GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN ORPHANAGES!!
HI EVERYONE!!!
EXCITING news, today!!!
Just spoke to Peter Begga, our local on the spot liaison for our Majengo Orphanage in Tanzania this morning!!

Yesterday, the Government SHUT DOWN 3 of the 5 corrupt orphanages set up on the main safari route as businesses to lure in money from tourists.

In two days, they then transferred 67 children to our Majengo orphanage, which they declared the only official facility in the entire area.

Over the past three months we renovated two houses next to our current Majengo orphanage and outfitted them with 38 beds, matresses,sheets, mosquito nets, tables, benches, etc at a cost of approximately $15,000 USD.

Thank you Warren Majengo and Canadian friends for your ongoing work with fundraising for this incredible project!

This is a MONUMENTAL happening..the first time a fully official government body has committed itself to stopping corruption in the entire Monduri province.
Maybe even in the entire country of Tanzania!!!

And Majengo was chosen to look after these children, many orphaned by HIV AIDS.
They have been terribly abused over the last 4 years that i have known and back then worked with them. I have seen children with HIV AIDS unattended, their open liasions dripping from arms and legs. I have seen bunk beds with three beds, the third fitted between the bottom and top,with no room for the children but to lie down.
I have seen children going hungry, while staff filled their plates.
I have heard stories i can't repeat here, of pornography, of rape, of emprisonment.
I have seen wealthy directors with criminal records, paying off local officials to keep them quiet....to keep their 'contribution boxes' full....

And now, they are shut down!
Right now, as i write, the government officials are in meetings with our 10 staff at Majengo, and our local ICA TANZANIA colleagues. They tell me the kids are 'happy'!! That the corrupt orphanage directors were taken by surprise, that our staff are ready to go! That we need elecricity hooked up...that they need money for food!! our budget will expand..
I am calling Peter in a few hours to get the latest details..

In the meantime..for an intimate view of what is happening at Majengo, sent to us by Peter yesterday, before the SHUT DOWNS...below....talk soon!
xLynn

MAJENGO ORPHANAGE END OF YEAR STAFF MEETING.

Introduction: Today on 10thDecember 2010.
All Majengo Staff decided that should be set-up the end of year meeting which took place yesterday at Majengo Orphanage classroom and the main purpose of this meeting was to discuss the matters concerning Majengo throughout the year 2010 and to have new innovative ideas and working plan for 2011 and the new 40 some children whom we hope to receive them when time comes. Renovation for the two houses is well done. The priest and family finally got out and his house has been renovated and is ready for the children to move in….the only process we have for now is to wait for the government to shut down the local orphanages and handover the children to us. So until now we have no idea when will this take place but we hope if it wont take place this week then it will take place early January because the government officials will be going for x-mass and New Year holiday.

People who attended the meeting were;
MAJENGO STAFFS: Kilo (Secretary) Martha (absent) Greyson (Teacher) Glory (Matron- Teacher) Hadija (Cook 1) Nuruanna (Cook 2) Witness (Cleaner) Matilda (Asst: Cleaner)
MASAAI GIRLS VOLUNTEERS: Eva Mwanahamisi Tatu Aziza
I.C.A: Peter. (Coodinator)

Peter opened the meeting by thanking all the members for attending and give them congratulation for the big job they showed up for year 2010 and give them thanks giving on behalf of I.C.A and the Warren Majengo team. They all smiled and the meeting started by giving chances for the staff to speak out their views throughout 2010.

Grayson: (Teacher) He thanked God for his guidance through faith for started the year 2010 well and now we are ending and open the new page of 2011.
He said, “if we figure out in percentage we did this job in only 15% so we have to work so heard so that we can at least go beyond.”
Success we got such us the renovation of the 2 houses where by we are going to have new children this is good idea because we expanding and this will bring our dream of having 1000 children in years to come.
Also we had some challenges through out the year such as we did not have the electricity where by we stayed in darkness especially when our flash light got damaged.
It will be good idea if we will have the electricity starting 2011 because we going to have more children and more houses.
This is my special request to our beloved donors so that we can protect our children especially at night.
He finished by asking all staff to keep the good cooperation than ever before so that we can have a very creative and good team.

Witness: (Cleaner) She thanked the Majengo staff and the Warren Majengo Team for the wonderful job they have done in 2010.
Special thanks to our donors for the things they bought such as new clothes, towels, bed sheet, mosquito nets e.t.c
I am kindly asking them to continue supporting us and God will bless them all.
Special thanks to Majengo staffs, Lynn and Jamie for their support when my Husband passed away they did great job by giving me support and word of encouragement which made me feel good and I am getting recovering.
She asked the staffs to come up with new ideas so that can help for the rebuild of our Orphanage.

