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Published: October 4th 2007
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current boys dorm
This is where the boys are currently living. There is no ceiling (just a roof) and the beds are a wreck. Well, it's been almost a week since my last update and I've made some progress on the transportation issue. I've decided that to get out to the orphanage 5 days a week is a bit too much (for me at least), so I've coordinated, with the help of a hostel local named Gasper, to have a "private" dalla dalla pick us up at the hostel Mon,Wed and Fri and then bring us back at 5:30. If you ask them to pick you up at 8:30, that means they'll be there somewhere after 9:00 am. Same for the return. It costs TSH 25,000 (just over $20) for the round trip. To compare vs. public transport, for a seat on the dalla dalla to the orphanage using public transportation you would pay about TSH 500-700. I'm subsidizing the cost and whoever joins in on the ride pitches in. It just removes some of the uncertainty about the transportation for the day and the cost is minimal. For me it's totally worth it even though I'm trying to travel on a budget.Now that I've addressed that issue I'm more focused on my projects. We have started painting the new boys dorm room and I'm
New dorm room
Sarah had this new dorm built, we just started painting it Wed. really excited to see how it will turn out. Mike (a volunteer from Australia) and myself picked out the colors yesterday, Summer Blue and Ripple Green. We are splitting the costs for the painting supplies and Mike is leading the project. In the pictures I've included you can see the status of the boys current dorm room. It's pretty pitiful. The frames are a wreck and the mattresses are essentially pieces of foam, sometimes in a frame and sometimes on the floor. The walls are bare. The new dorm rooms will be so much nicer, but we still need to address the issue of new bed frames, mattresses, etc. To that extent, I'd like to ask you to consider helping us out. I realize you are likely asked for money by many different organizations for a variation of causes. The money we spend here is NOT tax-deductible, but the return is much greater in that you know exactly where the money will be going. I will be here to supervise the distribution of funds for the next few weeks and can send you updates during my stay as well as post my visit by communicating with the other volunteers who
a few helpers
The kids were excited to help us paint for a little while. will be here longer than me. To give you an idea of some of the costs we are all working to cover, here is a list of current needs: 1) Seven (7) doors for the boys dorm will cost approx. $450, 2) New mattresses for 30 boys is around $500, 3) mattress covers - $300, 4) Shelving units for the classrooms and a toy box $500, 5) wages for one month for Newland staff - $400, 6) Food to feed the kids for one week around $250. The return: PRICELESS! There are 57 kids at the orphanage right now ranging in age from 2 1/2 to 14. They eat in a dining room with no tables or chairs, they don't have running water and are currently bathing outside in buckets. We just finished painting the updated showers and toilets and are hoping to open them up next week. I'm going to be giving the kids a hygiene lesson on brushing teeth and washing their hands. Currently, they don't have toothbrushes nor is there any soap around. My goal today is to find soap dispensers and some more toothbrushes to distribute next week. I'll be writing the kids names on each
the current kitchen
It' hilarious, there are chickens and goats wandering around all over the place. While painting we hear cows moo and roosters crow. of their brushes in hopes that they don't mix up and potentially spread diseases that way. Several of the kids are HIV positive and honestly they don't do a great job of preventing those kids from potentially spreading the infection from open cuts, etc. IF you do decide to make a contribution, please send a check to my home mailing address and I'll just withdraw the funds from my savings account in the short-term. Kori can deposit the checks whenever they arrive. Please let me know if you have any intention of contributing and whether or not you want your contribution to be anonymous or not. If there is something specific you would like your funds to go towards, please let me know and I'll coordinate it. Home mailing address: 65 High Ridge Road #653, Stamford, CT 06905-3800 (this is a mailbox, not a residence)Besides the volunteer work things are starting to feel more settled here in Moshi as I can find my way around. I'm coordinating a group to go do a day hike on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro next weekend to the Materuni and Kuringe waterfall. I found out prior to leaving the US that I WON'T
one of the youngest orphans
He is so cute, but left to sit in the dirt and play with his ball by himself. be able to hike Mt. Kili because of an inherited blood disorder I have. I could do it if I really take my time, but that wouldn't be much fun for the people climbing with me. Instead, my friend Laurence will be joining me in a few weeks to go on a safari to the Ngorogoro crater and Serengeti before we move on to Zanzibar for some scuba diving. The time is starting to fly by and I can't believe I only have a few more weeks here. I feel like a slacker as most of the volunteers come for a few months. For those of you who know me, you know this means I'll be pretty focused to accomplish as much as I can while I'm here. Thanks in advance to those of you who are touched enough by these children to help out here. The money will be used wisely and you will inevitably improve the daily lives of many children that otherwise will have to depend on more volunteers from the Hostel Hoff. I had hoped to post a video of the children playing, but I struggled to get it uploaded. Hopefully the pictures give you a
volunteers playing w/kids
Here, Ron (from Israel) and Marcus (from Sweden) are playing with the kids as we wait for our dalla dalla to arrive. They had as much, if not more, fun than the kids. pretty good idea of what the orphanage is like.I hope all is well back home and abroad. I'll be sending more pictures and updates next week.
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