Walk in Love International

Monday, April 1, 2013

Our WIL Community and Child Development Center (what it looks like March 2013) and our plans for the future.

In January of this year the WIL Team finally felt confident that we were able to move forward and achieve our next goal: opening up a community center. The community center is a place to hold our women empowerment groups as well as provide a safe place for single mothers and widows to bring their children while they are at work. We will operate as a daycare as well as a child development center. We have space for all of our programs to run from the same place!

The center is a very large 5 bedroom house with a large front room, dining room, kitchen, large panty, 2 full bathrooms and a one car garage. The house is on a good size plot and has a front and back porch spaces. There are also 5 rooms on the outside of the house that will be used for vocational training, a WIL Community Library, WIL Gift Shop where women can sell their items, preschool classroom and a room for storage. There is also a lot of outdoor space for a play ground, community garden and sensory play area for the children.

Since moving into the community center WIL Running costs have gone up significantly but we knew this would happen and it needed to happen for us to help as many women and children as possible. We now employ 8 staff (including 4 tailors) that run the day to day activities at the community center. Reuben and Rehema are the on-sight directors. They live at the center and oversee all the programs alongside myself. They also teach all the adult educational classes, women empowerment classes, a few of the vocational classes, and help out with the kids. Agnes cooks, cleans and when she isn't very busy she enjoys playing with the babies. Mayassa is our bib (grandmother) and amazing nanny. Our staff all work so well together and we could not do it without every single one of them!

I, the director and founder, do not receive any salary. I run the center and fundraising as a volunteer so that all the money is going directly to the people who need it the most.

In order for us to continue our work we need monthly sponsors. Our running costs are at $1,100 per month with 9 children and 15 women. This includes rent, electricity, water, salary, diapers and wipes, food, clean water, security, gas, charcoal, and basic maintenance.
When you become a monthly sponsor your receive quartly reports and a WIL calendar.
Please choose how much you would like to donate by using the drop down menu and click on the subscribe button. This will take you to paypal and you can enroll in automatic monthly donations. You can be a monthly sponsor for as little as $15 per month!
Thank you for your support!

Here are some pictures of the center when we first moved in:

Left:The front room that will be an indoor area for the children to play in, hold classes and take naps.

Right: Some friends of WIL helping us clean up the house when we first moved in.

Rehema teaching our first English class
in the new center

Master bedroom

Master bedroom storage

Master bathroom

Extra (3 identical) room storage

Second bathroom with
separate toilet, shower and sink
and storage areas.

Extra Room

Front Room

Dining room that will be used as a changing station. We
hope to be able to build at least 2 changing tables in
the near future.

Our very large kitchen. We only have a stove top in the kitchen
and have plans to build an outdoor stove oven to cook
breads and cakes in.

We have a very large pantry that will hopefully be full
of food for the kids at the center as well as children that will be participating in
our food program.

Our outdoor wash area where we currently hand wash all the laundry
and diapers. We are hoping to raise enough money for a washing machine
to make sure our Nannies are focusing on the children and are not
overwhelmed with laundry all day.

Our back porch

Front of the Center

A view from the driveway of the front yard

We have 5 outdoors rooms that will be converted into a WIL Library,
vocational training rooms, preschool room and a WIL Gift shop where
women can sell their handmade items. We will need to raise $1500 to finish these rooms
before we can start any of the outside projects.

Inside of one of the rooms.

This is our side yard. I would like to convert this into a sensory play area with a small pool, sandbox
etc.

We have matoke (like plantains) banana and papaya trees sprinkled
throughout the property.

Future sensory development area

Front of the center

Future site of our play ground. We would like to build a playground
for the daycare children as well as the children in the community.

This is where our community garden will be planted.
We have a group of community members who will plant
and take care of the vegetable we plant here and will then
be able to take them home to eat or sell.

We have a large variety of beautiful flowering bushes and trees

Parking area and front gate

This will be a parking area for visitors

Our garage that will be for the tailors in the tailoring program.

