The Kili Kids Wrap Up

Kili Kids---A Tough Good Bye

I enjoyed my two weeks volunteering with Kili Kids.  I thought the organization had a number of good things working for them.  They have a great system with an on-site teacher.  At the same time, like any other nonprofit, they have their struggles.  I was working with one of their board members to strengthen their orientation plan.  A few of my fellow volunteers started to compile lists of phrases in Swahili that would be useful for volunteers to know before coming to the site.  I started to look at a few of the Michigan Best Practices for Nonprofits that might be applicable for the group.  I am putting together a full report for their staff by next month.  I hope that my time was useful to them and I will always remember the experience and the kids.

A Hostel With A Mission

When I was looking for accommodation in Moshi, the coordinator at Kili Kids recommended that I stay at Hostel Hoff.  Yes, the hostel is named after David Hasselhoff.  The Hoff should be proud of this place not becasue of the name but because of their mission!  The woman, Sarah, that developed the concept has focused the hostel around independent volunteering.  There is a growing number of for profit companies that have emerged in Africa that coordinate volunteers for a fee.  Unfortunately, many of these companies are not truly connected to the community and the proceeds of their work don't stay with the nonprofits in the region.  Sarah was introduced to Moshi and Tanzania by one of those groups and she felt that there was a better way of connecting people to volunteer opportunities and building the capacity of local nonprofits.  She helps place her hostel guests at volunteer placements at a variety of local nonprofits in Moshi without a fee.  She makes her money through her hostel and organizing tours while the volunteer placement is done without a fee.  A great way to circumvent those for profit companies. I spent two weeks there and really enjoyed the vibe.  Though most of the other guests were in there 20's, there was a bond between us as volunteers. 

A Small World Connection

In July of last year, I met Jessica Boyer and Michael Houdyshell outside of the Red Square in Moscow.  They offered to take a picture of our group after they heard our American accents.  We talked for no more than ten minutes before we went our separate ways.  Surprisingly, Jessica and Michael had Michigan connections and they took my business card with my blog and contact information.  Michael was a professor at Eastern Michigan University.  In January, I received and e-mail from them saying that they were looking on the blog and that they would be in Africa around the same time.  Though we crossed each others paths a few times over the months, we finally met up for a drink in Moshi before they did their hike of Kilimanjaro.  We hope to catch up one more time in Egypt at the end of the month.

Kili Kids: Part II

Kili Kids is Expanding

Based on their current success, the local board and the international fund-raising board has decided to expand the services of Kili Kids.  The overall goal is to eventually work with 100 kids.  They are currently at 24 kids and are being prudent not to grow too fast.  They view their expansion goals to happen over years and not overnight.  They know that any time adding kids will test their systems and they want to be prepared so they will be adding small number of children at periodic points. 

Along with the growth, they have acquired their own land are now developing their buildings for the orphanage and community hall.  It will be a small campus like setting that over time will be able to accommodate their growth in numbers.  It will provide the children with more rooms, bathrooms, classroom space and outdoor areas for them to play. They are looking to incorporate sustainable building principles into the site as well.  They are also looking at ways to incorporate their neighbors by farming part of the land.  It would provide food for the orphanage and the left over could be used by the neighbors or sold at the market to leverage additional resources.   I had the opportunity to visit the site where they are building during my time volunteering.

              Pictured: Sophia (the teacher) and June (a fellow volunteer) have reading time with some of the children.

Kili Kids: Part 1

It is interesting the way life allows things to happen for a reason.  I received an e-mail a number of months ago from Laurie Loughridge-Wargo, a nonprofit fund raiser from the Detroit area.  She had been having lunch with one of my former colleagues and they told her to look up my blog. Laurie had done a similar journey a year or two ago. We traded e-mails for awhile and shared notes about our experiences.  I really wanted to know how she handled the integration back into the US and reengaging in the workforce.  Actually, that is my biggest concern; what it will be like to be back home.  I am looking forward to it but at the same time I know that the experiences that I have had over the past fifteen months have changed me.  Will I be content? Will I be overwhelmed by the pace of life?  How will it be to be in a suit and working again?  I know I will have plenty of blogging material for when I return to the States so stay tuned.

I was looking to do a volunteer assignment in early March and unfortunately the group I was looking at did not pan out.  I remembered that Laurie had worked to help start-up a charity in Tanzania.  Since I was going to be in Tanzania to hike Kilimanjaro, I sent her an e-mail to see if they needed volunteers.  Coincidentally, Laurie informed me that the charity was based in the city of Moshi which is the staging ground for hike to Mount Kilimanjaro.  I filled out the application process and was approved to volunteer.  From a volunteer management perspective, I was impressed that they did background checks on their volunteers.  I know we spent a lot of time in the US helping nonprofits that work with vulnerable populations develop strong policies to provide safeguards for their clients.   As I found out during my time in Moshi, not all the other charities working with children have that type of policy in place.

                 Pictured: Me, Parsley and Andrea working on the Alphabet.  G is for Grizzly Bear (Please insert your own growling and bear like claws for effect.)

I spent two weeks at Kili Kids.  Initially, I was planning on working with the kids in the afternoon developing a new program that provided more structure after their school time.  When I arrived to town, I was told that there was a greater need in the morning working with teacher and other volunteers. There are 24 children that have been orphaned at Kili Kids. Fourteen of them are old enough to go to the public school during the day.  The remaining ten are taught by a teacher on-site.   I spent most of my time working with two of the youngest kids at the orphanage, Andrea and Parsley. Each morning, we worked on our alphabet, numbers, coloring and if they were good there was plenty of play time.  I don't know what to say but those two always brought a smile to my face.  They were mischievous and at times would play off of each other.  My weapon of attack was always the threat to send them to their rooms.  After I would say "Chumbani?(Room in Swahili)," they would straighten up and start their lessons again.  The combination of the teacher and volunteers allowed for real individual attention for the children.  Because of some of their circumstances, it was a good way to help the kids learn at their own pace.

Kili Kids: A Preview

Dear Gentle Reader:

It has been one of the crazier weeks of the past fifteen months so you haven't seen a post from me in close to a week.  I am currently in Amman, Jordan and will be running the Dead Sea Half Marathon tomorrow (Friday) morning.  I will begin to start blogging this weekend so you can learn more about my volunteer experience with Kili Kids and my surprise visit to Michigan.  I leave you with a picture from my volunteer assignment. 

                  Pictured: The teacher at Kili Kids, Sophia, myself with Flat Mallory and some of the children I worked with.

Mt. Kilimanjaro: The Slow Plod to the Summit

"...Compie turned his head and grinned and pointed and there, ahead, all he could see, as wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun, was the square top of Kilimanjaro. And then he knew that there was where he was going." The Snows of Kilimanjaro--Ernest Hemingway.

Day Three- "And then there was one"
The third day was the toughest of the three days by far.  Most groups had stayed at the last camp to acclimatize for a day but because we were on the budget hike we kept on hiking.  Later on, I would find out that your percentages of reaching the summit increase significantly if you do the hike in six days versus the five days that we were on.  It was another 15 kms of hiking which took me five hours and my partner, Akash, six hours.  We were now at the Kibo huts at an altitude of 4700m. We had lunch and it was time to rest.  The fourth day was technically to start in a few hours.  We would leave the Kibo huts at midnight and start the six hour hike to the summit.

I tried to sleep but it was still the middle of the afternoon and my body was not feeling tired.  Akash was fast a sleep in the bunk next me.  I kept wondering when the altitude sickness would hit.  At Everest Base Camp it was near this altitude that I started to feel ill. Surprisingly, I was doing fine.  Perhaps, the diamox was working or perhaps I had grown some tolerance for this altitude because of my previous hiking trips. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Akash jump out of bed and make a mad dash to the hallway.  I followed him out because I was worried about him and then I saw him start to throw up on himself.  Altitude sickness.  He needed to get down from the mountain and now.  I tried to find my guide but I needed to settle my stomach down.  I have a horrible time when it comes to seeing other people get sick.  I gave Akash a towel and turned away.  Do not get sick.  Do not get sick.  I punched myself in the stomach and raced to find the head guide.  The head guide and one of the porters started Akash quickly down the mountain. Other than a message I received a day later that Akash was fine, I never saw him again.

It was strange waiting for the few hours before we left for the summit.  I chatted with the others in my room.  There were two Spaniards, two Slovenians and an another American.  We were all tired and nervous but couldn't sleep.  The conversation was disjointed and everyone was a little slap happy.  I tried sleeping after dinner but only got to sleep an hour before midnight.  The last things I saw before I went to bed and first thing I saw when I woke up was some graffiti on the bed above me.  Little did I know that Blair Hargett's words would help me get through the last six hours of this brutal hike to the summit.

