I Can Only Imagine

I Can Only Imagine

November 19. 2019

It’s the end of the year and graduation time in Arusha, Tanzania, East Africa.

Our beautiful, boy Julius graduated from kindergarten yesterday. At just a few days old, Julius and his twin were brought to Neema after the death of their Maasai moher in childbirth.

Since he is the smartest one in his class (not bragging, just sayin’) he got to read a welcome and long introduction to three or four hundred people. He didn’t miss a beat. They have probably never had a kindergarten student do that, so he received a huge applause. A year ago he was reading at a two and half grade level. Can you even imagine how far this young man can go in life?

I do have to say that the whole kindergarten class quoted Matt 5: 1 – 10 .

Julius’s twin, Malikia pictured below, as most of you know is our little song bird at Neema and is in Blind school in Moshi. She will be coming home to Neema for Christmas break!! 

Amazingly Neema Village now has 22 children who will be in schools off campus in 2020,  

like Frankie and Ema pictured below. Thanks for the cool picture Vern Fernandes!

Our school on campus is a preschool and Ashley and Napendaella (her name means I love God) have done a fabulous job getting our kids, like Angel and Angelous, ready for primary school. Both are doing very well in their classes at Green Peace School. where Angel was top in her class. 

And our big girl Gloria, below, who was top of her class last year at Tumaini School. Gloria had been abandoned and lived at Neema for 4 years. She returned home to live with her Grandmother and now walks to school every day. Her grandmother is in our MAP program and by God’s Abundant Grace through MAP has started a small successful shop selling rice and beans, soap and cooking oil. She is able to keep Gloria at home now but she can’t afford school fees.

We would love to have a primary school at Neema Village but it is almost impossible to get a new school registered these days. The Tanzanian government wants all kids to go to government schools. Those schools are overcrowded, understaffed and provide little or no teaching aids for teachers. We visited a school that had about 100 kids in one classroom, no posters on the walls and 3 kids to a desk. There was a black board on the wall, but the teacher had no chalk, so he wrote on the board with his finger! Many Maasai kids without help will never get to go to school. Our little boy, Jackson with Neema’s help will be able to go to one of the top schools in his area.

Our children come to Neema as babies, like Joycie pictured below. Her father was too old to keep the little baby after the mother died in childbirth. We fall in love with these babies and want the best for them in life. So we send our kids to good private schools when possible.

Joycie went home to her grandparents farm (pictured below) and lives with her older brother and his wife in a mud hut. Joycie is also at the top of her class in school and by God’s Grace will someday be able to afford a nice home for her family.

Without electricity though you have to wonder how they can ever get their homework done!

As babies we can save their lives, we can teach them about God and we can feed and clothe them but if we don’t go on to give them an education, we have not helped them reach their full potential in life.  An uneducated man can love his family and take good care of his cows and goats but he will do little to change his society.  

Someday Shabani could change Africa! Yes, you can Shabani!

Below our kids, Bakari and Sophia, both are doing great in school. Sophia, in the wheel chair, was begging on the street and had never been to school. At fifteen we started her in first grade and in one year she was reading.

Amazingly we now have 22 kids who will be going to school in January! The average amount for school fees at our different schools is $700 per year per student and all the schools expect full payment in January for the coming year.

Cute little Joeli who will begin school in January is pictured below with volunteer Brooke.

Here is a full list of our 22 Neema Village children who will have school fees due in January.

Angel and Angelous, the twins

Malikia and Julius

Bakari

Zawadi

Jackson

Sharon

Shabani

Meshack

Joycie

The triplets, Anna, Esther and Deborah

Gloria

Riziki

Joeli

Memusi

Yacinta and Lucia (Franki’s triplet sisters)

Sophia

Franki

All of these children wil be living off campus in Foster care or have returned to a family member who cannot afford school fees.

If you have not been sponsoring a child to go to school in a developing country, you could make such a huge difference in their lives and in this beautiful country of Tanzania. We can only imagine what God will do with these precious children someday.

Bless you,

Dorris and Michael