A LIGHT IN AFRICA
"Go forth and let your light shine before men, that they me see your good works..."
A Light In Africa is an Non Government organization operating tirelessly in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro and beyond.
A Light In Africa, founded by Lynn Gissing, has helped thousands of children in crisis in its 20 years of love and devotion to children who have had very difficult lives out in Tanzania.
Operating its numerous childrens' homes and outreaches, supporting the local community at large, including the local medical facilities,
A Light in Africa is such an important part of the lives of a great many children.
Currently guardian to over 150 children across 5 homes, the dedication and love of the founder affectionately known as Mama Lynn and the hard-working team, is providing a family home that is changing the course of each and every life blessed to be a part of it.
LIA
Chemical-Free Farm and Piggery
Based on the plains of Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, East Africa, in a private, secluded, secured area by the side of a river lies LIA’s Chemical-Free Farm and Piggery.
The Farm contributes to the raising of pigs and supports food for five of LIA’s Children’s Homes by growing Chemical-Free food for over 140 children in full-time care. We are offering a unique practical experience to get involved in our farm work and to learn how life stock is cared for and raised. No experience is necessary, as you work alongside our staff as they care for the many piglets that are born each month in our environmentally friendly farm where the care and wellbeing of our animals is our paramount concern.
To ensure our animals receive the right daily dietary food, we are planting many seeds and trees in this wonderful warm / hot climate where yearly there is no snow, ice or frost which allows for extended growing seasons. Banana trees grow in abundance, maize, pumpkin, peanuts, (the pigs receive the green leaves and the children get to eat the peanuts!) a good addition to their diets. Spinach, watermelons, eggplant, pineapples, and all salad stuffs are just some of the foods that we grow on our ten acre site with perma-culture principles.
WHAT WE CAN OFFER … A practical learning experience like no other… an opportunity to be part of a working farm in a developing country… an opportunity to visit LIA’s 5 children’s homes and meet the children.
For 20 years we have supported the local Maasai tribes with medical, food support, and education. As a member of our team you can have the option to visit our work in progress as we dig a well for water and lay the foundations for a new project to teach the local school children how to live sustainably in remote areas in the bushlands and grow crops and learn animal husbandry.
Our quality accommodation, with three meals per day, is provided by our resident Chef who can provide for dietary requirements. Only ten places per month are being offered. A fee of $50.00 secures your accommodation and includes pick-up and return to Kilimanjaro International Airport which is just 17 kilometres away. On receipt of the booking fee, a package of information will be forwarded with examples of the program and daily chores. The daily fee is a very reasonable placed at $50.00 per day or approx. £40.00 sterling. These funds help to support the 5 children’ homes.
Families and people with limited disabilities are most welcome. A free pair of wellington boots and overalls will be provided for each guest. Youths join our program to learn life and survival skills.
EXTRA… Having lived in the area for many years we know the best places to visit. If you would like to ‘add on’ places to visit after your volunteer placement we know all the best safari companies to make your booking with.
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Visit a National Park like Manyara who boast tree climbing lions. or the Serengeti, famous for its Wildebeest migration, or Ngorongoro Creator.
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Enjopy a picnic and swim at the Hot Springs.
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Climb Mount Kilimanjaro which can be viewed from your doorstep on a cloudless day.
For further information please contact mamalynn228@gmail.com
Thank you.
March and April Update
THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO LIVE: YOU CAN LIVE AS IF NOTHING IS A MIRACLE. YOU CAN LIVE AS IF EVERYTHING IS A MIRACLE. Albert Einstein
Dearest friends of Light in Africa Children’s Home,
In just nine months Tanzania’s climate has gone from a severe drought to intensive flooding with many souls losing their lives from roads being washed away to mudslides destroying lives, homes, and crops. As I write this belated update we are experiencing torrential rain. Our celebration to open the new Kibioni school kitchen had to be postponed due to the road being under water and our vehicles could not get through to the school, hence the delay in writing the update. Our staff are busy with packing and cleaning as the disabled children are preparing to be moved to a new location with the landlord demanding an excessive amount of rent which we could not pay. More on the move in my next update.
This month your ‘matching’ blessing which we received has paid for two operations. One operation was for one of our teenagers, who I will call Miss Pringle, who could eat box after box of crispy potatoes. She was admitted to hospital for an operation on her ‘weeping’ belly button. The second operation was for one of our retirees who arrived late at night in great pain and distress: after medical diagnoses she received an operation to remove a very large hernia. Our reward was nine avocados and a bunch of bananas from a very grateful widow. Thank you for your support. Little John, the boy with the swollen face, is to have surgery to remove the swelling after the trial of injections has failed. Prayers please for this little three-year-old who will also have to undergo plastic surgery. Your funds will also pay for Little John’s operations.
The children of Cannon Peter Hall Christian School in Grimsby, UK were very active making and selling items to raise funds for our children’s benefit. We thank the staff and the children for caring about us and our needs across all those miles, and I hope sometime in the future to be able to come to the school and thank you all personally with some letters of appreciation from our children.
With the purchase of 200 plastic mugs and a huge plate of food the children were overjoyed at our celebration to open their new school kitchen. With clean fresh water flowing from the poly tank and with the help of a Government Education Officer we declared the kitchen opened for use. Maasai mamas who had to walk many miles to fetch water from the river for the builder to construct the building, received a ‘thank you’ gift of $10 to their great delight. On your behalf, we received a gift of three small chicks and two young goats. We were blessed indeed.
A MIRACLE IS GOD DOING WHAT ONLY GOD CAN DO. (Even if that means using a 5-year-old child): I was busy washing-up some pots at the sink, when Plum Pudding who was lazily laid on the sofa reading a book said, ‘The puppy has a ‘dodo’ in his mouth.’ I turned around to look at our two 4-month-old German Shepherd playfully bouncing around the room. Neither appeared to be in any distress so I returned to the pots. Five minutes later, Plum said, “God says” the puppy has a ‘dodo’ in its mouth. I dry my hands, pick up a puppy, open its mouth, and see a piece of cow bone stretched right across his mouth blocking his throat. ‘Oh, my goodness’ please, quickly go Plum, and fetch the vet who is looking at a pig on the farm”. By the time the vet arrived I had a pair of pliers waiting for him and he carefully extracted the tight bone along with a piece of meat which was attached which would have been hanging down the pups throat.
Amazing God.
January 2024 Update
ABHOR THAT WHICH IS EVIL, CLEAVE TO THAT WHICH IS GOOD. Romans 12:9
Dearest Friends of Light in Africa Children’s Homes,
We have started the New Year with an unprecedented number of new children being admitted into our care. From the police bringing two children who were abandoned at the side of a road, to 6 more being brought in by the social welfare dept., plus twin boys of 19 months. This has resulted in two of our homes being filled to capacity, and the search is now on for two more rented homes for our children, and more certificated staff. The carpenter is being kept busy making 11 new beds & cots. We have well over 150 children now in full-time care. LIA can only approach these new demands due to all of your generosity in giving funds for these precious children. Thank you.
Angel, the little girl from Iringa with Sickle Cell Anemia has just received medical treatment for her organs which are sadly being affected. Little John, the boy with large face tumor, does not have cancer according to his biopsy. Treatment by injections had to be delayed due to a low blood count and his malnutrition. He returns for treatment in 3 weeks. Stella. a little Maasai disabled child whom we have cared for 10 years, died this month. Our staff are feeling particularly saddened by this event as they feel her loss. For me, I know she is now without pain or distress smiling into the face of Jesus.
THE KIBIONI SCHOOL PROJECT:
It is always a delight for me when we welcome returning volunteers to LIA. Paul, who visited last year with Tegan and did an awesome project, brought along for the ride this time Daniel & Michael who all work for Ultra Furnishings in the UK.
We have had problems with the well as twice huge boulders have stopped the workers finding the water so desperately needed. A dynamite charge is going to be placed to blow the huge boulder which should allow the water to flow. Until these problems have been resolved, the Maasai mamas have had long exhausting journeys to the river to bring extra water for the kitchen build. The 5,000-litre poly-tank which will hold the clean water for the school children is already on the site. The roof is now on the kitchen, and the windows and the security of the site is next.
And now for some text and photos from the guys about their volunteering experience helping to demolish the old school kitche & the walls came tumbling down…..
TANZANIA VISIT: January 13-23, 2024
Tanzania… what a place, what a country, what a people, what an experience! From swimming in idyllic pools to knocking down an old “kitchen” ready for the building of the new one, to camping in the Tanzanian bush. I have had the absolute best experience of my life so far and I truly believe everyone should go help Light in Africa Children’s Homes. Just from the 10 days I spent there I have too many stories to include here.
