Newsletter November 2021

Dear Friends,

Corona is changing the world in ways we couldn't have imagined two years ago. We are grateful that the situation in Tanzania still seems to be under control. While there are reports of illnesses and deaths, the hysteria seen in other countries is absent here. As life on the orphanage campus mainly takes place outdoors, and infections are known to occur more frequently in enclosed spaces, the risk of Corona here is still very low.

Our Children

Currently, 25 children are in our care. Since our last newsletter, an additional girl has been admitted. Thuramiha* came to us at 42 days old, weighing a mere 1.5 kg. Her mother was HIV-positive and suffered from (Cryptococcal-Fungal) Meningitis. Sadly, she passed away shortly after we picked up the child. Thuramiha receives fresh, sterilized goat's milk from our farm every one to two hours. While she is gaining weight – which is a good sign for her development – we unfortunately had to take her back to the hospital today as she is suffering from severe anemia and therefore requires a blood transfusion.

We reported on Carolina* in our last newsletter. She is now one year old. Her mother died of AIDS, and Carolina initially tested positive as a newborn. We are overjoyed because the result of her repeat AIDS test has now come back negative.

Laura*, our 7-month premature baby who had to go to the hospital three times and almost died (we reported on her in our spring newsletter 2019), has developed wonderfully. She is a happy, extremely healthy little girl. Whether she might need glasses will become clear by the end of the year.

Our "big kids" bring us much joy. Their English skills are improving every day. Our visitors can already converse with them in English. Their German skills are also acceptable. If you ask them a question in German, they may still answer in English, but they already understand what was asked. In the evenings, after devotion and before bedtime, they sometimes get to watch a short YouTube film about the animal kingdom, which they love. Often, during the day, they already ask if they can watch one of the exciting short documentaries again in the evening. They particularly laughed a lot about the behavior of a chimpanzee colony in Tanzania by Lake Tanganyika.

We expect to have the approval for our private school by the end of the year, as we have now met the prerequisite of completing at least the shell construction of the next four classrooms. In November, we will install the metal roof, followed by the interior plaster and flooring. Your support in the form of a designated donation for the school building would be a great help to us. Another four classrooms will be added later – bringing us to a total of 10 classrooms for the "Primary School" for the first seven grade levels, accommodating approximately 250 students in total. One building with two classrooms is already standing and is being intensively used for our preschool classes.

School approval is important to us because six of our children will be enrolled starting in January. Due to their preschool knowledge, they can skip the 1st grade. We are currently conducting interviews with potential local teachers. It is not easy to find the right teacher, as not only educational and professional qualifications are decisive, but above all, good English skills. We place particular emphasis on correct pronunciation and a loving approach to the children.

Our Volunteers

We are very grateful for the commitment that friends and visitors show for us. Francia and Jonathan, along with their son Lukas, decided to take a "sabbatical" this summer and dedicate two whole months of their time to us. Francia has intensively cared for those children who need a little more attention and dedication. Jonathan has put our IT system in order. Now we finally have a functioning backup system and no longer have to worry about our data being lost due to a computer failure or the loss of external hard drives. In addition, a system with surveillance cameras has been installed for areas where valuables are located (e.g., in the workshop).

Despite Corona, two female students once again showed the courage to actively help us as volunteers this year. Both come from Austria and have completed their school education. Alexandra passed her Matura at Gymnasium Bogenhofen, and Esther completed her degree at the HLW (Höhere Lehranstalt für wirtschaftliche Berufe - Higher Institute for Economic Professions) in Braunau.

For the upcoming year 2022/23, we have already received several applications.

Garden and Construction Measures

Apart from the new school building, we have decided to construct a proper workshop building. Currently, there is only a storage room with a small workbench. The new workshop will have a dedicated room for a circular saw and planer, a paint and material storage, a storage for power tools with a long workbench for working on a miter saw, a grinding machine, and a pillar drill. In addition, a room with a corn mill will be built, which we need more and more frequently. Currently, our corn from the farm has to be transported 10 km to the nearest larger village for milling.

Now that the irrigation system is complete, our 11-hectare farm is already yielding its first harvests. Salads and green vegetables, tomatoes, eggplants, coconuts, chirimoya, and papaya come exclusively from our own cultivation. All other fruits and vegetables are still purchased.

The residential building for our employees on the farm premises is almost finished. Before the start of the next big rainy season, we will pave additional connecting paths on the premises.

Missionary Endeavors

As Seventh-day Adventists, we are certain that Christ will soon return and that our world is slowly nearing its end. Be it through the ongoing Corona crisis or the immense climatic changes – we face many challenges that will permanently alter the world as we have known it. International politics will struggle to solve these problems. Every day, we move closer to the events prophesied in the Book of Revelation.

Therefore, we wish to contribute to the proclamation of the Three Angels' Messages and employ Bible workers to draw the attention of our neighboring population to the good news of Christ's return. The annual costs for an evangelist, including the literature we give away, amount to approximately 2,000 Euros.

Special Challenges

The construction of the additional school building and its necessary interior furnishings, such as chairs, school desks, blackboards, and furniture for the teachers' lounge, present particular financial challenges. We are very grateful for your involvement in Dunia ya Heri and would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all our loyal sponsors and interested parties – be they individuals, organizations, or companies.

Special thanks also go to all those who remember us in prayer and accompany us daily through their intercession.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

With kind regards and blessings

Yours