Some of Our Accomplishments & Our Thanks

With help from our friends in Norway, we were able to construct a modern kitchen which was completed in December 2008. Thanks to Turid and Inge for gathering donations from their friends, relatives, and other well-wishers.

A kindergarten classroom was repaired with help from Lynne and David Harty from USA.

Before:

After:

The classroom was originally built with help from Rosemary O'Shaughnessy from Canada, Kevin Commons, and their family and friends. The purpose of the classroom is to provide early education for orphans and other vulnerable children of Kibosho Umbwe and other nearby villages.

We also have a pig project whose funds were donated by Corona Women of Dar es Salaam through the help of Rosemary O'Shaughnessy. They donated pigs and built a pen for them.

Furthermore, Good Hope was blessed with 3-acre maize farm which provides food for the children at the centre and the kindergarten students (CHEKECHEA). This land was bought for Good Hope by Rosemary and Diplomatic Spouses of Tanzania.

The initial chicken coop was built with help from Cynthia Tobiason from USA, who is the mother of Glory Tobiason who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kibosho Umbwe from 2003 to 2005.

And let's not forget the 4WD-drive Suzuki (visible above) nicknamed "Sarita" by Rosemary who collected donations from friends, relatives, and various organizations, especially Agriteam.

We would like to express our thanks to Glory for organizing a group of 12 women who were able to build a pig pen with help from PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). Each woman was given a pen along with a sow. Good Hope managed to register this women's group with the local government. Its name is Juhudi Women Group. "Juhudi" means "hard work" in Swahili. The group has expanded to over 50 members and has become self-sufficient through the sale of pigs. Recently, the government's Community Development Fund acknowledged the group's hard work with a loan to open a pig feed store which now provides pig feed to all the pig farmers in the area.

Thanks to TACAIDS (Tanzania Comission on AIDS) for providing money for school uniforms for needy children, for food, and clothing for widows/widowers.

Our special thanks go to Agatha Marie, a Tanzanian student studying in the USA who initiated the resource centre project. Words cannot express our gratitude for all those who are tirelessly working to raise funds to complete this project, including Rosemary O'Shaughnessy, Tasha Komery, Steve and Claire, The Tobiasons, David & Lynne Harty and the parishoners of Zion Episcopal in Charlestown, WV.

Thanks also Save Africa's Children Fund for their donation towards food and school uniforms.

And last but not least, we give our thanks to Thomas Harty, the new Peace Corps volunteer at Umbwe Secondary School for teaching English at the centre and for assisting with the centre's website.

Resource Centre

Below is a picture of a project which was begun in June 2007, but which has stalled for various reasons. Currently, we are raising money to finish its construction. Its purpose is to provide medical care and HIV education to villagers, many of whom are unable to access treatment facilities in Moshi (the closest town) due to poverty.

Part of the front wall collapsed during a rainstorm, but the structure is salvageable. The government has promised to send a doctor, a nurse, and a counselor once the centre is finished.

Patients will be charged a small fee to cover the operating costs of the centre. The fees will also provide some income to Good Hope. AIDS patients (42 in the area) will be able to pick-up their ARVs (anti-retrovirals) free of charge. Additionally, The centre will offer HIV testing and counseling.

Budget for February 2009