There would be no The Baobab Home in Tanzania if not for the Okonsky family, or at least it would look very, very different. Jennifer, Jesse, Christian, Denise, Hannah and Anne Marie all played a part in the early years and have always been there for us. Together we have helped hundreds of children and families.

There is a powerful synergy in joining the Monahan and Okonsky families today. Your gift to Dave and Denise celebrates so much more than their love for each other. It reaches into the past to honor a great man, Dave's father, and stretches into the future to create joy and learning for kids who were not born with much. Together, you are building a meeting hall where people will gather for many years to come. It will be a simple hall, but your gift will keep giving every single day. Every afternoon, hundreds of kids will eat under the shade it provides. Students will learn to play games on cement-like rollerblading and basketball. Chalk drawing will become a thing. Decisions will be made, people will dance and do theatre.

It will be a place of joy.

In African spiritual traditions, it is sacred and important to honor and remember one's ancestors and call them into our lives because we carry their genes, cells, and blood into the future. They give us the gift of life and some part of them remains alive in us always. We have come to believe that there is power in keeping their names alive. Our students understand this. They will know why Monahan Hall was built and who Dr. David Mohahan Sr. was. Already, we are the only school in town that brushes our teeth after lunch and now we have added incentive.

Asante sana. Thank you so very much for your gift.

You are all quite welcome to visit Monahan Hall!

If you would like to help us realize this dream, online donations are accepted at this link:
www.tzkids.org/monahanhall-donate

February 21, 2022

The progress is coming along well, we have a foundation! The building team has finished laying the foundation, we are so excited to see what comes next! Thank you and Asante sana!

February 28, 2022

Monahan Hall is progressing nicely. The building team is pouring the foundation for the changing rooms and storage area. The giant steel H Beams arrived by truck today and will be measured tomorrow. By the end of March, 250 of us will be enjoying a shady lunch together and we can't wait! Asante sana!

March 7, 2022

Taking ownership of their new dining hall! What better way for the students to feel connected to the building process than to lay a few bricks and learn about construction? Thank you to our wonderful building team from MMI Steel of Dar es Salaam for patiently teaching our kids how to lay bricks and build Monahan Hall with their own hands. Our very own BH kid Shabani (in the pink shirt) also was able to get in on the action too. By early next week, the focus will be off cement and onto steel. The H beams will soon be in place and ready for the roof to go up (No kid help on that :-)) . Thank you to all! We are about 3 weeks away from our first lunch!