Seeing all the children’s homes really puts things into perspective how lucky we are. Life really is a lottery, but with the help of LIA those unlucky enough not to be born in a well-developed country with well-established health care systems and abundance of food, they can live a happy life and not need to worry about where their next meal will come from or when if they could see a doctor.
Mama Lynn is a force to be reckoned with and if she makes a promise, she will see it through at all costs. The other mamas, Shazma & Gudilla who are just as strong, have made the experience and it was amazing to see how they always put the charity first and do all the can to help the needs of the children. Special ‘shout out’ to Moses, the chef extraordinaire, who provided much enjoyment always coming up with some challenge or other in the downtime we had.
It was a special experience, and I WILL at some point in my life return to further help out this brilliant charity.
PS.. Now I have seen the pure size and scale of Mt. Kilimanjaro I definitely want to climb that one. ….Paul, Daniel & Michael
November 2023 Update
Sometimes, we become so busy in our daily lives that we forget to smell the salty sea!
Dearest friends of Light in Africa Children’s Homes.
It was raining quite heavily, and whilst out shopping I received a call from a caregiver that a 40 ft security wall has collapsed into a river. “What river?” I ask astounded. “We don’t have a river near the house.” “We do now!” replied the carer, and the line went dead. The first photo shows the collapsed wall and the surging new river. That night water started to drip through into the children’s bedroom from the flat roof of the house that we had rented for seven months. Three days later the second bedroom also had water pouring through. It was time to evacuate before the roof collapsed. I tore up the two-year contract in disgust that we had been rented a sub-standard house that the Landlord knew very well of all its serious problems.
But first…. to answer some of the questions that I have been asked about my month-long trip.
Q. Was it very uncomfortable for you in a tent at your age?!!! This was a two-edge sword. Yes, I did have an aching back in the mornings, but I would suggest that you all throw away your gym tickets and go camping, as I was really so much fitter on my return to our homes with crawling in and out of the tent and using muscles I had forgotten I had.
Q. What was your happiest memory of the safari? Undoubtedly, when Plum Pudding agreed to be piggy- packed on Mo’s back in the pool. It was sheer joy after all the trauma he had experienced from being thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool. He arrived home desolate and very upset when my other children vied for position to tell me all what had happened at the pool. He changed from his school uniform and fell asleep on his bed. On awakening he came to tell me that Jesus had sat on his bed and said “he had to hold his hand like this (he demonstrated to me) and that Jesus had said, not to be afraid”……what a loving experience from a loving God.
Q. What was the worst thing?
A. Looking so forward to eating a chicken pizza only to find the base had mushed carrots instead of tomato, and finding two small pieces of chicken, and being so hungry I ate it, complaining at every mouthful of how ‘horrible’ it was.
B. The second was ‘liquid’ brown water coming from the shower head at the cheapest hotel that we stayed in.
C. The third was drinking a ‘doctored’ watermelon juice and not leaving the hotel until the effects had worn off.
Q. Would I do the trip again? Sure I would! What is a little discomfort if it means 200 + school children have clean drinking water, and the Maasai mamas don’t have to walk 8 hours a day to fetch contaminated water from the river. From the trip we have raised sufficient funds to dig a well for them so their cattle won’t then die in a drought. Definitely a positive. Also, I was impressed that the Maasai leadership had a Lawyer write a letter to government leaders to say ‘how can they expect a 7-year-old child to walk 30 kilometres a day? They need a hostel for the children, or they have to break the law and not send the children to school. Impressive.
And now for the update on the three more serious cases we brought to the hospital in Dar for medical treatment. Angel, shown with her father, was found to be suffering from Malaria and undiagnosed Sickle Cell Anaemia—a very serious condition. She is now on a monitoring program for this illness and living under LIA care--another life saved. Jackson’s heel was on the front of his foot. He has had three plaster casts on and off and an operation to straighten his foot. Tumaini was the young girl that I believed God wanted me to help. When she was one year old someone poked a stick in her eye, and for fourteen years she never received any medical intervention. She was taken to the surgical theatre and two surgeons for one hour tried to make a pin hole through the muscle that had thickened and covered her eye. Sadly, the operation failed, and the surgeons could do no more. But……. Jesus the great healer has plans to heal this child’s sight. Everyday our children and I are praying for Tumaini’s sight to be restored. We believe in prevailing prayer. Will you join us ?