Our front room.

Since moving into the community center WIL Running costs have gone up significantly but we knew this would happen and it needed to happen for us to help as many women and children as possible. We now employ 8 staff (including 4 tailors) that run the day to day activities at the community center. Reuben and Rehema are the on-sight directors. They live at the center and oversee all the programs alongside myself. They also teach all the adult educational classes, women empowerment classes, a few of the vocational classes, and help out with the kids. Agnes cooks, cleans and when she isn't very busy she enjoys playing with the babies. Mayassa is our bib (grandmother) and amazing nanny. Our staff all work so well together and we could not do it without every single one of them!

I, the director and founder, do not receive any salary. I run the center and fundraising as a volunteer so that all the money is going directly to the people who need it the most.

In order for us to continue our work we need monthly sponsors. Our running costs are at $1,100 per month with 9 children and 15 women. This includes rent, electricity, water, salary, diapers and wipes, food, clean water, security, gas, charcoal, and basic maintenance.
When you become a monthly sponsor your receive quartly reports and a WIL calendar.
Please choose how much you would like to donate by using the drop down menu and click on the subscribe button. This will take you to paypal and you can enroll in automatic monthly donations.
Thank you for your support!

Enjoy some pictures of our kids! If you are interested in sponsoring child please cheek out our Sponsor a Child tab at the top left hand side of the page.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Our inspiration for the WIL Community and Child Development Center

When my husband and I first arrived in Tanzania ,February 2012, I knew that I wanted to open a children's home. I started working as a preschool teacher at a baby orphanage and volunteered at several others in Arusha. Day after day I would go to work and I would meet the families of the children that were living at the orphanages. I witnessed babies being left while the families were crying and heartbroken over the decisions they had to make. A decision they had to make because no one was helping them to keep the children in their homes. Most of the orphanages only have the funding to take care of the babies and can do little to help support the families that want to keep their children or an orphaned child. I did not want to contribute to this generation of Tanzanians that are growing up in the orphanages, without a family. I decided I did not want Walk In Love to do what everyone else was doing but I wanted us to focus on keeping the children in their homes and communities. Every child deserves the love of a family.

Here is a piece that I wrote on June 26, 2012. I called it "Finding Inspiration":

Ibrahim is a beautiful little baby with the face of a beautiful old man. He has dark skin, dark eyes and barely any hair. When he laughs the world is a better place. Ibra came to the baby home when he was one month old. His mother died shortly after his birth and his father is unknown. His family did not want to give him up but they knew that they could not support him. They had to make a decision: keep Ibra and he would more than likely die or give him up and he would live. The staff told me that when Ibra was dropped off there was not a dry eye in the place. His family was holding him so tightly that everyone could feel how much this baby was truly loved.

On Monday morning I arrived at the baby orphanage 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.

I do not know this boys name but I will call him Isaac. This is a story that I cannot tell without getting choked up. I have told many people and every time I want to burst into tears. I met Isaac at the SOS Childrens Home. We were taking our older children to live there until they are 18. We can only keep children until 2 or 3 then they go to bigger homes. SOS is a beautiful place and I am happy that our children were able to get in. While we were settling our children in there was another boy there with is mother. I would guess he was around 10 years old. He never spoke and neither did his mother. They just sat with the saddest expressions on their faces. After about 30 minutes Isaac and his mother were in one of the back rooms. All of a sudden I heard a blood curdling scream and the mother went running out the front door. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I can right now. This experience will forever be with me and haunt me.

These three children and the circumstances that they and there families are in have moved me. I now know what direction to take Walk In Love. I want to help keep families together. Mothers and fathers love their children the same in the USA as they do in Tanzania as they do all over the world. The difference is that I/we, in the USA, would never have to give our children up that we love and want because if they stayed with us or our families they would die. I cannot imagine having to make that decision but I know which one I would choose and I know you do to. I know that if I could not take care of my children then my parents would and if they could not then my aunts/uncles would and if they could not then my cousins would. These are not options here. I would like to give parents and families the option to keep their children and loved ones.

All of this had led us to opening up our first WIL Community and Child Development Center. Its a place where we will hold women empowerment groups, vocational training, adult education classes, tutoring for school children, 2 meals per day to the neediest of families, a daycare and child development center that will be safe place for children to go during the day while their parents or guardians are working, clean clothing for children and adults,a community garden, a shop to sell handmade items, a community library and a place where the community can come together and discuss their day to day struggles.

Monthly sponsorship is crucial to the success of our community center. If you would like to join our WIL team as a monthly sponsor please use the drop down menu to chose the amount you would like to donate and click on the "Subscribe" button. To make a one time donation please us the donate button. Both buttons are located on the bottom of this page.

You can also check out our Sponsor a Child tab to meet our children and see if you would like to be a sponsor and change a child's life!

Thank you so much for your continued support from all of us at WIL!!

I will be giving a "tour" of our community center in the next blog entry.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Become a Monthly Sponsor with automatic donations!

Walk In Love International, Inc is a registered 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and all donations are tax deductible. 100% of donations go straight to the women and children in our programs in Tanzania.

Thank you for considering becoming a monthly sponsors for WIL! As I previously spoke about in earlier blogs, we believe monthly sponsorship is the most important way of raising funds and being able to continue working with the vulnerable children and women in Tanzania. At the moment we have 3 wonderful monthly sponsors but in order for us to rent a community center/ child development center and continue reaching the neediest families in Arusha we need to bring that number up!

What will monthly sponsorship go towards:

Monthly sponsorship will go towards the general costs for WIL unless otherwise specified to go toward a family, women or child. The neediest families, women and children will always be helped first.

Rent -we are currently renting a large house in the Moshono/Kijenge area of Arusha. It has 5 bedrooms inside and 5 rooms outside as well as a very large living space where our daycare and child development center will run. The outside rooms will be converted into classrooms, a library, and a small shop for the women to sell their goods.

Electricity and Water- electricity is very expensive and we use it very sparingly. Water is also a bit of a concern for us. We currently have one water tank but it is small and in the dry season it is not uncommon for homes in our area to go days if not a week without water. We are hoping to raise $500 for another water tank(s).

Food and clothing- we want to start handing out healthy meals and clean clothing that fit to the most vulnerable children including orphans, street children, and all the children we are working with.

Salary - we currently have 5 amazing staff members. They are all Tanzania and have previous involvement in NGO's in the area. They speak perfect English and know what the people here need to help improve their lives. I could not do anything here if it weren't for our amazing staff! I want to be able to pay them a fair salary for all the hard work that they put in and all the compassion they show to the people we work with. Right now they are all part time employees but the more people we can reach the more they will need to work. We will also be adding qualified part time vocational teachers, preschool teacher, guard and house manager on to the payroll as soon as we can.

Basic program and educational supplies - we will need educational supplies for adults and children. This includes sewing machines and other tools and supplies we need for all our vocational programs. We will also need to purchase all basic needs for the house and community center including the large yard we hope to have!

Medical: we would like to be able to help families in medical emergencies as well as bring in a nurse for monthly clinics. We want to be able to have the nurse give immunizations, parasite medications every 3 months, and overall health checks for babies and young children.

We will also have miscellaneous and unexpected expenses every month! We will try to save as much money as we can in the hopes of purchasing land and building a community center because we think it is a better option than to rent for the next 100 years!

All monthly sponsors will receive a free WIL Calendar!

If you would like to become a monthly sponsor please use the drop down menu below and chose the amount you want to donate monthly then hit the subscribe button. Thank you for your support!!
If you are having problems becoming a monthly sponsor or would like to choose a different amount please email me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.com and I will assist you in setting up your monthly sponsorship.

Thank you for all your support! We are so excited to gain monthly sponsors and start being able to reach more vulnerable women and children.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Welcome Ashley Ferro!