Hadija: (Cook) She thanked all for being healthier throughout the year 2010, and said we should keep up the same sprit incoming 2011 because we are going to add new children.
On my side, kitchen department we have no problem we have prepared well to cook nice and delicious food for our children I have no problem with that.
But my big issue is we will need more cooking pots and serving dishes so that we can keep our food hot all the day.
The idea of adding new children is good as we all knows that we have got a lot children who need support so we have no way out we have to do the job to help these Children and I have no doubt about adding new children.
In Kitchen they need cooking port, plates, spoon and cups
Otherwise she thanked everyone for the job done God blesses you all.

Nuruanna: (Cook 2)
She thanked God first and all Staff members for finishing the year 2010 well and ask each and every person to continue working so heard so that we can see the good future of our Children.
And she said if in any way or another she has gone against the expectation of each member of staffs she had apologies and she asked the workers to forget their differences if there is any and create a very big team which will help our children to grow and become independent.
She reminded Lynn for the promise she told the staffs that she was going to support the staff Children to school and give them loans which will help staff to solve their basic needs at their family. some of them have just received their children support Fund but nothing like loan so she was just reminding Lynn if possible to give us loans so that we can provide our family with all basic needs they need this is because the life expenses have gone so higher and we cannot manage to solve everything we need.
Otherwise she asked the workers to come up together and continue working so heard since we are going to have more children as soon as possible.
She wished each and everyone good healthy and prosperous new year.

Glory (Matron-Teacher).
She thanked GOD for we have finished year 2010 and now we are going to open the new chapter of 2011 in a special way she thanked the donors from Warren Majengo for the good job they have worked through out the year 2010 and asked them to continue supporting the children of Majengo orphanage so that each of us will be proud for the protection, care, love and the big support we provided for our children.
She thanked the good cooperation between I.C.A and the village leaders for being together all the time of difficult for the help they provided especially when we needed help.
We as the human sometime we might have gone wrong from one another as a matron she said let us forget our past and let us continue smoothly.
She mentioned some problems she faced as a matron such as; the house did not have the electricity through out the year.
Although we had some flash light which got damaged and up to now we have only 1 flash light which Jamie bought but it can’t light for each room so it is very difficult to perform my duties at night incase of any danger.
I am asking our donors to figure out the electricity connection cost so that we can have power in place especially now because we have 3 houses and we are going to have more children it will be difficult if we bring these children and we have to power in place.
She also insisted that starting next year she should get an assistant so that she can get some relief of resting at least one week per month.
She also mentioned successes we had through the year 2010 such us; Eating well good balance diet,
The classes has been good to our children because of the teaching materials brought by the donors and the sports activities such as football, netball and handball.

Matilda: (Asst. cleaner) She thanked God for everything he has done into her life and thanked everyone for being kindly to her.
She also thanked Lynn in a special way for her big support of her four years of secondary school and now she promised to continue supporting her in a collage, but bad news she went to collage late one week and they refused to receive her so she is going to join next year in February per now she is at Majengo continue to work until time comes for her collage next year in February.
She also thanked the donors for their good ideas of adding more children which makes her feel so good that years to come we may have no street children in the village of the mto wa mbu and the rest of Tanzania.

EVA: (Maasai girl) She thanked Lynn so much for changing her life for not getting early marriage and attends school which makes her feel so good and happy life.
And now she decided to volunteer at majengo orphanage she thanked members of staff for keeping her healthier, eating well and being treated well by majengo staffs.
I promise that I am going to work so heard here at Majengo and make sure that I play with majengo children and make them feel happy so that they have people who can share good time with them…
God bless you all.

Mwahamisi, Tatu and Aziza: (The 3 Maasai girls)
For them they said they have nothing to say but for what they have seen they have never seen such an organization in their life which takes care of the orphans the way Majengo is doing.
They promised to work so heard so that they can show up their thanks giving to Lynn for the big support she gave them all of four years of secondary school.
Also they have asked one request for Lynn if possible to have some pocket money for their own basic needs while at Majengo because girls have got some problems which has to be solved each month such as Vaseline, tooth paste and other girl’s matters.
Otherwise they are real enjoying being at Majengo more than when they have been at their village.

KILO: (Secretary)
He thanked all the members for their good cooperation through out the 2010.
He reminded that we all know how difficult this job was but we used a lot of our energy to ensure this job is done he thanked everyone for creating experience of their own.
He reminded the staff members to continue with their good heart and sense of humor to support our donors to fulfill the expectation of everyone and see the good future of our children and see beautiful fruits from them as they keep growing.
He said ahead us we are still going to have a huge and big job, but there is no fear we have to face it and do it so that we can be accounted and remembered for the job done when these children became independent. In especial way he thanked the donors for their big job of making contribution, fund rising of both money and clothes, we have nothing to pay back to them but promise to them that we are going to anything possible to ensure this job is done.
He agued the staffs and said in any institution people usual have misunderstanding I am sure in any way or another we might have wronged one another but all this might have laid work done let us forget our differences and open a new page in 2011 so that we can have new ideas so that we can expand our majengo Orphanage by having our own building, school and sports ground.
The idea of adding new children we do appreciate for our donors for their support we have prepared enough to receive them and work for them.
He asked for the request of salaries for December and January to all staffs to be paid on 20th Dec 2010 so that they can budget for Charismas and New Year for their family.

Peter; (Coordinator).
He thanked all the staff members for attending the meeting and congratulated all of them for the huge job they have done through out the 2010.
He said we had a very busy month for the renovation of the two houses we thank God they are all done.
The job ahead us is to receive the new children we are still waiting the order from the government to shut up the local orphanages and bring all the children to our orphanage and this might be next week if not early January.
But Mr Mbashe the government person said he is going to come this week with his team to shut the orphanages “so let us be like the soldiers keep hearing the bullets but cant see the enemies”
Let us get prepared to have these children any time from now.

Re: the Catholic hospital… by Sister Monica.
So far we have treated 14 children since we started the relationship between the catholic hospital nearby Majengo and the Majengo orphanage it has been almost one month 2 weeks.
In special way I thank Jamie Bees and Charles Luoga, for the nice talk with Sister Monica it has real helped treating our children all the time when they fall sick even at night.
7 of our children had malaria, Loveness, Abdi, Amina pendo’s sister, hawa, sharmira, Swarehe and Raheli.
Witness and Tatu took the children to the hospital and they were given first priority to be treated the nurses were so kindly and lovely after being given medication late evening sister Monica came to majengo and see how these children were doing which was very good and amazing.
So we all agreed that this is the best hospital we have got.
Sister Monica has gone to Nairobi and she will be back before Charismas so she said she is going to open an email address so that she can start communicating with Jamie and everyone from Warren Majengo.
I have also attached some pictures of our children when they were treated at the Catholic Church hospital.

Re: Majengo Children. They all started the holidays since 1st of Dec 2010.
So they are all at the orphanage we are making gardening and cleanness with them all, they are very happy to do such activities.
They all did great at primary school as usual Amina is the best student out of 123 students,
Hawa got the second position, Jenifer got the fourth position, Godlizen and Neema got the fifth position they had equal marks, amzing.
Sebastian got ninth position and Filipo got fiftieth position.
In pre-school; the following were the best 10 scholar,
1. Latifa 2. Neema 3. Juniour 4. Juliana 5. Godwin 6. Abdi 7. Anisha 8. Anna 9. Hilda 10. Haruni.
P/S we are going to celebrate the Christmas and New Year so we are agreed with Lynn that these parties should have their own budget since they were not in the budget I am reminding Lynn to see on her budget book and see how much we figured out for these two parties so that you can send the money on time before Charismas.

I would like to express my special thanks to Lynn, Matt, Diana, Jamie, Ian, Kym and whoever is involved in this project for helping the Mjaengo orphanage Children in one way or another.
We do real appreciate for the big support.
We promise you that your contribution has been used in right way we kept all the records of what ever we have used.

We have nothing to pay you back but we are asking for those who have never come to Africa please come and see how beautiful these Children are and the lovely scenery such us National parks, cultures and weather changes.
Kym thank you for the Majengo Books and the business cards they are all lovely welcome to Africa, Ian’s Mother and Dad you are welcome to Majengo we have heard that you will be coming soon next year.
Otherwise we wish you a Merry Charismas and prosperous New Year 2011.
God Bless America, God bless Canada, God Bless Tanzania.
“IN GOD WE TRUST”

andthen another:
Dear Lynn and everyone,

I would like to let you that the government leaders came today to majengo to check for the houses if they are ready.... they did appreciated for the work done and they said tomorrow they are going to bring the children in.. They are going to close the 3 orphanages tomorrow and the other 2 orphanages on friday..

My worry is we dont have the budget for the coming childen. Danis is sleeping to my place today and tomorrow I will be working with him for listing tha names, ages and class of the childen then later to visit their family for bios...

I will keep you posted when we receive them...

yes if possible we need to get more flash light but I am going to ask charles to do that because tomorrow we have the children....

the electricity ; all the plans are in place I think you need to contact charles to give you the figure how much they negociated with the eletrician to huke the 3 houses.

I will let you know what we need when we get the kids in place and see how exactly number of children.

I wish you all the best.

Kind Regards,

Peter.