The loft is filling up again!!

My request for items to take out to Tanzania on my next visit has been responded to far greater than I could have expected. I have nearly 500 bras to distribute amongst the women who will be over the moon with such a luxury. How we women take something like wearing a bra as the norm and not only that but we have the luxury of fittings,choosing shapes,colours etc and when we want to we buy another. I am also delighted with the amount of children's clothes and soft toys that have been donated. The orphans of Chitemo and Nyhinila will be so happy to have something new to wear and a toy to play with. The villagers are very poor and toys are not something that they are able to buy. There are many other usueful items that have been donated and all will find a home. My biggest problem will be transporting everything in our luggage allowance. The allowance is three cases per person of 26 kilos and as many extra cases as we wish but they come at a price, starting at £45 for the first extra case and the price goes up with every extra case thereafter. Where there is a will there is a way. On Sunday 20 May we are holding a Tanzania lunch at our parish church All Saints, Orpington. Not only will it be a fun occasion enjoying the delights of the lunch but hopefully we shall raise some funds to cover extra costs for the trip at the end of June. A big thank you once again to all SEEDS supporters you are helping to make a difference to the lives of little children.

Latest news from Chitemo & Nyhinila villages re pre-school building

I have recently received an email giving me details of the latest progress re the building project of the pre-school for the orphans in Chitemo and Nyhinila. The Pastor Festo Kizuzu of Chitemo has assured me that there is now a project committee of 15 members and a construction committee of 7 members. Two women have already been identified to train as pre-school teachers, their names are Hagali Maonezi from Nyhinila and Lutu Isaya from Chitemo. Obviously we are going to need more teachers but this is a great start

The land for the pre-school

Their working time table for the construction of the classrooms is as follows:-
JAN-MARCH 2012   Collecting stones in the Bush
APRIL-MAY 2012     ferrying stones and sand from the Bush to the site
MAY-JUNE-JULY 2012  Making Bricks, burning and digging of the Foundations.
JULY-OCTOBER 2012    construction of classrooms/possibly roofing depending on the availability of required materials.

I am so very proud of the people as it has not been easy speaking about the need for committees, bank accounts, being accountable for everything. Terminology that we are used to but not in small villages in Africa.

I have also been overwhelmed by the number of people who are coming forward offering their help in some way. When ever I get nervous about the whole project help seems to appear. You could say divine intervention!!

A very kind friend is designing a website for us which will be up and running in the near future. How exciting is that. Another friend has put our details on his Cool local website that promotes local small businesses and  helps to  raise the profile of small charities and community groups. Fantastic! I am being invited to speak to various groups about the SEEDS charity including a Tanzanian church in London and hopefully this will  help to raise its profile.

My loft is filling up with  clothes/toys  for the orphans, bras for the women, and many other useful items. I am not very good at asking this but what we need is funds. If you wish to donate our bank account is as follows

Seeds for Tanzania - account number  81671863 - sort code 40-09-25
Thank you for your interest and support. 
Rev. Canon Yolande Marcussen
Chairman
SEEDS4Tanzania

Miriam Linda

Here is the beautiful Miriam Linda. We can't wait to go back to visit her during our next trip. She was born 17th July 2011 so will be getting on for a year old when we next meet.

An unexpected Baptism!

There is always the unexpected during visits to Tanzania. Not only on this visit was I made a Canon of All Saints Cathedral,Mpwapwa, but  asked to baptise a baby.

Miriam Linda. What  an honour that was for me and my two colleagues Mike and Linda who were the God-Parents. Hence the name Miriam Linda. What a wonderful service followed by a celebration supper at the home of the parents.

St Luke's Maternity Clinic

On the day we visited four mothers had just left safely delivered of their babies. Three mothers were waiting for their time.  The women from the villages are not too sure when their due date might be so have to rely on the expertise of the mid-wives. For this part of the world the facilities at ST Luke's are very good and certainly births are much safer than in the villages where there will be no doctors, mid-wives or medication if needed.

St Luke's Maternity Clinic receives baby clothes October 2011

St Luke's Maternity Clinic in Mpwapwa town helps the women from all over the Mpwapwa Diocese during their pregnancy and delivery. It is very difficult for women who live two or three days walk away to attend the clinic as they have to make the journey at least a month before the birth or they would not be able to make the long walk. Also there is a need to break through the custom of having the babies in the villages which often leads to problems during delivery. To encourage the mother's to use the clinic we take out baby clothes and shawls so that when they have had their baby at the clinic they are given outfits and a shawl to take with them. Ladies from churches in the Orpington and Bromley areas of Kent have knitted dozens of these outfits and shawls. The picture shows midwives and doctors receiving them during our visit in October 2011. We hope to take out more during our next visit at the end of June 2012.                  
KEEEEEEEP Knitting!

Collecting for next trip June 28 - July 20 2012

The loft is starting to fill up with items donated for Tanzania. I already have bras,knitted baby clothes,knitted scarves,soft toys,children's books and clothes. Thank you for the support.
If you have children's clothes age 2 to 10 years they would be most welcome for the orphan children. The following items are also most welcome
Tennis balls,pens,pencils,erasers,sharpners,rulers,spectacles,men's shirts,soap,costume jewellery,more bras,soft toys.
Of course funding is always most welcome. You can be assured every penny goes towards our projects. Visits to Tanzania are self funded.

KEEEEEP COLECTING - Thank you

Yolande