Dear Everyone,
Imagine that you had a dream and a somewhat sketchy plan. Now imagine that everyone you knew got behind that dream and pushed. They pushed you on with ideas, advice, funding and so much more. And while you were busy pushing, and planning, all of your friends and family had told THEIR friends and family and they chimed in, along with many you had never met before. Then one day when you stop working and planning for a second you realize that now there’s a legion of people all standing behind YOUR dream, pushing it into reality. This is the amazing thing that is my life. Your faith in us, your support and encouragement are by far the greatest honor I have ever known. When I have been discouraged or frustrated, sometimes I don’t even need to call or write, just knowing that you are all there is enough. Other times, when I think that there is NO WAY we will have enough ( money, clothes, diapers, baby formula, etc.) someone comes through and there is enough. You bring us English muffins and granola and you send me books and the cheese I miss so dearly. You write about us on the internet and alumni magazines and you come up with ingenious fundraisers. Some of you…from Belgium, Holland, The United States, Australia, Germany, Finland, Austria, England, Israel…. come here to help in person. You probably don’t feel like much of a team because you are all over the world and don’t know one another, but truly, you are our family and you have kept us going. Thanks to you we have helped hundreds of people in the three years we have worked in Bagamoyo. We now have 14 orphaned or vulnerable teenagers in school and healthy, dozens of little ones with a hot breakfast every day, 3 houses built and one on the way, people getting treatment for HIV and tuberculosis. Then there are the fat and healthy babies with no HIV, the jobs created for so many, businesses doing better for our injection of cash……..And next year 1500 people will get eye treatment and surgery because our very first volunteer is coming back, this time with a team of eye doctors and a donation of surgical equipment. I wish with all my heart that even if it’s just for the duration of time it takes for you to read this letter, each of you know how much your help has meant to us here and feel a fraction of the joy you have created. I live in a constant state of gratitude.
And now, I have one more thing to be grateful for. The long, long wait is over. The Baobab Home is now licensed to house, love and care for orphaned or abandoned babies and toddlers! We will provide them a family style home and ensure their well being until their reunification, adoption, or independence. The original dream is now so close to being real.
I want to mention names but I just couldn’t bear to forget anyone. There is just one person I want to thank by name and that is Mwandu Caito Rashidi. Caito is now in Kenya looking for the father of one of our street boys so he isn’t here to share this victory with me. Even though Baobab was a dream borne of both of
us(over a scratch pad at a restaurant at the beach), Caito is the one on the front lines more often and he doesn’t get nearly enough credit. It is without question that this license would have been impossible to attain without Caito.
Please, tell anyone who will listen to you that we are in GREAT need of monthly sponsors. Any amount will help and can be easily set up using Pay Pal on our website www.tzkids.org
Thank you so very much from all of us!!!
Terri
