Projects
Tumaini workers assess specific needs in orphan families and initially supply food needs, blankets, grain etc; we have a programme to re-build derelict family-houses and support establishing “chekacheas”, nursery schools, for younger orphans, encouraging churches to set them up and helping equip them, then the older children are freed to go to school, knowing that the younger children are safe, while the young ones can be given the stimulation of early education.
Secondary Schoolsare all fee-paying, but if a child passes their 11 Plus with a high enough mark, they are entitled to a place in a Government Secondary School, which costs about £35 per year…pricing it out of most families’ budgets: in 2011 we are supporting 6,700 Tumaini orphans to go to Government Secondary School – such Secondary Education is likely to lift the entire extended family out of poverty! As from 2012 we have secured the funds to send 30 students who have achieved high passes at secondary school, to attend teacher-training college for a 2 year diploma qualification – the funding will be supplied as a student loan, so that we can keep funding 30 students every year from now on.
Dr Susan Wilson returns to Kagera annually, to audit, fact-find and visit families and new areas. Former Guernsey Social-Worker, Denise Mabire, with 30 years’ experience with the Guernsey Childrens’ Board, goes out to Kagera for 3 month placements annually, to define objectives, team-build and coordinate field-work. When we go, we travel at our own expense, taking nothing from Tumaini: none of the money donated here is spent in Guernsey ….items of equipment…lap-tops, camera, printer etc are all specifically donated, so that donors know that all their money is going out to Tanzania, not spent on admin or hardware here: the money in Tanzania is closely monitored with monthly break-downs of expenditure. Our 2 project vehicles were funded by Guernsey Overseas Aid Commission and a further 2 vehicles have been funded this year through a couple in Guernsey.
Our child sponsorship programme, enables people to sponsor a family of Aids orphans. For £1 per week a Kageran child can be fed, clothed and educated, so, for example, a family of 3 children could be “adopted” for £12 per month ( £144 per year) or a single child for £4 per month. It has been difficult setting up a safe, accountable method of money transfer, but we can now, using our Social- Workers, Parish-workers and Head-of-Family Advocacy groups, ensure transparency. £1 given is the £1 that the child receives in Kagera, with nothing taken off…the other work in Tanzania being supported by donations given separately to the Tumaini Fund itself. We ask “adoptive” families to pray for their children, who will pray for them: for children who have no-one left to check on them at night, tuck them in, listen to their worries, it is a wonderful thing, as they go to bed, knowing that someone, somewhere is saying a prayer for them and that they are special.
The work is inspired by Jesus…his Holy Spirit is willing this work forward and has enabled all that has been achieved so far. We are relying on him for the miracle of a small Guernsey charity being able to support 200,000 children – without him, this would be a daunting prospect, but he makes it do-able.