Newsletter December 2016

Dear friends,

The daycare is finished except for a few minor details. The outdoor grounds and the access road still need landscaping, and we need a little more time to decorate the children's rooms.

Today is December 2. For Dunia ya Heri this is a very special day: the first children have been admitted to our orphanage. Thus the dream that began a little more than two years ago — when the decision was made to purchase land for the purpose of building an orphanage in Africa — has begun to come true. Now we can see with our own eyes the first fruits of our work. It took 14 months to turn a piece of densely overgrown land into a home for the first 20 orphans aged 0 to 5 years.

On November 17 DyH (Dunia ya Heri) had already received the necessary license to operate an orphanage. Since then we have been able to admit children by official court order. On November 30 an inspection by the local youth welfare office took place. Jokingly, the responsible social worker said she liked the home so much that she would most like to send her own children to us and added that we probably wouldn’t have to wait long before we would be unable to accept more children due to lack of space. She was impressed by the silence and the pleasantly calm atmosphere of this place. When Beate then spoke with her in Russian — the social worker had completed her professional training in Moscow — the ice was completely broken. She said she would fill our home with needy children in the coming months and that “Dunia ya Heri” would certainly arouse lively interest among the political decision-makers in Dar es Salaam.

Of course we are all proud of what has been created. Time and again, in situations that seemed hopeless to us, we experienced how the right people arrived at the right time to support us with funds or with advice and practical help. Although funds for the construction of the home often only became available “at the last second,” construction never had to be halted. For that we are thankful to God.

Our first children

To protect the privacy of our children, we prefer not to mention names. It is very important to us that they grow up in a protected environment.

About a year ago a dam was planned in Kawe, a region about 30 km from Dar es Salaam. The residents of the houses that were to be demolished because of the reservoir were asked to leave their huts in time. Before the demolition crew began work, the houses were inspected to ensure that no one was still inside. During this check a one-and-a-half-year-old boy was found. He was in poor health and was obviously malnourished. Interestingly, the “Clinical Report,” the precursor to the birth certificate, was with him. This circumstance suggested that the child had been deliberately left behind. The child’s name and the parents’ names are listed in the document.

At first the neighbors cared for the boy and then reported him to the police. Two weeks later he was admitted to a Catholic shelter for the poor run by a foundation of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. There he was cared for for a year until the sisters decided to place the boy in an orphanage where he would find a long-term home. This home is now Dunia ya Heri. We have now been officially entrusted with responsibility for his future, as efforts to find his parents have so far been unsuccessful.

Although we were prepared, it is still an extraordinary feeling to be entrusted with responsibility for the development and upbringing of a child. The second boy is four years old. He no longer has a father, and his mother is in an extremely poor state of health and is unable to care for the child. No other relatives are available to care for the boy.

The caregivers

Today was also the first official working day for our mamas — as caregivers are affectionately called in Tanzania. For this task three people were initially hired: one mama for the day shift, one for the night shift and another as a substitute for the days off of the first two. From the fifth child onwards, three more mamas will be needed.

Serina is the day mama. She is known to us from our small local community. Serina has two daughters aged 16 and 21. Both impressed us with their good upbringing and musical talent.

Christina, the other mama, is responsible for the night shift. She lives in our small village of Puna and is an accountant by profession. She speaks perfect English and showed keen interest in our project from the very beginning. Early on she offered DyH her help — no matter what the tasks might be. Christina’s mother will, in turn, act as cover for the two mamas when needed.
All three caregivers ensure a balanced, loving and Christian upbringing at DyH.

Building projects

Apart from admitting our first orphans, quite a bit more has happened in recent weeks. Work was able to begin on the next residential building for children between 6 and 12 years old. Special thanks go to a family from the USA for their earmarked donation. This family is generally committed to the orphans of Tanzania. Through their donation the next residential building for children aged 6 to 12 could be started. A construction crew, partly consisting of 23 people from Poland, Ukraine and the USA, carried out the shell construction work in Nov./Dec. of this year. We are moved by the dedication of these people who sacrifice their vacations and even pay their own flight costs to help us. Photos and impressions of the work of this construction crew can be found in the gallery on our website www.Dunia-ya-Heri.org.

