Newsletter November 2020

Dear Friends,

Once again it is time to give you a report of our orphanage project in Tanzania. 

A Short Review

More than five years ago we started with the construction of the Dunia ya Heri orphanage. Now, as we are looking back, we are filled with tremendous gratitude. At the offset we would have never thought to be able to reach the point where we are at now.

It is a small miracle; We were able to complete most of the infrastructure of our orphanage. Many of you have helped us to accomplish all that was needed. Now the orphanage is comprised of a home for toddlers, one resident building for boys, one for girls (up to the age of 12), a building for the Primary School which can be used as a chapel, two houses for workers’ quarters, our own house where we live, one garage which can also be used as a workshop, two water towers, a number of septic tanks, three solar parks, a large playground, a repair shop, the building of the main gate, a chicken house, a vegetable garden with our own water supply and lots of newly planted fruit trees all over the campus and, finally, several lighted footpaths for increased security at night. 

At times we did not know if we would be able to count on sufficient funds to carry on with our work. But not only once did we receive the necessary support – sometimes just barely in time to carry on. 

It is Thanksgiving Season and soon it is going to be Christmas. Therefore, instead of spending a lot of time on general aspects we would like to dedicate this report especially to our children. 

The Children

Kind

It was a Friday night in the month of June. At a rather unusual time we received a phone call from one of the social workers in Dar es Salaam. She informed us that she was planning to come the next day in order to pick up one of our children.  The Grandmother of Jane* had been found.  Newly-born Jane had arrived at Dunia ya Heri at the age of four weeks. Now she had been with us for three and a half years. She is a very special little girl, a joyful child who loves the company of the other children.  

We were very sad about this news and could hardly find any rest during the night. We felt like we needed to ask God to watch over the life of Jane and to only permit what would be best for her.

KindOn Saturday at noon a Toyota Land Cruiser drove on our campus. A lady accompanied by the social worker left the car and we all settled down at a table on the terrace of the toddlers’ building. After church Jane was in the garden together with her care-takers and the other children. Theresia, the social worker, started to fill out some of the necessary documents. We were told that the lady who had arrived in the car together with Theresia was one of the sisters of the missing mother – an aunt of Jane. She came from Arusha – a nine-hour drive – in order to pick up Jane. I offered the lady to come with me. I wanted to show her the bedroom where Jane had been sleeping the last couple of years. But, strangely, the lady refused and stayed seated at the table. She had no questions and showed no interest in Jane. I became skeptical about the whole situation and began to ask the lady to give us some more details of the missing mother. I also wanted her to tell me how the grandmother came to the conclusion that Jane was her granddaughter.  KindThe lady gave us a few abrupt answers and said that all she “needed” was to take the child. We started having doubts about the whole situation, and I quietly prayed to God asking for his support. I spontaneously suggested to carry out a DNA-test in order to verify that Jane really belonged to this family. We would even be willing to pay for any additional expenses for the test. All of a sudden Theresia, who had quietly been listening, stopped writing, put her pen aside and said: “That’s it! Today Jane will not be leaving Dunia ya Heri!” We could not believe our ears as she explained that the story about the missing mother she just heard at our table was not the same story which had been documented before.  She would call on the local police in order to verify the matter in more detail.  Shortly after, both ladies left our campus without Jane. 

Kind KindWe are filled with joy that Jane is still with us today. If we had not asked any further questions and if Theresia would not have had the courage to stop the whole process, we cannot imagine what could have happened to Jane.  We are sure that we experienced God’s help in this situation. 

KindOne year ago we informed you about Sasha*, a boy who had a major health issue.  He was going to spend 6 to 8 weeks in a specialized Polish clinic in order to receive physiotherapeutic treatments. Now, looking back, we are glad that the necessary documents for his trip were not ready on time before the Corona crisis. Because of Corona Sasha would not easily have been able to come back to Tanzania. We found a physiotherapist who took care of his treatment in Tanzania. Sasha’s motoric skills have improved a lot. He learned to walk properly and is beginning to talk. 

KindOur little prematurely born Laura* who was born weighing a little over 50 ounces now started to walk. There is nothing that reminds us of the fragile little baby who was so close to death. She is being spoiled by the other children who are giving her a lot of attention. 

One of our visitors from Austria mentioned to us that he was very surprised that he was able to communicate with the older children in English. Rayna* – one of the older girls – is beginning to translate my wife Beate whenever she speaks German with them. We do our best to raise our children multilingually. Knowing English and some German will give them a great advantage in the future.  

KindThe older children are attending our pre-school in the morning.  During two hours they paint, do manual work, learn to read and write and practice some basic algebra.  Additionally, they learn English.  They are having a lot of fun.  We are careful not to overtax them. 

Since early this year we have started with the process of registration of our Primary School.  Unfortunately, the registration turns out to be more difficult than we thought.  The Public Authorities keep on asking for additional information – and even though we are used to a fair amount of bureaucracy it will take a lot of perseverance to reach our goal. 

Further Progress

KindIn order to ease the process of registration of our school, the Ministry of Education asked us to start with the construction of additional classrooms. The erection of the cafeteria building, therefore, will still have to wait. Before the next rainy season we will create more pathways with lighting for the sake of security. Due to the ongoing Corona crisis we need to increase our level of self-sufficiency, growing more of our own foods. An irrigation system and additional water-supply will be needed on our farm. More fruit trees (mango, coconut and papaya) will also be planted. 

Challenges

KindWe are not sure what influence the current Corona crisis will have on our further development. Therefore, we would like to sincerely thank all of you – all individuals, companies or organizations who have helped us so far.  We especially thank “Restore a Child” – our partner organization – for the support they have given. We believe that despite of Corona we will experience even more “small miracles” in the future. 

We are wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving and year of 2021. 

Best regards

Thomas Küsel, Vice Chair, Dunia ya Heri
Judith Klier, Chair, Dunia ya Heri

* The names have been changed.

 

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:  

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