When the group of Maasai saw the Indian Ocean for the first time there were “shrieks” of delight and amazement. The following day they came to the hospital carrying 4-liter empty containers, (where they found them, I have no idea) and Moses was ‘urged’ to stop the car to allow them to fill them. It was really something to see this group of Maasai, shuka’s ( material) flying in the wind, running down the beach and straight into the sea. It was so thrilling for them. We take so much for granted we sometimes forget to smell the wonderful smell of the salty sea. On our return from six weeks of hospital appointments, I am given the request from a desperate father to help his 4-year-old daughter. The little girl has been diagnosed with cancer and is desperate for an operation. Funds from the matching donation will help this little girl receive the operation that she desperately requires. Thank you.
In March 2024 we are going to open up our farm and piggery to volunteers who wish to learn farming life-skills. These volunteer places are limited to 10 per month, and the volunteers will work beside our staff and trainees on life-skill and survival training. Families are most welcome.
Thank you, dear friends. May your Christmas time be full of love, joy, and happiness as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Remember: The best is yet to come.
Mama Lynn - staff and children of Light in Africa’s Children’s Homes.
Safe Haven Hostel Project
Fundraiser
The Aim
To raise funds to build a shelter for the Maasai children who have 30 kilometers of dangerous paths to walk each school day, on an empty stomach.
The shelter will allow them to sleep over during the week instead of doing the daily trek.
Funds raised will also be allocated to build a school kitchen which Light in Africa will manage to feed a further 200 students.
A translation of a video of one of the girls.
"My name is Halayna Thomas and I’m studying at Kibaoni Primary School. I’m walking 30 kilometers each day to school and back home. I’m staying hungry the whole day from morning to evening. On our way to school we can see some wild animals like elephants, hyenas, leopards—but we have never been attacked, only chased by elephants.”
Inspiration for the project
We paid a visit to Kibaoni school recently and found that all the food we had previously donated was now gone and the children were not receiving any food at lunchtime.
No crops have been planted as the rainy season did not arrive in the bush lands.
On our return, we sent a vehicle with sacks of food from our store to last them until Xmas.
Project Outline
Travelling a 2,000 kilometers journey for one month around Tanzania, wild camping along the route with 10 different Maasai tribes.
Going from Dar es Salaam to Mtwara along the Malawi border - up from Lake Malawi, then Dodoma to Arusha.
Our Team
• Moses - Driver / Chef
• Maasai Steven - who has worked with me for 23 years
• Maasai Doudi - who will help me to take care of one of the children from LIA, affectionately known as "Plum Pudding"
Would you like to help?
If you feel that you can support the building of a shelter for these Maasai children,
you can donate by scrolling to the bottom of this page.
Thank you.
"Our actions speak louder than words.."
CONTACT US
Get in touch with A Light In Africa to discover more about our work and how to donate. We thank you for your support.
+255787378058
For Donation processing enquiries please email enquiries@sharetanzania.com
Getting ready...
"Plum Pudding's" essentials for a 1 month safari trip….
a pair of pajamas, his Mister Men collection, stool and lego table, with a paintbox and coloring book thrown in for good measure. We’re traveling light!
Go. Do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with you.
SAMUEL 7 : 3 (The word given from the Bible for this trip)
For my two Maasai travelling companions on this epic 2,000 + Klm. journey around parts of the perimeter of Tanzania and ‘wild camping’ with the local Maasai tribes, it has already proven to be a ‘mind - blowing experience’ for the pair.
Practice sessions at putting up the tents was a bit of a challenge - until practice proved perfect!When the Maasai Chairman of LIA Childrens’ Homes, Vincent Songoi and LIA’s Secretary Gudilla Maria, who arrived to wish us Bon Voyage stayed for an evening meal, for Doudi, it was the first time he had sat at a table to eat with women present - in Maasai culture the men eat separately from their wives and children.
A month’s supply of stores was stacked onto the Subaru carrier and it was off to Dar Es Salaam Christian Fellowship for prayers over our trip, and our final photo of family members all together.
My next blog will be in 4 days’ time when we re-charge our batteries.
Until then,Mungu Akurbiricki.
Take a Look at the trip so far...
The journey continues...
Psalm 91……I will say of the Lord. He is my refuge and my fortress; My God; in whom I trust.
What an amazing adventure this safari is turning into.
We arrived late at night at this small town and found there was no camp site so we had to look for budget accommodation.
In the morning, I enquire if we can speak with the local leaders and the landlady rings them to come over to the Lodge to speak with us. When the two leaders arrive I ask if we can help in any way. He nods enthusiastically and we all troop into the car. He takes us to a home for the disabled child and a Primary school. We speak with the teachers and I tell them how I would like to help the children by providing worm tablets and for them to have a head wash followed by head medication to eradicate a parasite. To calm any fears the children may have I give each one a lollipop. I then proceed to wash the heads of 53 students of varies disabilities. The teacher informs me that there should be more students in her school but because the family cannot afford the school fee’s or the school uniform so they keep the students at home and they receive no education.
I am kindly offered the meal that the children are having for lunch, ugali - made with flour and water - and beans. I ask Mo to go to the market along with the leaders and purchase sacks of fruits and vegetables. At least I will know that tomorrow they will be able to have vegetables with their ugali and beans followed by a variety of fruits.
The teacher tells me that the blind teacher who is sitting on a chair cannot teach his blind students anything as he has no teaching aids. I am also shown four children who require orthopaedic assessments to see if corrective surgery could help them to walk. I assure the leaders that if, when the story is published, and anyone should want to support the medical treatment of any of these four children, that I would contact him and arrangements would be made to bring the children to Dar es Salaam for treatment.
Our next stop is a long drive through the Livingstone Mountains 166 miles with no petrol stations or accommodation, so we set off on this long leg of the journey. Twenty miles in, Plum says; “I can smell peanuts roasting”. “Me too” I said and Mo pulls the car as best he can off the bend where we have come to a halt. The fan belt has ‘snapped’. What to do? Mo gets on a motorcycle and goes back the way we came. We ask permission from the Wayawe tribe if we can push the car into their encampment, of which they agreed. That night, Mo cooked for over thirty children who sat in absolute amazement as the tents went up and gas was lit to cook the food. They munched on biscuits and lollipops whilst the food was cooking, these children were
going nowhere at the promise of a cooked meal. Two days later having supported the tribal leader we were back on the road and arrived late at night at Songea. Hoping to take a shower when I turned the water on it came out brown mud!!! Oh well, back to the wet wipes!
Liumba Massai Encampment
Psalm 91 v 5 - 6…… Prayer of protection….. He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shalt trust: his truth shall be your shield and buckler. You will not be afraid for the terror at night; nor for the arrows that fly by day; nor for the pestilence that walkers in darkness; nor the destruction that wastes at mid-day.
MO’S EARLY MORNING JOKE…..”Mum, cup of tea for you”. I stretch out my aching back and move to open the tent flap sufficiently to grab the cup. I reach out my hand to take it from him but he steps back. I open the flap wider and I am ‘shocked’ to see a group of children staring at me. “Theres about twenty five children waiting for a head-wash, I think they have heard that you’re giving away juice and biscuits” he said jovially as he handed me the hot cup of tea. And that was the start of an unimaginable day.
As usual, Plum Pudding is my demonstration doll, as I show the attentive crowd how I am going to wash their heads and apply the medication. The mamas watch closely and the leaders and Morani warriors sit at the back of the Maasai mamas - just in case…It was whilst I had a teenage girl across my knee giving her a head scrub that I hear this ‘small still voice’ in my mind tell me ‘This is the one I want you to help.’.
When the girl of about 12 / 13 years stood up she looked at me and I noticed her right eye was focusing on the corner, totally cross-eyed. I complete all that I had in mind to do and call for the girl with her mother to come to see me as I gleamed information from them. And that is when it all started….. By the time we drove away at noon we had the girl with the eye problem, a child with a ‘club’ foot, and the Chairman’s son with a breathing problem, arranged to catch the coach next week for me to take them to the Agha Khan hospital in Dar es Salam and 4 more cases with their carers who followed us on a three hour journey by coach to Dodoma to visit the Poly Clinic the following day.
Two girls I was concerned about I was told was ‘spitting’ up blood (could this be cases of undiagnosed TB), 1 boy had a permanent headache and deaf in one ear and 1 lady had given birth 1 month ago and couldn’t walk as she was in so much pain.
After an exhausting day of tests we find that the two girls are not coughing up blood, just spitting so it is not TB. One girl needs her nose cauterizing as it won’t stop bleeding, and the other girl was given medication to try to stop the flow. From the boy’s ear the doctor removed a ