Newsletter March 2022

Dear friends of Dunia ya Heri,

Yesterday we returned from a Sunday excursion. For some time we had promised to take our children to the city, crossing with the ferry instead of the bridge. We did not want to delay our promise much longer and took ten of the oldest children in two cars to Dar es Salaam. A lot of what they saw was attentively commented: the large ship which just entered the harbor as we crossed with the ferry, the buses, motorcycles, the train and even some of the chopped trees laying by the wayside were lamented, as they have already developed a good environmental awareness. We had lunch at a shopping center where they had French Fries with Spring Rolls as well as a healthy apple and ginger cookies for dessert. Concluding the day, they took swimming lessons back home, saw a little children’s movie and ate chocolate brownies after supper – which was a very special treat, because we usually do not give them any sweets. At 7:30 pm they literally fell into bed. Today one of the girls had difficulty keeping her eyes open in school, which was benevolently commented by some of the children at lunch.

Jezreel pre- and Primary School

On the 16th of January our school, which we call “Jezreel Pre- and Primary School,” officially started with the first and second grade. It took us almost three years to complete the process for the government permit. Unfortunately, two of the three teachers did not keep their commitment and left just a few days before the school started. With the help of our church leadership we were able to receive over 20 applications, of which we decided to employ two teachers. They speak good English and are loyal Adventist Christians. Shortly after the school year began we had a complete team of three teachers. Mika, our head-teacher, turned down a well-paid position as principal of a large public school in order to work for us. God is good – and we still believe in miracles!

We are very happy that ten of the oldest children now go to our own school. Of course, children from the village are also attending Jezreel Primary School. We are supporting parents who cannot afford the regular school fees. Aside from that, our tuition is very accessible compared to other Tanzanian private schools. 

We started the classes in our former school building, which is also used as a chapel. In a few days, when the newly constructed classrooms are completed, we will move to the new premises. It has four classrooms, sanitary installations, changing rooms, a teachers’ room and a beautiful school yard. We would like to thank all of our donors who have helped this project become a reality. Without our partner organization “Restore a Child” it would have been nearly impossible to get to this point. “Restore a Child” bought an adjacent piece of land for the school and also helped with a good part of the construction. Because we have not yet fulfilled all government requirements for private schools, we need to continue with the construction of further premises.

Our Volunteers

For a couple of years three retired senior volunteers came to support us on a regular basis. Marietta from Germany was here to help us in the garden and the kitchen. She was raising a variety of heirloom vegetables from seeds visitors had brought from the US and also cooked delicious meals. Fritz and Peter from Switzerland carried out repair and maintenance jobs. They helped us to move into our new workshop and to repair some of the machinery. We thank them for their commitment and hope that they will be able to come back next year. Esther, our student volunteer from Austria, will leave in March. Instead of her Kaia, the granddaughter of a good friend of ours, will arrive from Argentina. Another volunteer from Austria will join her in July.

We would like to express special gratitude to a team of dentists and nurses from Poland. They came for the dental treatments of local villagers. They were facing real challenges, even carrying out dental reconstructions. Within 10 days over 70 persons were treated. As far as our children are concerned, we did not find any problems with their teeth. It pays to care about regular dental hygiene and to refrain from sweets. 

Garden and Construction

In February we planted another 3.000 pineapples. They will carry fruits within two years. In February we were able to pick hundreds of mangos from the large mango trees. One of the young mango trees which we had raised from a seed five years ago carried fruit for the first time. By using heirloom seeds for growing our vegetables we want to be able to create our own seed supply and keep independent from the need of hybrid seeds. “Kamut,” an older type of wheat, is the only grain so far which we were able to grow. Nonetheless we succeeded harvesting plenty of maize and rice. We are learning to use our irrigation system as effectively as possible.

Our new workshop was completed in February. Aside from two rooms with work benches it has enough storage capacity for paints, tools and construction materials, as well as an area suitable for a table saw and a planing machine. In January some of our workers were able to move into new living quarters that offer four apartments. In February we were finally connected to the electricity from the public grid. It helps in rainy seasons when we do not have sufficient sunshine for our solar collectors. With the public grid we also have 400 V (three phases) for usage of heavy machinery. This was impossible with solar energy. We also built a central place for our garbage. Currently we are extending some of our pathways – just in time before the rainy season, which comes in April.

The Mission

We intend to reach as many persons as possible with the message of the soon coming of Jesus Christ. Currently two evangelists have been employed. In order to support this mission work, we decided to print a couple thousand Christian books (i.e. The Great Controversy) in the Swahili language. We are financing this project independently from your donations and are now in the phase of translation. Most of the books will be given away free of charge or in exchange for a symbolic contribution. Whoever would like to help should please mention this project on his/her transfer slip or check.

Neighborly Help

God has helped us to establish this orphanage and school in Tanzania – to a great deal by way of your kind donations. As a sign of our gratitude we would like to also help persons who are in great material need. Some families in the neighborhood occupy rundown houses which do not give any protection in the rainy season. Therefore, our construction team has started to build houses and roof tops for them. One basic house costs around 500 to 700 USD. We have already been able to complete a few houses.

Challenges

In order to have capacity for over 200 students and be able to meet government requirements, further extensions of our school are necessary. This includes four additional classrooms (with a total of eight), a library, a science and computer lab, and administrative areas. Aside from this, we need a cafeteria building with a kitchen and seating area. Currently we are still using the terrace of the first orphanage building to serve meals to children and guests. 

We are very grateful for the interest you are taking in “The Land of Blessing” and we sincerely thank you for your prayers and your kind support.

THANK YOU! 

Best regards, 

Thomas Küsel, Vice Chair

Judith Klier, Chair

* The names of our children have been changed.

Donations

Tanzania

DUNIA YA HERI African Family and Healthcare, P.O. Box 71573, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
NIC Bank Tanzania Limited, Kariakoo Branch, Dar es Salaam 
Account Number USD:  2000234853 
Swift Code:  SFICTZTZ
Intermediary Bank:  CITIBANK NEW YORK, Swift Code: CITIUS33

Within the US

Donations from US-citizens are tax deductible if they are given to one of the following None Profit - 501c3 Organizations:  

• our partners “RESTORE A CHILD”: http://restoreachild.org/donate/
• OUTPOST CENTERS INTERNATIONAL: http://www.outpostcenters.org/donate/

Please do not forget to mention the project name of »DUNIA YA HERI« on your check, transfer slip or the “ministry need”.