Tuesday, December 3, 2013

November Newsletter

Walk In Love


November 2013 Newsletter
We hope you have all had a wonderful beginning of the holiday season! We do not celebrate Thanksgiving here but we are very thankful for all the women and children we have been able to provide for. We are also thankful for all the donors who make our work possible!!!
The "big" kids pretending to be sleeping in the preschool room.

We have, together, created another option for young mothers, Neema and Charles

 First I want to share a exert from a piece I wrote called "Finding Inspiration" in April 2012

Patricia

On Monday morning I arrived at Cradle and met our newest addition, Patricia. She is three months old but looks like a tiny new born. She has mocha skin,big light brown eyes and lots of curly hair. Her mother had dropped her off over the weekend because she was no longer producing milk. She didn't want to leave her but she knew that Patricia was already too small and malnourished. There was nothing the mother could do to help her only child anymore. The mother herself was starving and could not feed her daughter.


Neema and Charles
Let me introduce you to a very brave 19 year old girl named Neema and her 3 week old son, Charles.
Neema came to our center last week, very weak, holding her 3 week old son. She told us that she was no longer producing enough milk to feed Charles and she was scared that he was going to die. We brought her in, we feed her and then we went to the market and bought her fruits, vegetables, proteins and rice enough for one week. We will continue giving food to Neema. On January 6th Charles will become the newest baby at the Walk In Love Community Center and Neema will start a program to give her the skills to get a job so that she can feed Charles and keep him in a safe home environment. We will be securing sponsorship for Neema and Charles this month. Neema will chose which profession she wants to go into and we will hopefully get enough sponsorship money to provide basic needs for her and Charles and pay her school fees.





 Neema will never have to make the decision to take Charles to an orphanage or abandon him hoping someone would take care of him. We have created another option for Neema and this is only the beginning.  Abandoned babies are found every day in Arusha and they end up in orphanages. Some are even found healthy and clean. They had a mother that loved them but couldn't care for them. Just like Neema loves Charles but if she hadn't come to us to ask for help then there is no doubt in my mind she would be Patricia's mother or one of the abandoned babies at an orphanages mother. A mother's instinct is to keep her child happy and healthy and when a mother cannot provide for her child she will do what is necessary and unfortunately most of the time here in Arusha that baby becomes just another nameless abandoned baby at an orphanage. I know that mothers, like Neema, want the chance to keep there babies. They want the opportunity to go to school and to support their families. We are here to give them that option.

Next year we have big plans to make this an option for other young mothers or any at-risk women. We will go into more detail about our new programs next month but I want you all to think about donating to Walk In Love this year so we can start next year off running! I know the end of the year is a popular time to donate and if you are not able to donate please pass our story on to your friends and your family. We have created another option for a young mother and with you help we can give this option to so many more!

You can donate through our paypal link, write a check to Walk In Love, International
12802 S Arapaho Dr
Olathe, Ks 66062
or contact me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.com for direct deposit information. You will receive you tax receipt by January 15th.


In other news at the center, November was very HOT! 

Thanks to some cute little swim suits that were donated and some buckets of water the toddlers were able to cool down during the hot afternoons and they LOVED every second of it! They played in the water until they had splashed it all out!




Welcome Dolly and Tara!
Dolly cuddling with Ima

Dolly and Tara are both long term volunteers and we are so lucky they have decided to volunteer with WIL! Dolly is a nurse and plans on helping run some new medical programs we have planned for next year. She will also make sure all our babies and mama are healthy and teach first aid classes in our community and at our new Masaai outreach program. I will go into more detail about our 2014 programs in the December newsletter.

Tara is a trained physical education teacher, dance instructor, yoga (children and adults) instructor and zumba instructor! She has been leading dance and yoga classes with the kids. They love it! The mama's have also show interest in zumba and other aerobic excersise so Tara has agreed to hold regular classes for our ladies as well as any women who wants to participate in the community. Tara will also hold classes for our volunteers!
We have have been able to add so many great programs next year thanks to these two amazing ladies!
Tara also taught the kids a fun new way to play with water. She filled some buckets up, gave them all paint brushes and pointed them towards out gate. They loved it! 



We are also very excited to have a full house the beginning of next year. We will welcome two interns and three volunteers! We are so excited for all the extra help at the center and the leadership, experiences and skills these women are brining!

Fun on the playground!
The kids still love playing on all the new equipment. Someone told me that "Tanzania children don't have much use for playground equipment" but I think we have proved them wrong! We do have a schedule that includes art, music, lessons, naps and food everyday but in between those times they are playing outside.

















Welcome Mwaniesha!
Mwaniesha is a 17 year old girl that attended our Childcare Development Course. When we realized our nannies and Agnes were working maybe a little too hard we decided to hire on Mwaniesha. She is doing an excellent job so far and the ladies really appreciate her hard work! She is only part time right now but at the beginning of the year we plan on making her full time.

Our Founder
Aubree McClelland Packard had a very nice article written about
her that was published on November 1st. Here is a link to the article if you wish to read more about Aubree and her experiences in Tanzania please click here.
Thanks to this lovely article written by Johnson County Lifestyle we have some new supporters, Rick and April Butterfeild. Thank you Rick and April for joining out Walk In Love family!



Christmas is just around the corner!
We are planning on holding a large Christmas party at the center on December 21st. All our women, children and their families will be invited. This includes all our outreach families as well. We are expecting around 100 guests and 40 children. We have been raising money to buy each family a water filter and we have reached our goal! All 22 families will receive the gift of clean water but we still haven't reached our goal to feed 100 people or give gifts to 40 children. Please check out our event on FB, Christmas Safe Water Appeal, for more information.
The kids have been making all kinds of Christmas decorations and learning new songs to sing for all there parents and loved ones!

Christmas Wish List!
The "babies" at the center are all turning into big kids! We are running out of space and seats for them to all sit at the table for lunch. We are currently looking into building a large children's table with bench seating so all the kids have a place to sit and eat. The estimated cost of a table is $200. If you are interested in donating a table to WIL for Christmas please email me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.comor use our donate button and write a message that it is for a table.
Thank you!




Beautiful Ima still needs a sponsor.
Speaking of Christmas, are you still looking for a present for a loved one? Have you considered sponsoring a child for them? If you would like to sponsor a child as a Christmas Present please email believeinme.abc@gmail.com. We have Christmas ornaments with all the Childrens pictures and letters for all sponsors that will be mailed to you immediately once you sign up!




Monthly Budget

(in Tanzanian Shillings)
This month we added in our monthly security charges and Mwaniesha's salary

Every Month (monthly budget will increase with every child and employee we add. We are also hoping to add vitamins to our monthly budget):
Rent: 500,000/
Electricity: 75,000/
Water: 50,000/
Juma just wanted to say Hi!
Food (including milk, charcoal, transportation): 550,000
Salaries: 1,840,000
Community Security: 10,000/
Total: 3,025,000/ ($1,890.62)

Extra expenses for November (this may not include everything as Rehema is still going through receipts for extra expenses)
Neema food for one week: 20,000/
Office supplies and furniture (office desk and printer included): 360,000
Big Balls: 20,000/
Total: 400,000/ ($250)

Monthly total: 3,425,000 ($2,140)



How can you help?


* Buy a 2014 Calendar from Glenda here! Glenda is donating all the proceeds to Walk In Love!!

*Ask about volunteer and intern opportunities in the US and Tanzania. Please send emails to believeinme.abc@gmail.com for more information on volunteering or visit our website, wearewalkinlove.org

*Help us to write grants
*Purchase a one of a kind handmade quilt or duvet from our Etsy Shop

*Share our fundraisers with friends and family

*If you are in the KC area swing by our booth at A Fabulous Find (5330 Martway, Mission, Ks)
Booth at a Fabulous Find!




Sponsor a child

*
Follow us on Facebook. This is the BEST way to keep up to date on photos, videos and information.

*Hold a fundraiser (please contact me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.com for more info)

*Make a donation, we are a registered 501 c (3) organization,  using paypal or by mailing a check payable to:
Walk In Love International
12802 S Arapaho Dr
Olathe, KS 66062

Contact me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.com or check out our website, wearewalkinlove.org

Use our Donate button!














Sunday, November 3, 2013

September/October WIL Newsletter

Walk In Love International
September/October Newsletter



Welcome Friends and Family to our September/October Newsletter! We have a lot to update you on! I do try to make this newsletter monthly but sometimes I get so busy and its been 2 months before I even know it! I want to introduce you all to our new logo and T-shirts! You can purchase your WIL t-shirt on OUR NEW WEBSITE, thanks to our friends at Cedar Creek Creative, wearewalkinlove.org. You can learn more about volunteering with WIL, sponsoring a child, becoming a monthly sponsor and so much more! We are still working on making the website everything we want it to be but it is up and running and ready for you to visit!

Welcome Ima, Juma, Amina, Joeli, Joshua and Elisha, Ma Adrianna and Julianna!

Big Boy Elisha!
Julianna and baby Juma


Ima

Ma Adrianna comforting Joeli on his first day

Amina was very happy her first day! She carried this doll around all day:)

We welcomed 6 new kids on November 1st! We are now up to 15 kids and 4 full time nannies! We will introduce the new children to you on our sponsor a child link later this week. If you are interested in sponsoring a child please visit our Child sponsorship page and learn more about what sponsoring a child means and how you will be giving your child a better chance at a bright, happy and healthy future! We are very happy to announce that 7 of our beautiful children have been sponsored! Mama's are often so happy when they find out there children will be able to go to school that they are brought to tears. Education is not a right in Tanzania it is a gift. A gift that you could give!

Monthly Budget
It was suggested to us that we post a budget every month and we thought that was a great idea! We want everyone to know where their money is going. We also want everyone to see just how much it takes to run our center on a monthly basis and why monthly sponsorship is so important! There are no administrative costs and 100% of your donations go straight into our programs! For more information on becoming a monthly sponsor please visit our Monthly Sponsorship page. For as little as $15 per month you can make a difference in the lives of women and children and actually see where your money is going and who it is helping!
I will post our budget on the website monthly.

October Monthly Budget
(in Tanzanian Shillings)

Every Month (monthly budget will increase with every child and employee we add. We are also hoping to add vitamins to our monthly budget):
Rent: 500,000/
Electricity: 75,000/
Water: 50,000/
Food (including milk, charcoal, transportation): 550,000
Salaries: 1,720,000
Total: 2,895,000/ ($1,809.37)

Extra for October:
Playground (including labor, paint, transportation and tires): 1,100,000/
Baby cribs: 250,000
Mattresses: 129,000
Plastic diaper covers: 20,000
Jewelry supplies: 10,000
Button machine for tailors: 75,000
Chairs: 110,000
Help Mama Juma and Mama Joshua start a business: 100,000
Balls: 27,000
Kitchen supplies: 150,000
Office Supplies: 100,000

Total: 2,071,000/ ($1,294.38)

Combined Total: 4,966,008/ ($3,103.76)


Mama Amina (Juma) and Mama Joshua
Mama Amina and Mama Joshua are women that we have known for several months. They are both struggling to take care of their children and Mama Joshua has even sent two of her kids (2 years and 7 years) away to live with family members. When we had the opportunity, thanks to children being sponsored, to bring in more children into our center we thought of Mama Amina and Mama Joshua immediately. Amina, Juma and Joshua started attending our center on November 1 and we gave Mama Amina and Mama Joshua supplies to start up a small cake business just outside the center in a great location! We hope that the business will be successful and Mama Joshua can bring her children home. 
Mama Amina with Amina and Juma. The business is very close to the center so Mama Amina is able to come and feed Juma several times per day.




WIL Playground!
Thanks to a Tastefully Simple fundraiser held by Karalin McKain and fundraisers held in Kansas City (Hamburger Mary's, 5K, Out in the Crossroads) we were able to build our kids an amazing playground! All the pieces are now up and the kids are playing on it every chance they get!! The only thing left to do is paint everything bright colors and we have some great volunteers coming next week to do just that!







Beds, Beds, Beds!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our bed fundraiser we were able to purchase 3 toddler bunk beds and one double crib with mattresses! Now all of our kids are up off the floor for nap time!


Childcare Professional Course
We held a two week Childcare Professional Course taught by Nikki Fortune, at the beginning of September. Nikki did a great job! The women could not have been happier with the information that Nikki taught them and they feel comfortable and confident to work with children. We will be helping the women find employment in Arusha. We will also be offering an English course to all the graduates starting in November. We believe that with the Childcare course and the English course we will put them on the top of any employers lists! We are excited to welcome back Nikki and her husband Derek next year!

WIL Preschool:
Up and Running!
The children attend preschool every morning and afternoon in our new preschool room. Rehema was picked by Nikki to become our new preschool teacher! We were not expecting this but we think she is doing an amazing job! She is a natural teacher and with her wonderful English and knowledge we know she will be the best teacher for our children! This will most likely not be a permanent position for Rehema because she has a lot of other interests she would like to peruse within WIL but we are happy to have her in the preschool room until January.
Just a couple of cuties!

Our new toddler room will hopefully be completed his month.

Reuben goes to University!!!
Thank you to everyone who has donated towards Reubens education. He started school on October 13th and is doing really well. We were able to raise enough money for Reubens first year but he needs to complete 3 years in order for him to receive his Bachelors degree in Community Development. If you are interested in donating towards Reubens education please visit our GoFundMe page. Thank you!



Current Fundraisers
We are currently trying to raise enough money to buy 20 water filters for 20 of our neediest families! Please check out our Facebook even for more information.
Christmas Safe Water Appeal

2014 Calendar!
We are also selling desktop 2014 Calendars full of pictures from this year at WIL for $10! Please email me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing a 2014 WIL desktop Calendar.

 How can you help?

*Ask about volunteer and intern opportunities in the US and Tanzania. Please send emails to believeinme.abc@gmail.com for more information on volunteering or visit our website, wearewalkinlove.org

*Help us to write grants
*Purchase a one of a kind handmade quilt or duvet from our Etsy Shop

*Share our fundraisers with friends and family

*If you are in the KC area swing by our booth at A Fabulous Find (5330 Martway, Mission, Ks)
Booth at a Fabulous Find!





*Hold a fundraiser (please contact me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.com for more info)

*Make a donation, we are a registered 501 c (3) organization,  using paypal or by mailing a check payable to:
Walk In Love International
12802 S Arapaho Dr
Olathe, KS 66062

Contact me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.com or check out our website, wearewalkinlove.org





Thank you all for your continued encouragement and support!