Newsletter November 2024

Dear Friends,

As always, the most important thing first – and that’s our children:
 

Our Children

In the late afternoon of August 9, visitors from the social services brought us four siblings: the oldest is 6 years old, twins (a girl and a boy) who are three years old, and a girl who is just 10 months old. We were told that the mother had a drinking problem, gave the children alcohol before bed, and left the house at night. After she had not appeared for 10 days, the neighbors decided to inform social services to find suitable accommodation for the children. The children have settled in well, although one needed a bit more time and the youngest was malnourished.

In the meantime, we are caring for 41 children. This means we are soon reaching our limits. We had planned to take in a maximum of about 50 children until they complete their vocational training – apprenticeship or studies. Now we already have over 40 children, but only those aged up to 13 years.

"Give, and it will be given to you" – we could literally experience the meaning of this promise. On a national holiday in August, our oldest children asked if they could go with us to a nearby village to help those in need. We took sugar, rice, and beans from the pantry, packed books, some clothing, and soap, and bought a few freshly caught fish along the way. Life here in the tropics often takes place in front of the huts. You can often tell by various characteristics whether a family is in need. After introducing ourselves briefly, we show interest in their living conditions: relatives and children, employment, any health challenges, etc. The people are usually very open and happy when someone takes time for them. Some individuals receive, in addition to the gifts, financial support for things like medicine or a necessary doctor’s visit. The children sing some of their memorized songs at the end, and if desired, we say goodbye with a short prayer. On that day, we were able to visit five families.

Neighborhood help

The children realize that even with little effort, they can make people happy. Moreover, these outings bring joy not only to those in need but also to our children. They often ask when we will make the next visits.

Three days later, the family of an Indian mechanic who regularly maintains our vehicles visited us. At the end of their stay, they asked us to come to their vehicle to help carry some items, as they had brought us quite a bit for our children. They brought bags of 100 kg of rice, 75 kg of beans, sugar, laundry detergent, clothing, and school supplies like colored pencils, notebooks, etc. We received many times what we had distributed to those in need just a short while before. The children witnessed that God’s promises indeed come to fulfillment.

Our Farm

Today we were able to bring back 50 pineapples, three banana plants with about 30 bananas each, 6 kg of sesame, 10 kg of okra, a box of green onions, chili peppers, and 20 pieces of papaya from our farm. These are yields that we can harvest about two to three times a week. Of course, the harvest varies by season. A significant portion of our fresh food is already provided by our farm.

Our Construction Projects

Our new cafeteria is taking shape. Maike and Jonathan – friends from Deggendorf – visited us for three weeks to lend a hand. Jonathan is a carpenter and, together with his wife, made all the kitchen furniture for the cafeteria in just three short weeks. It was precise German craftsmanship, but with African hardwood. They had already helped us in 2017. So, I decided to call Jonathan this year to ask if he could help us with the large cafeteria kitchen. But then he suddenly contacted me after such a long time and asked if they could come back. I’m not sure if that was just coincidence.

A container, which also contained materials for the kitchen, such as kitchen appliances, sinks, faucets, an osmosis system (for clean water), gas and electric stoves, as well as various cookware, arrived in September, delayed but safely. The rickety truck loaded with the container got stuck on a small hill. Only a crane could help.

The reconstruction of the burned-down school and chapel building is nearly complete. We will be able to use the building again in the new school year.

Next year, we need to build the last two of a total of eight classrooms. After that, we will need two more residential buildings so that we can comfortably accommodate 50 to 60 children – thus reaching the planned maximum capacity. We believe that with more children, the necessary personal care can no longer be ensured to the same extent.

Our Challenges

Our rapid growth also brings financial challenges. On one hand, personnel costs are increasing because we need more caregiving staff. On the other hand, as in most countries, energy costs are rising, which makes many other things, such as food, more expensive.

Our salaries are above the national average, and our employees are generously compensated compared to other employees. They have retirement and health insurance. They also sometimes receive additional support outside the normal framework, such as an interest-free loan for building their house or assistance in case of a family emergency. This, of course, contributes to the generally positive atmosphere among the staff.

The wage level in Tanzania ranges from about 100 to 350 euros per month, depending on qualifications. We therefore need to spend about 8,000 euros per month on salary costs, plus about 3,500 euros for ongoing expenses. However, these figures do not include construction costs. So far, we have managed – and I consciously want to thank God for this – to pay our salaries every month and feed our children.

We thank you all – as many of you have generously supported our orphanage project and helped our children. We see this as God’s blessing. But we also want to remember to thank those who have encouraged us with their active interest or supported us in other ways.

A BIG THANK YOU!

With warm regards and blessings.

yours

Children are a heritage from the Lord.

Psalm 127:3

Wired Donations to:

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”.