Newsletter November 2022

Dear friends of Dunia ya Heri,

We are a little late for our autumn newsletter, but we still hope that you will be able to receive it in due time before Christmas. First, we would like to give a voice to some of our employees.

Omary Abdallah is one of our gardeners. Despite his Islamic background, he decides to participate at our regular morning worships. He often has questions, which we diligently answer. 

“I am very thankful to be part of the team of Dunia ya Heri. It helps me to finance the education of my children. Also, I have been able to purchase some goats and chickens, which enable me to generate additional income. Working for Dunia ya Heri, we receive social security and health insurance, which makes our life a lot easier. May God bless all those who support us.” 

Mika Wilson Matchala is the head-teacher of our Primary School since January 2022. 

“I sincerely thank God for our Primary School. It gives our students the chance to receive a well-balanced education based on Christian principles of respect and love. I am very glad to be part of Dunia ya Heri. With joy we observe the way the children develop socially, physically, and spiritually. Because of your support, they have a true hope for a better future. Thank you so much!” 

Borni Mkufu is a day watchman and carries part of the responsibilities for the farm. 

“I am thankful that Dunia ya Heri exists, and that it gives me a job. It helps me support my family. Both of my children attend the Primary School of Dunia ya Heri. The school fees are very accessible, compared to other private schools. I enjoy our regular morning worships, which have helped me grow spiritually. I really appreciate that Dunia ya Heri also helps people from the village, who suffer under extreme difficulties.” 

Francis Mwaibula is one of our first employees. He works in the garden. 

“I appreciate the fact that Dunia ya Heri always pays the salaries on time. This is not common practice with other employers. My daughter attends the Primary School. In this context I would like to thank Dunia ya Heri for supporting us for the payment of the school fees. Dunia ya Heri also helped me to construct my own house by giving me a loan by advancing my salaries. May God bless you abundantly for supporting Dunia ya Heri.” 

Michael Andrew has been with us since the very beginning. He is the head mason and in charge for construction work and maintenance on campus. 

“To be honest, I love my work and the family spirit at Dunia ya Heri. Dunia ya Heri has become a great blessing to me and my family. I am not the same person I was before joining Dunia ya Heri. I appreciate the regular morning worships and I would like to especially thank Mr. Thomas and Mama Beate for their tireless and self-sacrificing work.” 

Jessica Simon Chota is one of our caretakers and also helps our orphans with the pre-school. 

“Dunia ya Heri is a true “Land of Blessing.” Special care is taken – not only for the children, but also for the infrastructure, the buildings, the garden, as well as the ecological development of the campus. I especially appreciate the atmosphere of trust that exists between management and employees. The children receive everything they need for a healthy and good development. We are happy and proud to be part of the Dunia ya Heri family. May God keep on blessing Dunia ya Heri richly.” 

Tumaini Kategea is an assistant. He is helping with our bookkeeping and coordinates some of the work. Once a week Tumaini goes shopping to Dar es Salaam. He is a very trustworthy support. 

“I matured a lot since I came to Dunia ya Heri. I learned to care more for others. I am touched by the way Dunia ya Heri is offering a better future in which the children find peace, love, and care. I am glad to see the children receive a Christian education. This is only possible, because there are people who truly care for the needs of the children. At the same time, there are lots of employees and their families who benefit because Dunia ya Heri gives them employment. Thank you for your support, by which my life has become a lot more meaningful.” 

Our volunteers Christina, Kaia, and Charlotte help us for nearly one year in different areas of the orphanage. At the same time, they learn a lot about Tanzanian culture and take home valuable experiences for their future life. 

“To work in this project as volunteers is quite a privilege. We mature together with the children and we try to be a good example for them. Actually, we also learn valuable lessons from them: their positive attitude, their smiles and laughter, their happy songs, their love, their trust and faith in God. We end up being a part of their lives as much as they have become an important part in our lives.”

Our Children

(The names have been changed.)

Despite the love, joy, and happiness, which the children give us every day, we also encounter many challenges – for example, the medical problems we face from day to day. We would like to introduce you to some of the challenges.  

Christa - We are so happy that Christa started walking a few days ago. But a bigger challenge is her need to gain more weight. She suffers from Sickle Cell Disease – a genetic disorder of the red blood cells. She needs a lot of care and special attention.

Sandra - Was born prematurely at 7 months. She has overcome her early childhood problems, accompanied by many visits to the hospitals. Her strabismus (cross-eyes) has significantly improved, but she may still need glasses. She is a very inquisitive and bright little girl.

Henochs - His prognosis was worrisome, because we were told that he might never be able to walk because of a malposition of his feet. In the meantime – with intensive training and support – he has learned to walk. Despite his difficulties, he is a happy little boy.

Fatima - She has been with us for more than 5 years now. She was diagnosed with epilepsy. We are thankful that she did not have any seizures this year. She is a cheerful girl who knows what she wants and enjoys going to school.

Thura - Our second prematurely born child came to us with AIDS (infected by her mother). It was such happy news for us that her last AIDStest was negative.

Sam - Who suffered from severe drug withdrawal symptoms after his birth, has been doing a lot better. He became more even-tempered and inconspicuous.

Taking care of the medical issues of all of our children, often means multiple trips to town, long waiting lines in hospitals and carrying the costs for medical treatments – but the joy of seeing improvement of their health prevails by long, in comparison with the time and effort we spend caring for them. We thank God for each child we can help.

The Primary School

Finally, we now received our school permit from the Ministry of Education. It was a long process, which took us more than two years. Next year we will continue with the third grade, increasing the number of students to approximately 40 to 50. We support underprivileged village children by paying their school fees. By the end of this year, four new classrooms will be ready to be used. The construction of two more classrooms is in process. Altogether we will need eight classrooms. 

Garden and Construction

At the end of this year some of the 4.000 pineapple plants will carry fruit. We will dry a lot of the pineapples in our solar food-driers, cook some jam for our children, and possibly sell a few. We are happy for the good agricultural results, which we have by using heirloom seeds. 

In the last weeks we started with excavations for the construction of a root-cellar. The cellar will offer a cooler climate for the storage of our fruits and vegetables. 

In order to be able to offer natural healthcare services for local villagers, we bought a small piece of land, which was financed by private donations. 

Neighborly Help

Since the beginning of this year, we constructed four more houses/roofs for villagers, who previously did not have a dry home for their families. Altogether we have now completed nine houses.

Challenges

Unfortunately, the operating costs of Dunia ya Heri have increased this year – due to an increased number of children and additional costs for the operation of our primary school. At the same time there is an unfavorable exchange rate between USD and EURO and a decrease in the amount of donations we have received - probably due to the current energy crisis. Nonetheless, we pray that God will continue to bless us as he has done so far.

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

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”.