Wednesday, May 12, 2010

A Plea for New Found Land

Dear Friends and Family,

Today, I saw a symbol of devotion and perseverance.

Tramping through fields of sugar cane and rice, over the sodden clay roads, and through villages of laughing shoeless children, we curved with the callous path for the right to see a magnificent view. The clouds were heavy with rain, the plants green with nutrients and then she said laughing, “look there it is, our beacon point!” Looking at it, I thought Mama Faraji could not have picked a more symbolic landmark. In the middle of hundreds of acres of fields there stood a vast boboa tree, at least 60 feet in circumference. We continued a few hundred meters to what is to be Tuleeni’s new home; an eight-acre plot of land that is currently supporting the life of maize plants, which were planted by the orphanage earlier in the year.

Mama Faraji and her friend asked if we wanted to walk the property, we said of course and followed them obediently for a few minutes. Just as if they hit a brick wall, they stopped; I looked up from my feet, letting my eyes wander, searching for some sort of property line. Having been in Tanzania before, I should have realized what I was doing was obsolete, I knew there wouldn’t be signs or a fence to show the where their land ended and their neighbors began. They said to us, laughing at our curiosity, that of course they could tell, “look at the crop lines, they are at different angles than our neighbour's”.

We continued into the field and the plants slowly gained height over us. As we pushed through leaf by leaf, still apparently walking on the boarder line, we started noticing a dramatic difference between Tuleeni’s crops and their neighbours. That beautiful Tanzanian smile that I love showed us how proud they were of their work, and rightfully so. They planted all of the crops with their bare hands, the children from the orphanage even came out to help.

The land is picturesque, the air is fresh, and the plants are growing well. I could tell this is already home for them. I want nothing more, than to be able to help them purchase this land, so that after years of farming it and selling the products they will be able to turn it into an African oasis for the children at Tuleeni. With a school, church and hospital in very practical walking distance I could not have imagined a better destination to start a new home. In this location they are able to get their water directly from the ground and their building supplies from the same village, a rare commodity in Tanzania. The total cost of the land is $11,770.00 including the lawyer fees. Mama Faraji has miraculously saved $1,920.00 while paying rent for both the orphanage and the field, as well as feeding, housing, and caring for over forty children. Over the past year former volunteers has raised $7000.00 leaving us $2,850.00 short the total cost.

Many of you have heard our stories about the children at Tuleeni, how they melted our hearts and brought smiles to our faces. Please, hear us again. We are so close to completing a goal that will change the lives of so many and all we need is a small contribution from the people that support us. Let the boboa tree be a symbol of life for the children to grow up with. I have seen Tuleeni work too hard to be able to leave Africa without being able to help them purchase the land. With your support their dream will become a reality. No donation is too small... remember, five dollars can go a very long way in Tanzania.

For any donations you wish to make, the cheques can be made out to:
Global Exchange/Tuleeni
and mailed to:
Jackie Weiss
8639 Lord's Manor Way
Rohnert Park
USA, CA 94928

Asante sana rafikis.
(Thank you very much friends).

Love,
Aubrey and Graeme.

2 comments: