Here's to another wonderful year at Majengo....with so many great things happening this year...season's greetings and thank you so much for all your help; without you, Majengo would be lost in a dream...but today, 5 years later, it is a miracle..
Just got back, and today sitting at my desk in Toronto - outside it's cold, wet and gray - and I can't stop thinking of the kids at Majengo and that hot, pulsating life there, the music, the drumming, the explosion of joy and love, the fun, no kidding, it's like one huge happy family, with our kids, everyday...blossoming and growing...truly a dream come true.
2013...not in order or in importance, it is all important!
...but in a nutshell:
December 2013 - Majengo now supports 140 children...86 living in with all their basic needs being wonderfully met, growing bigger and taller and flourishing, and another 56 living out with family or friends, Majengo supports their education.
...as the only officially government recognized orphanage facility in the entire district of Monduli, we welcomed an additional 12 vulnerable kids into Majengo, selected by govt social worker Mr. Denis, and double checked, interviewed and verified
for authentic needs by our ICA Tanzania project coordinator Charles Luoga.
55 Majengo children will be enrolled into Mama Anna's English taught Primary school...
We have 55 kids enrolling in Jan. '14! With 29 more to go... This is incredible and by learning English, these kids, chosen by our head teacher Grayson and ICA Charles not only for their marks but for how hard they are trying, a much better chance to succeed in their future life.
55 donors have chosen to sponsor 55 children into Mama Anna's starting in January each one commiting to helping 'their' child through whatever grades they have left in primary school...!!
English is not taught at local govt primary schools. Most of our kids have been going to the local govt school down the road, until now. Secondary school is taught in English..miraculously the kids at govt primaryschools are expected to head into secondary school with a good handle on English, but without instruction they have no chance. Now, 55 of our 84 kids are heading into English taught school.
Thank you to their sponsors...
Our goal: to register all our kids into Mama Annas...29 to go..at $540 a kid per year...
To sponsor a child into Mama Annas: please email me at lynnconnell@sympatico.ca to arrange your sponsorship...
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| Majengo childen celebrating at Mama Annas... |
New Sponsor coordinator: Simone Lee Hamilton, our Toronto volunteer teacher is there now until May 2014, teaching at Majengo and Mama Annas...she will be responsible for updating sponsors with pictures and updates of their kids. Thank you Simone..
2014 OPERATING BUDGET - $130,000
We spent 3 intensive days in October, with ICA project coordinator Charles Luoga, volunteers Matt Brewster and Heidi Wiebe, Majengo staff head Killo, logistics coordinator Hamidu and local govt. leader Mayunga detailing our 2014 operating budget for 140 kids and a staff of 20: their food, maintenance, medical, education, clothing, trips and sporting needs, totalling $130,000: everything to ensure our kids a wonderful life...
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| Mayungs, Killo, Charles, Matt, Lynn, Hamidu and Heidi |
* we managed to cover our operating costs for 2013: $115,000
* we supported 30 kids into Mama Annas...@$540 each: $16,200.
* we raised another $130,000 to build phase 1 of our new Majengo
All of our fundraising is through the generosity of friends and family and their friends in Canada and the United States from the proceeds of birthday parties, gifts, prizes, family foundations and international Rotary, and you....
In September, we raised over $45,000 at Dunedin, Toronto, Washington and Warren fundraisers..huge thanks to everyone who came and donated, who helped with the parties...to fiddle/violinist Anne Lindsey and her band in Toronto, to Toronto caterer Lyndon Wiebe and Paul Copeland for lending us his loft...to Ian Ashburgh in Warren for his Grains and Grapes funder..to all 4 Matts, Di, Kym, Jamie and Chrissie for organizing, to Alicia and Matt Brewster in Washington..and to all of the great people with their ongoing support of Majengo in every way, thanks!!
Hot off the press!! for US donors only!!
Check out our Majengo fundraiser on CrowdRise (http://www.crowdrise.com/majengochildren) - a great and easy way to donate as well...
NEW MAJENGO FACILITY...the local goverment gave us 10 acres of open clean land in the valley of the Rift Valley. We started building in Sept 2012 with Warren's Jamie Bees and her Presbyterian friends, and finished most of phase 1 in June 2013, completing 3 big spacious houses for big boys, big girls, and a centre house for little boys and girls - each with a room for a mama and volunteer..open, airy and solid..with huge thanks to Charles for overseeing everyday, a team of 20 local builders,
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| Uncle Ed from Toronto, |
..assisted by Canadian tour company GiveGetGo and their volunteers
(see givegetgo.ca), who have successfully organized 2 trips this year, with more scheduled in 2014, where volunteers spend 8 full days working on construction at Majengo, coupled with an exciting safari to the Serengeti and Ngora Crater, visit local peoples and events and on to the beach in Zanzibar...
..and so many others...
Especially the children... getting their new home ready...
...washing the floors...
...sorting out clothes
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| Diana moving clothes |
...dismantling 35 bunk beds at the old Majengo and transporting them over to the new Majengo...and putting them all together...
MOVING DAY....June 9, 2013...finally....
Moved 86 kids in, carrying chickens, ducks and puppies a few days later...sorry I wasn't there and didn't get a great shot of that but I can assure you it must have been crazy...walking the 3 dusty miles from the old location to our new Majengo...animals tucked firmly into their little arms, with great determination...squawking, squirming, leaping alway....
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| dining room, office and kitchen half finished... |
PHASE ONE construction: thanks to Warren for raising $130,000, Margie Zeidler for designing and to Charles our project coordinator supreme, keeping costs down as much as possible: 3 houses, kitchen, dining and office spaces ..washrooms inside and out....bravo!
PHASE TWO construction:
...currently raising $85,000 for a 4th house, resource library, soccer field, net ball court (our girls going to Mama Anna's just came first in the entire district in Netball for the school) and playground...landscaping, security fence...vegetable gardens, goats, cows....
If you would like to help us, please donate online on our website or by cheque to Majengo Canada or Warren Majengo Foundation...see our website: www.majengo.org
Kids playing on the sandy floor of the new dining room space, which Charles decided to close in, rather than open..so that we can rent it out eventually, as conference space, sustainability for Majengo!
OUR STAFF...
At left, some of our 20 wonderful staff, without whom we could not operate...with over 100 mouths to feed 3 x a day, showers, washing clothes...no electricity.
Can you imagine trying to put 84 kids to bed every night without light?
At our new Majengo, we have a much bigger albeit half-finished kitchen...where the meals are deliciously and magically prepared...ugali, beans, rice, meat, silvery fish, chicken, green..chai..Cooks and cleaners live out, but come to Majengo every day...working hard to keep our kids and their clothing, clean and well fed...
Our staff..who love the kids as their own...never ever complain about the amount of work...ever!!...most of whom started with us from the very beginning and worked for free that whole first year before we got started. We've created a micro - finance program to loan our staff money to enable them to enrol their own children into prohibitively expensive secondary school education.
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| Staff, voluneers and visitors at an October staff meetingm where each member of the staff are encourages to speak of successes and challenges, issues and needs, creating trust, care and, communication and connection between all three groups... |
VOLUNTEERS:
Big thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of volunteers who give their time, expertise and love
This year welcoming Canadian Heidi Weibe and Matt Brewster, from the Warren Pa area...both of whom came for 6 months and might well stay forever....
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| Matt with kids in front of 55 brand new matresses |
They are here assisting Charles, our main guy and Majengo co-founder from ICA Tanzania: Matt Brewster on-site with our new build construction, working side by side with local workers, learning Swahili in only a few months
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| Heidi Wiebe doing bead work with the kids |
Majengo - showing movies on his laptop, hanging out and lying under the stars teaching the kids the galaxy...check Matt out on Facebook for wonderful persona anecdotes and updates..
..and Heidi Wiebe from ICA Canada, assisting Charles with ICA work in the office, evolving into full out work for Majengo ..helping wonderfully to organize our updates, charts, children's bios and photos, financial statements and everything...
...my friend BH Yael...taking hours of video...teaching the kids how to shoot film and take great pics with the cameras...
fully equipped with dental equipment to test every one of our kids' teeth...making detailed records with the help of Matt's 13 year old daughter Jacqueline, her second trip to Majengo....
Matt McKissock, ICA Tanzania Brian Gick and team spent June in meetings, proposing a 10 year financial plan re education and living costs...huge undertaking, thanks to Charles, Doris and the board of ICA Tanzania, Heidi Weibe and Matt Brewster and everyone who participated.
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| Charles Luoga: ICA Tanzania, Lynn Connell: Majengo Canada and Matt McKissock: Warren Majengo Foundation from Warren Pennsylvania |
......assisted by Maxine Sidran..
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| my brother Rick and Baby Anna |
My brother Rick...with 4 enthusiastic and supportive friends from Canada...all contributing in their own wonderful way...and in the end each sponsoring a few kids to Mama Annas, researching and fundraising for solor....and maybe a new truck for majengo....
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| Sue Freeman on her second trip to Majengo, Sherri and Lisa.. |
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| Suzanne with the kids... |
Big thanks to Lisa, Sherri, Denise and Suzanne for continuing huge support when we got home. Fundraising, arranging bookkeeping, organizing and secretarial help and researching for solar....and to my brother Rick..for putting this all together...a great trip with a great group...
AND SANTA...last, and not least....
we need lots of stuff for Christmas, Dear Santa...
• our operating costs went up to $130,000 for next year...
• we have 29 more kids hoping to get into Mama Anna's January.
We need new shoes..if someone out there knows Mr.Bata please let us know...
•3 pairs shoes per kid per year $75 x 86 kids...
•electricity!! working on it..and big thanks to Lisa Oelke from Toronto who is researching a solar system for Majengo...and Santa.. we will need money for that...$3,000.
Dining room tables, benches. a couch and chairs for our new houses are desperately appreciated... tables $80.
Benches $20...Couches $95...
OUR RED TRUCK died...we have no wheels...Our visitors run around in tuk tuks like this, but we walk....Santa...we have two suggestions for you.. or maybe, cause we've been real good...both!!
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| This is Dr. John's 3 year old Izuzu truck..he will sell it to us for $14,000 |
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| or...we could buy something like this..at around $10,000 to carry us to school |
with love and thanks Santa...for yet a wonderful 2013,
from all of us children of Majengo....
