a few more thousand in order to make our purchase!

And speaking of Nshupu . . . we have purchased a new copier as well as a projector and we’ve donated a second copier/printer for the science department.  Tumaini provides the salaries for two additional science/math teachers, we purchase food for the girls’ hostel we outfitted last year and we hope to construct storage cupboards in our chemistry lab so the science teachers will then be able to use the storage room as a staff room.  Mama Pam (CA) continues her library project with text purchases and is planning a second shipment of books but these are all ongoing, special projects we must fund.  Please read about our projects and help where you can!

Dada Tine has come home for just a couple of weeks and between making tacos (a bad word here) at the teen house and getting our school fees paid and children back to school, she is assessing the progress of our work at Nshupu Secondary School.  She saw for the first time our hostel, library, classroom renovations and met personally, our headmistress Mwamvita Salum.  

The children are returning to school and we are settling back into our routine.  There is so much to share . . . back to you soon!!