It is hard to believe that the orphanage has been functioning for over six years now, but we see the fruits of the hard work of many people when we look to our older children. We have had wonderful success with most of our older children as they prepare to launch themselves into adult life. Sadly we have to report failure with only one so far. Thomas decided after his 18th birthday that he no longer wanted to pursue any form of education or training so he left us to return to the home of his grandmother where his current life is more of a reflection of what we wish our children not to be. He spends to much time in idle pursuits and has not only has disappointed us, but also his grandmother who had wished for so much more for him. We still stay connected to her however and help her whenever we can. She even had us come out to help her make her will (She is nearing 90!) to be sure that her ancestral land would go to Thomas when she dies. It is a small farm that has supported her for the many years that she has lived. With our assistance she no longer has to sleep with her cow in her house to keep it from being stolen. Theft in all forms is a national past time in Tanzania and no person, place or thing is safe from this reality. This fact made me create one of my African axioms: "You do not own what you cannot protect."
On the brighter side - all of our other children have made the move towards adult hood in a fashion that has been gratifying. Raymond realized that school was not meant for him and quit after From 2 (Our sophomore year of high school). However he chose a profession that interested him and went to a boarding school for two years where he learned how to work with electric installation and devices. His health has been a problem losing a kidney this year to complications of pancreatitis, but he has rebounded and is using his skills when work is available and thinking about other ways to earn a living in this country with few jobs. Last week he helped our regular electrician install new wiring and a new fuse box in the house that Shannon and I use. And his most current endeavor involves raising piglets to sell. He lives on the land left to him by his father so he has the space and the time to do this work. Last week we had him present his ideas to Prosper and me as we formed our own version of "The Shark Tank" and grilled him on his business plan and how it would work once he started. His first idea was rejected immediately when we worked the numbers and realized that if he bought pigs to butcher, he would actually lose money on every one he purchased. We kept exploring the possibilities of this type of farming until we came up with the present one that even by conservative estimates, should make good money for him at the onset. And if all goes well and he can expand to more than a single pig, this could be a very lucrative endeavor.
Mwanaidi, our oldest girl, has been accepted into a boarding school where she will study law clerking for a year. If all goes well she can continue her studies there to keep moving towards her dream of being a lawyer. We were very proud of the work that she did at Northern Highlands to accomplish this next step. She did not pass her first attempt in her national exam 3 years ago, but rather than give up went back to school (Northern Highlands) to take another try. This time she got the scores she needed to make it into the school she will attend in Lushoto. And while she was at this school she distinguished herself by being voted the school representative to administration for all of the Islamic students which totaled well over a hundred children. We have already paid her first semester tuition and have nearly finished stockpiling the new bank account that she will need to pay for her expenses while at school. This had been a joint venture with Mama Zara and Zara Charities paying some of the expense while Shannon and I picked up the rest. Mwanaidi also was able to contribute to this fund because she has been one of our most frugal orphans and has her own healthy bank account. Over the years she has been in a special relationship with her personal friend and sponsor, Jane, in the USA who has sent her money that she has saved.
This year four more of our children will take their Form 4 National exams in the late autumn. All of them have been making plans regardless of the outcome of the tests. Agnes has been working on clothing designing for years and wants to pursue this as a career. She has already done a number of fashion shows using younger children at the orphanage as her models. These events are always popular. Agnes also has a large group of supporters from other countries who have been impressed by her kind and gentle ways as a big sister at the orphanage. She also has been very frugal and has a bank account that will give her some cushioning and a chance to do what she wants. Upendo is focusing on football. She has worked hard at school, but academics are not her strong point. But she has already been chosen by her peers as the best goal keeper in the Northern Region. We recently started her training with a local coach and we have hopes that next year she will attend a sports academy that might be a springboard for her to play on the Tanzania National team. Two of her older friends that she used to play with have already made that step.
I questioned Frank and Shedrack on what they thought they wanted to do after this school year. Both are interested in tour guiding and I hope that we can place them in a school together so that they can continue their long standing friendship. This will most likely mean a boarding school for them, but there are places locally that might do as well where they could be day students. It will be fun to go through the process of taking the next step with them.
Ema is taking his Form 1 entrance exam. He was disappointed that he could not attend St. Louis and had to go through the public school system, but he came to us too late to make that jump. He would have had to go back two years which would have put him over age 20 when he finished high school. But he has become one of our hardest working students and plans to do well on the national exam so that we can place him in a good high school. He even sought out a challenging 2 month boarding school program to attend before high school that should give him a good jump. The Board of Directors for the orphanage gave their approval for him to attend and Shannon and I will pay his way since we have much faith in him based on his work ethic.. Mwantum, Mwanaidi's younger sister, will take her national Form 2 exam this year. She also is a dedicated, hard working student and would like to step up to a more challenging school than she currently attends. If study and hard work will get you there, then she should succeed.
These older children and the transitions they are making are very important to us. We have many younger children who will be in their shoes in a few short years and what we are learning from working with these older kids will be invaluable.
Best wishes,
Greg
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