The garden

It is still our goal to feed the children with our own produce. Our garden continues to flourish. The huge mango trees are currently bearing abundant fruit, and every staff member is happy when they can collect a few mangoes for personal consumption.
Unfortunately watering during the dry season (June to November) is very labor-intensive. Two people are busy almost every day making sure all plants and young fruit trees are cared for. Many of our one- to two-year-old fruit trees should bear their first fruits in a few years. Papaya and bananas already do so after one year. Besides mangoes, papaya and bananas, we have coconut and date palms, cherimoya, guavas, lemons, grapefruit, mandarins, oranges, jackfruit, moringa, limes, avocados, grapes and even the queen of fruits — a few durian trees. A small herb garden has also been created. It is sheltered in the shade of one of the large mango trees. Many types of vegetables and grains also grow very well. These include tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chili, sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, sesame, spinach, radishes, radicchio, onions, Irish potatoes, okra, zucchini, leeks, chard, eggplant, cassava as well as melons and pumpkins — DyH is truly richly blessed. We are also trying to grow raspberries and strawberries, but we are not sure whether they will tolerate the warmer climate in the long term.

A water tower

Currently our water comes from a well about 70 meters deep. From there two temporary water towers are filled using a 220-volt sump pump. The height of about three meters ensures that water pressure is generated. Only in this way do the showers, taps and toilets in the completed buildings work at least somewhat. Unfortunately we need a generator to operate the pump, which consumes a significant amount of petrol. We want to change this as soon as possible and build a water tower with a total capacity of 40,000 liters. It should then stand 12 meters high and be operated with solar pumps. Only then can we supply the entire site with sufficient water and adequate water pressure. Our goal is also to connect a drip irrigation system for automatic watering of the garden to two tanks with a total capacity of 20,000 liters. This would save petrol and personnel costs, which could then be used for more useful gardening work. This extremely important water tower, which would cost about 15,000 euros, would have to be built by a professional construction company because of its height and required structural engineering. We are not yet sure whether we will opt for a steel framework or a solid construction. Here too we hope to find appropriate support for the construction of this much-needed water tower.

What’s next?

We have funds for personnel costs and the general upkeep of the children until March 2017. Not only must the mamas be employed (for infants there are two caregivers for every five children, plus necessary temporary staff), but also gardeners, security personnel, caretakers and people for cleaning, cooking and washing. In addition, there are costs for food, drugstore and household items, medical care for the children and vehicle maintenance, etc. Thanks to your help and financial donations, we are confident that we do not have to worry about further development of our DyH project.
In this context we would like to thank everyone who helped this year to bring our orphanage project this far in such a short time. And we are grateful to all who will continue to place their trust in us with their support. Every gift is a sign of love for helpless children who can look forward to a better life because of you.

Donations in kind

We are often asked how to support us with donations in kind. A 40-foot container is currently being prepared near the Schloss Bogenhofen seminary (Austria), which is to begin its journey to Tanzania next year. We can fill this. We are particularly looking for children's clothing (summer clothing for infants), but also towels, bedding, bibs, summer shoes and everything that might be needed for babies. This also includes cloth diapers, blankets, changing pads, vegan infant formula, plush toys and toys for indoors and outdoors, decorations for children's rooms, English-language children's books and also used musical instruments.
Also needed are all kinds of construction machinery and tools: from spirit levels to drills, drill drivers and orbital sanders. Even used formwork boards, well-preserved wheelbarrows and scaffolding are in demand, because in Tanzania these are either very expensive or of insufficient quality.

Construction team

Originally our plan was to organize a construction team for June 2017. Whether this construction team will go ahead is not yet certain. However, we have a commitment that from early November to mid-December 2017 there will again be a construction team from Poland on site. Anyone who would like to join these people is warmly welcome — whether from Germany, Austria, the USA or Poland. He or she may contact us by e-mail at info@Dunia-ya-Heri.org.

Thank you

As Christians of faith we thank God that He has given us the opportunity to provide children in Tanzania with a home and to see our project take shape. Dunia ya Heri — Land of Blessing! We want to pass this blessing on.

We wish you a Merry Christmas. With warm greetings and blessings

Yours

Thomas Küsel

Vice Chair
Dunia ya Heri

Yours

Judith Klier

Chair
Dunia ya Heri

Donations

To help as many children as possible, we depend on donations. Thank you for your help.