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NEWS FROM TANZANIA
Latest News received today (7th July) from Daniel Bujiku (Bethany Team Tanz)
Quote:
The Bethany family is very happy to let you know that all the children are well though few are weak as normal here due to a lot of mosquitos. Angelina has now completely recovered from the chest tight.
There are new members of children who have joined The Bethany family. Their names are;
1. Evalisti Shaban (boy, 13 in class five).
2. Emmanuel Shaban (boy, 8 in class three).
3. Edinah Shaban (girl, 7yrs in class one).
Their father whose name is Shaban Buswelu died in 2000 of body swelling up especially the legs. And their mother whose name is Magreti Daudi died in 2004 of T.B. When both the parents died, their grandfather(Daudi Mandilindi) from their mother's side used to look after them but due to that he is too old and he is also a widower, he can no longer look after them now. The above mentioned children are from the same parents and family. The fourth child is Abel Shaban from the Butimba prison in Mwanza from the lady who has been prisoned there for almost five years now as Brian know the story very well. In general we have 62 children at the moment. The water system is still a problem at the moment but we are surviving by pumping the water by generator. The clinic is going very well. Seach for teachers is now getting better that I am in contact with a man whom we are going to interview today as the team and get his details . I might ring you this evening or email you on Saturday about the details of him. This is all what I have at the moment and we are all praying for you all. Yours faithfully, Daniel Bujiku.
Report dated 6th July 2004
Monthly meeting: On the Saturday the 26th June we were fortunate to have 4 prospective volunteers join us. They were Matthew and Rachel Schofield (both Secondary School Geography teachers). Rachel Bacon (teacher in training) and Cathy Riley (teachers assistant). All are looking to visit Bethany in the near future with a view to longer term commitment. Our next monthly meeting is on July 31st click here for details. All are welcome.
Children: We have just heard that we now have over 60 children in our care. One girl in particular had been referred to us by an Organisation in Musoma who believed that she was at risk. Apparently there are two boys and one girl in the family, their father had died and their mother was suffering from mental problems. The mother decided to give the children to the local witch doctor but the girl escaped (she was aware that children are sometimes sacrificed by being skinned alive since the skin can then be used for it’s supposed magical properties). Here are two articles on the issues. Article 1, Article 2 . The two boys have not yet been located.
Water Supply: The level of the lake has fallen dramatically which is making it difficult for Bethany to pump water as we rely on a syphon system to get the water from the lake to the well which holds the pump. Fortunately Brian was visiting and has helped extend the inlet pipe. Even so we are still only pumping a limited amount of water and also using a diesel pump. We have had to cut off the water supply to the village from time to time because of the problems.
Visitors return:
Brian Bancroft, Naomi Bancroft, Jemma Turner and Rachel Johnson returned to the UK on Friday 2nd July. Brian spent much of his time helping improve the water system. The three girls spent time with the children teaching English. Brian has also been involved in trying to persuade the authorities to release a young boy (2 years) who is presently staying with his mother in prison accused of murder. We are hoping for news very soon.
To see the photos they took click gallery1, gallery2,
Clinic: Nothing to report.
Proposed School: No further progress
Sponsorship - Finance: Due to the children’s visit raising the awareness of the work done by Bethany many school and churches have bolsted our finances to a position where we now have enough money to start the construction work on phase 1 of our new dormitory for girls. As well as one-off gifts from schools, churches and individuals etc we also have a very small number of regular givers (using standing orders) who faithfully give month after month, year after year. To give an example: in May this year we received £392 from 18 regular supporters (paid by standing order). The amounts range from £2 to £100 per month. We have recently sent out over 400 letters to all those people known to Bethany asking them to consider supporting Bethany by signing a standing order. The information is also available on the web site. We are pleased to tell you that two people have responded, one is increasing their giving to £30 and the other is a totally new giver. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking both of them for their support and encourage others who are still perhaps considering donating by monthly standing order. As our out goings now total £1,500 per month we become even more reliant on the one-off gifts received from time to time. If you would consider supporting us in this way then please click the link below Sponsorship, Supporting Bethany.
Future Trips: Hilary and Dominic Murphy are presently at Bethany returning late July. Graham and Elaine Earnshaw visit Bethany July - August where they hope to help with various tasks. Graham Pountain hopes to visit mid August for two weeks. Brian Bancroft is hoping to go sometime in September. Some of the younger members of OCC hope to visit October and other groups in November, January and February 2004.
New vehicle grant: We now have a pro-forma invoice and have asked ‘Kids to Care for’ to release the money so that we can proceed with the purchase. You may just be interested in the information we had to provide to obtain the grant (click here for details)
Daniel and Eliada (marriage): No further news
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