Day Four- The Long Walk
I bundled up with all the warm clothing I had.  A few minutes after midnight, we started to slow ascent to the top.  The assistant guide, who was left to lead the way when the main guide took Akash back, was very good and supportive.  'Pole, Pole (slowly, slowly)," he would tell me in Swahili.  "This will be a piece of cake. No need to race to the top."  Every step was a chore.  Each breath was tougher in the oxygen depleted air.

In the end, Mt. Kilimanjaro is not about physical strength it is about mental strength.  My mind kept telling me that this was ridiculous.  I was beginning to feel nauseous.  Was it altitude sickness? What am I trying to prove?  It would be so easy to head back down.  After three hours of hiking, it felt like I had been hiking for ten.  Even if I did get to the top, I had six more hours of hiking before me to get down. Each time I had a self defeating thought, I quoted Blair Hargett, "Be Determined!"

I started to count my steps. I needed to stop thinking about how long I had left.  I couldn't look up without feeling ill.  It was a shame because it was full moon and it lit up the mountain.  I had a head lamp but I didn't need to use it.  The moon would be my guide.   My guide told me to watch his feet. I watched my guide and started to march in step with him. When he would step, I would step. I started laughing to myself as I heard in my head, "When I move, you move (just like that?)" I was quite sure that I was probably the only person to summit Kilimanjaro while humming a Ludacris song.

A little after 6:30 in the morning, I made it to the summit (5895m).  As I approached the sign that marks the summit point of Uhuru Peak, I felt a rush of emotions that I didn't expect. It wasn't the toughness of the hike that brought tears to my eyes but the pure beauty that was before me.  I saw the sun slowly break into the horizon. 
I took in the clouds that I stood above. It was the top of the continent.  The hardest climb of my life.  Though the winds were freezing, I didn't seem to notice. Behind me, the glacier glowed as the sun and the moon were out at the same time.

I took pictures with the Spartan Flag and Flat Mallory and began my long descent down.  I hiked for another six hours as I went back to the Horombo Huts, the lodgings from our second day.  It was a good day and I slept like a baby.

Day Five- Homeward Bound
The last day is anti-climatic.  You have a five hour hike to get to the main gates.  It isn't a difficult hike but your muscles ache.  For me the worst was my knees because they got tore up on the way down.  Going down the mountain is always more difficult for me then hiking up.  We passed hikers who were heading up.  We answered their questions with pride because we had accomplished our goals.  My guide would tell them that "it was a piece of cake" and I would truthfully insert "but it is the biggest cake you have ever seen."

Mt. Kilimanjaro: The First Two Days

Day 1- A Slow Beginning
Our group consisted of the guide, an assistant guide, two porters and Akash and myself.  We took a taxi van from Moshi to the National Park Enterence for the Marangu Route.  Since I booked the trip at the last minute, I was hoping to pay my National Park fees at the gate via credit card.  Unfortunately, they needed a special type of debit card and my MSU Federal Credit Union Visa card would not do the trick.  I had only one option and that was to take a ride back to Moshi and get money out of the ATM.  It was a fifty minute ride and I was not looking forward to it. 

Once I got the money out in Tanzanian shillings, I needed to get it transferred into US dollars.  That is right-the Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania doesn't take its own currency only US Dollars.  Not a lot of faith in your own government and its monetary policy, huh? Someone should tell them after our recent success with the economy the US dollar might not be a safe bet either.  After a frustrating two and half hour delay, we were off to the races. No- the races wouldn't be a good description, it was a very slow pace.  My hiking partner Akash was very slow.  I tried to slow down and make conversation but after awhile I was getting bored so I picked up the pace and walked by myself for a substantial portion.  I actually prefer some alone time when hiking.  It allows you to enjoy the surroundings and reflect on life. 

The first day hike on the Marangu Route was a 12 km hike which took us about five hours.  We started at the Marangu gate which is at 1980m and ended at the Mandara Huts which was at an altitude of 2700m. It was obvious that I had selected a cheaper hiking firm when dinner came around.  There were groups that were getting four course meals while we were getting very simple food.  In the end it didn't matter because they served us good portions with plenty of carbs.  It was what I was going to need if I was going to carry myself up this mountain.

My hiking partner, Akash, was tired and called it an early night in our cabin.  It was the first time I became nervous for him and his ability to take on Kilimanjaro.  I was fine with the fact that he was a slow hiker but the five hour hike was only seven miles and the gradation up was a slow ascent.  The other days would be steeper and we would be battling with less oxygen as we continued.  This was our easy day.  I stayed up for a few more hours meeting fellow hikers in the mess hall and then retired to the cabin to read for a little bit before falling asleep.

Day 2- I Begin to Worry

Our second day was a little bit longer than the first day.  We end up walking for another six hours and cover about fifteen kilometers before getting to the Horombo Huts.  It was another 1000 meters that we ascended in one day.  I was nervous based on my experience at Everest Base Camp that we were ascending too fast.  In Nepal, they limit the amount of kms you ascend in any day to around 4.  After taking the seminar on altitude sickness, I understand how dangerous it is and how quickly it can sneak up on you.  It doesn't matter how fit you are or your age, altitude sickness can impact anyone because each person reacts to it differently.

I decided to take the altitude sickness medicine, diamox, for the hike. Since it was helpful when I was getting the first stage of it in the Himalayas, I thought I would take it from the beginning of the hike.  I was going to be 800 meters higher on Kilimanjaro and doing it in half the time so I needed whatever extra boost was possible.

After the day's hike, we had dinner in the Horombo Mess Hall.  Akash was not looking good and he had another slow day hiking.  He kept telling my guide he was doing fine but I knew he was hurting.  I pulled him aside and told him about my experience in the Himalayas and how serious altitude sickness really was.  He listened and then meekly told me he was experiencing a headache, the first symptom of altitude sickness.  he talked with the guide and agreed that we would see how tomorrow went and if things got worse, we would make arrangements to get Akash off the mountain.  I had a restless sleep that night.

Mt. Kilimanjaro: The Prelude

 

After my fun in the sun in Zanzibar, I took a flight to Moshi, Tanzania.  I needed to book my tour for the hike to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  I had seven days available to do the hike before I needed to report to my next volunteer assignment.  People I had met over the past few weeks all recommended that I book a tour once I got into town because it would be cheaper than organizing it before I arrived. 

I spent the day walking through town and looking at the different tour companies.  There are street hawkers on every corner that aretrying to sell you safari trips or a hiking tour of Kilimanjaro.  It is almost a little overwhelming.  Since they get a commission on whatever trip you buy, they are relentless and will slander the guy you are talking with just to start a conversation with you. 

I found a small company that was started by a few former guides.  They borrow their permit from a larger company but organize their own tours at a substantial discount.  At first, they thought they had a found a fresh mark since I was an American that needed to book the trip on a quick turnaround.  Little did they know that I had the inside scoop on how much I should spend, tip and expect from them.  After their initial offer, I looked at the guide and told him that I was offended that he was treating me like a tourist who was coming to the country for the first time.  I told him what I expected and what the cost was going to be and that the only way I would do it was if they outfitted me with gear for the hike as part of the package.  He smiled.  He knew there would be no negotiations. It was the cheapest price for the five day Marangu route but at the same time it was a fair one for the start of rainy season. 

We left the next morning for the Mountain.  They had found another hiker to come up with me, a young student from Japan named Akash.  Akash wasn't a talkative person but he was excited about the hike.  I made conversation with him and found out that his only other hiking experience he had was Mt. Fuji.  I was a little nervous for him because he didn't seem to be that active and didn't understand that this mountain was not as easy of a climb as Mt. Fuji.  We were going to be with each other over the next five days and I decided that it was my goal to get him up the mountain if it was the last thing I would do.

                 Pictured: Akash, Sam and Flat Mallory getting ready for the climb of a lifetime.

Birthday Celebrations in Zanzibar

 

I decided that I wanted to celebrate my birthday on the island of Zanzibar.  I took a ferry from Dar es Salaam to Stone Town on Zanzibar.  Zanzibar is the birthplace of Freddie Mercury, the late lead singer of the band, Queen.  I didn't know that until I got on the island.  I had dinner the night before my birthday at a restaurant called Mercury's and read about the Zanzibar connection.  It is interesting because Tanzania is a fairly homophobic country and they struggle with promoting the connection with singer because of his orientation.  I met the owner of the restaurant and began talking with him and eventually my birthday came up in conversation and he bought me dinner and drinks.  A very good way to start the birthday celebration.

The next day, I took a combo taxi out to the beaches 90 minutes north of Stone Town.  It was my birthday gift to myself- a little sun, some snorkeling and a few good books.  In a few days, I would be hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro so I thought I should enjoy a little relaxation before the incredible physical challenge of the climb to the summit.

It was a strange birthday.  It was the first time I was not celebrating with someone I knew.  I wasn't going to complain because I was on the beaches of Zanzibar. It was time to make new friends! 

I met a family that recognized me from Stone Town and we had a few drinks together.  The couple was from South Africa and were traveling with their two kids, ages eleven and nine, across the continent.  They were taking 12 months to go from Cape Town, South Africa to Europe overland by camper van. I thought I had a great journey but these two kids were going to have an incredible experience with their parents at such a  young age. 

Later that afternoon, I went on a snorkeling expedition and met a number of people.  The most interesting was a man in his late 60's from Oak Park, Michigan.  He is originally from Russia and immigrated to US about 20 years ago.  He is traveling around the world with the goal of going to every major country with his trusty fold-able bike. He has been to over 100 countries and loves biking through them.  The 90 minute taxi ride I had taken earlier that day was a five hour bike ride for him.  We shared dinner and watched the local kids play soccer as the sun went down. I hope I have the same level of fitness and outlook on life as he does when I am that age. 

Later in the evening, I went down to the beach bar and made friends with an Intrepid adventure tour group.  They were a fun group from over seven different countries. They took me in as one of their own and it was a night of drinks, laughs and dancing. I didn't have any expectations going into the day but I can say that it was a great way to turn 38 years old.

"All Aboard! The Train is About to Leave The Station!"

I had two choices in getting to Tanzania from Zambia that were in the budget.  I could take a 24 hour bus ride or 46 hour train ride.    After thinking about it for a few days, I decided with the train.  Buses were so confining and I would be lucky to get a handful of stops to get food or use the bathrooms.  Though the train was a full day longer, you could get up and walk around, you had a sleeper compartment and the tipping point was the restaurant car.

Hour 1-  I have found my first class cabin with my sleeper bed.  I have two roommates, one from Angola and the other from Zambia.  They were amused to see me wobble in with my two backpacks and get settled in.  I am armed with two books and and a fully charged Ipod.  I am looking forward to this journey.  There is something quaint about long term train travel.  I read Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days a few months ago and there was something exciting and adventurous about Phileas Fogg and his French valet, Passepartout's train journey and the people they met as the crossed the American continent.

Hour 3-  The gentleman from Zambia is not very talkative and spends much of his time with his girlfriend, who is in another cabin.  The policy for the train company separates men and women unless they are married from sharing the same sleeper car.  The gentleman from Angola speaks a little English but is more comfortable speaking in French.  We trade a few pleasantries every thirty minutes or so.  It is comforting that he is trying as hard as I am in attempting to communicate. 

Hour 4-  I head to the restaurant car with my book and get a beer.  There are a handful of passengers in there but mostly it is the disinterested waitstaff sitting at the tables.  I am reading A Long Way Gone:A Memoir of A Child Soldier.  The autobiographical account by Ishmael Beah is a heart wrenching story of his journey from an innocent child to child soldier to child-rights advocate during the Sierra Leone Civil War.  It is a difficult read from an emotional stand point but Ishmael is such a talented writer that I couldn't put the book down till I finished it that night. 

Hour 5-  The soldiers that patrol the train stop by and tell me that I shouldn't stay in the restaurant car because I am leaving my things unattended and they will most likely get stolen.  I thank them for their concern but I really don't care anymore if anything gets stolen.  I keep my wallet, ipod, camera on me at all times but the rest of my things are expendable.  If someone wants the clothes and shoes I have been wearing for the past 15 months good for them.  My computer doesn't work and the rest of my things are books.  Hopefully, the thieves can either fix computers or read English.  It is quite freeing when you stop caring about your material possessions.   I stay in the restaurant car for the next few hours. 

Hour 6- I have a decent meal of chicken curry and rice and the gentleman from Angola joins me for the meal.  I think we have become friends.  He is a bit older than I am so he looks at me like a son.  He tells me I should be worried about my stuff in the room.  I ask him if he is concerned about his items and he tells me he has nothing of value.  I laugh and tell him I feel the same way.  "Then we have nothing to worry about!" he says and orders us two beers. 

Hour 9-  I head to bed in the cabin.  I have the top bunk and so I climb up and try to get settled in.  The man from Angola is complaining about how everything is so cheap on the train.  When he used to travel this route before there were pillows and more blankets.  I listen to him and validate his concerns but I am used to sleeping almost anywhere these days. 

Hour 16- I have a good night's sleep and wake up when the train attendant brings us the breakfast menu.  They are about to serve breakfast in the compartment and the man from Angola tells the train attendant that the two of us will eat breakfast in the dining car.  We have become friends and like a father he picks up up the bill.  He tells me about his company and wife and children.  He is surprised that I am not married and tells me that I should get working on that when I head back to the States.  I secretly wonder if my mother has sent this man to me.

Hour 20-  I start writing in my journal.  I spend some time reflecting on my grandfather and his love of travel.  It was a trip that I had with him when I was a freshman in high school that really ignited my passion for travel.  He was a diplomat with an incredible network of friends and colleagues over the world.  I wonder what he would of thought of this journey that I was on.

Hour 24-  One day down and one to go.  I start my second book, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.  I picked it up at the hostel I was at prior to leaving Lusaka.  The irony of reading that book while I was a on a long-term train ride was not lost on me.  I read a few chapters and then decided to listen to my ipod.

Hour 30- My god!  What have I done?  I have 16 more hours of this.  There is nothing exciting or adventurous about traveling by train for this long.  My Angolan friend and I have run out of things to talk about because of our language differences.  My book is fine but I am not really getting into it at this point.  I no longer feeling like writing.  I pace up and down the train. My Angolan friend is just as bored as I am.  We head down to the restaurant car and have a few drinks in silence.  The boredom is too much but there is nothing I can do.  My dinner is the same as yesterday, chicken curry and rice.

Hour 33-  I climb back into my sleeper bed and try to fall asleep.  It takes longer than the night before.  Eventually, I fall asleep satisfied with the fact that when I wake up, I will only have a few more hours left on the train. 

Hour 41-  I wake up and head to breakfast with my Angolan friend.  I am told by our waiter that the train is going to be six hours late to Dar es Salaam.  My 46 hour train ride will now be 51 hours in total.  Why didn't I take the bus?

Hour 45- Things pick up.  We are going through a national park and every few minutes you can see wildlife.  There are giraffes, elephants, and antelope.  The three of us point like little children when ever we pass by anything exciting.  It is something new and keeps us busy for a few hours.  I can't wait to get to my hotel, I need a shower.  It has been two days since I had one. 

Hour 51-  We pull into Dar es Salaam.  The journey is over.  We made it.  We said our quick good byes and I head over to the YMCA hostel. In the end, the journey was worth the experience but my next long leg of the trip, I am going to treat myself to a flight.  I think I deserve that.

My Next Volunteer Assignment- Kili Kids

Dear Gentle Readers,

This week I am climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro so I won't be posting to many lengthy blog posts.  I am excited that I will be working on my next volunteer project once I get back from the hike.  I am working with a group called "Kili Kids" through the support organization, Committee Assist.  I will be working here for two weeks and working on a new after school program. 

I was introduced to the organization by one of my blog readers from Southeastern Michigan, Laurie Loughridge Wargo. She has been involved with the organization from its inception and mentioned that if I was in Tanzania that I should volunteer with them.  I will let you know more about my experience and how you can help after I complete my work with them.

Here is a little bit about them from their website.

Our Mission

---

To create self-sustaining communities by providing shelter, training, education and hope for the future of orphaned and abandoned children and their neighbouring poor in developing countries.

We know that we, alone, cannot cure poverty or save the lives of the many young children left orphaned by AIDS. But we can definitely make a difference for many.

We can assist them and their carers create their own sustainable community - a place they are proud to belong, a place to call home, a community in which they choose to be an active member, no longer a victim of circumstance. We can share this opportunity, knowledge and technology with those around them.

Our Objectives 

Our Mission will be achieved by:

• providing land, infrastructure and equipment necessary for the development and sustainable maintenance of this community and their neighbouring communities;

• providing training, education and assistance to the children, their carers and the surrounding poor in the areas of sustainable land use, water, energy, agriculture, sanitation, business, basic nursing/first aid and other areas necessary for the ongoing maintenance of the orphanages and their surrounding communities.

• enhancing the opportunities for the children through loving care, education and training.