We are so lucky to have Ashley as our first ever WIL volunteer. She has only been here for three weeks but has already touched so many of our women and children through her art and her never ending positive energy that she brings to every class. Ashley works with our women's group every Thursday. She teaches them a skill related to art, like making jewelry, then ends with class with another fun and relaxing art project. This Thursday they will learn to make paper and then get the chance create with paint that Ashley brought with her from the US. Here are some shots of Ashley teaching how to make bangles out of water bottles and scraps of kitenge.

On Tuesdays Ashley visits a local orphanage. She starts with a big group lesson then moves on to work individually with children who have been through a trauma or are just having a difficult time dealing with their feelings. They absolutely love her!

These are the finished bangles that Ashley taught the women how to make. She will be carrying some back with her that we will then sell to help support our women's groups. Thanks to Ashely and her amazing idea we can raise money and share some truly original pieces of Tanzania jewelry.

If you are interested in volunteering with WIL please contact me. We would love to have you!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Update: Mama Teddy, Mama Zulfa and Jackline

Jackline:

Thanks to all of our supporters and Etsy orders Jackline has been very busy! I gave her 3 weeks off at Christmas and she has been working very hard to fill all the orders we received. We also gave her a Christmas bonus so she could buy foods her and her family do not usually get like meat and sweets for Christmas dinner. She was also able to buy her children new school uniforms and books for Christmas. We were so lucky to meet Jackline and so happy we could hire her during a period of time in her life where she was really struggling.

We are having a sale on our quilts that Jackline and Mama Zulfa are working on. If you order before February 28th you get $10 your order plus free shipping and handling! Please click here to go to our Etsy store to make your order!

Mama Teddy

A big thank you to Leah Rogers for sponsoring Mama Teddy and her girls! They have been so well since we first met them and that is all thanks to Leah.

Reuben and Rehema went to Karatu to visit with Mama Teddy and the girls. The girls are big, healthy and happy! Mama Teddy is also looking very healthy and says that her business has been going very well even tho is is not able to work as long as she used to. We brought Christmas gifts for the girls (unfortunately we lost most of our photos) and took Mama Teddy to the market to buy what she needs for her mandazi (fried bread) business along with enough food for her and the girls for the next month.

Reuben and our beautiful Teddy.

Mama Teddy picking out food at the market

This is how Mama Teddy normally looks! She is always laughing and smiling until we try to take a picture then she gets very serious!

Thanks to Mama Teddy's sponsor we are also able to give Mama Teddy money for rent and phone credit.

On our next visit we will also buy Mama Teddy new blankets and sheets along with some dish ware for their house.

Mama Zulfa

A huge thank you to Roberta Brown, Bob Kendrick, Cari Bickerton Dobosz and Peggy Miller for supporting Mama Zulfa!! When we first met Mama Zulfa her future was bleak and very uncertain but now she and her daughter are in a safe environment and can finally feel free to be happy! Mama Zulfa started working alongside Jackline, part time while she attends tailoring classes, and has been an amazing addition to the Walk In Love, Made in Love team! Zulfa will start working with Ashley, our art therapist volunteer, next week. We really think that art therapy can help Zulfa to just be a kid again.

Thank you to all of our supporters! We could not do this without you!

Please contact me if you are interested in sponsoring a women or becoming a monthly sponsor.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A day at the market with Baraka, Happiness and Praygod

Baraka, Happiness and Praygod have started school! Baraka is the only one of the children that had attended school in the past but was regularly sent home because he did not have a uniform or school fees needed. Now all three of them will be going to school thanks to their sponsors, Jolie Dobosz, The Courtwright family and the Morlok family.

Here are some pictures of our day at the market!

Each of the children got 2 school uniforms, school shoes and play shoes, backpacks full of school supplies and a months worth of food and hygiene items we bought for them at the market.

It was a wonderful day with a wonderful family.

Mama, Godlove and baby Farahi. Godlove will join his siblings in school next year.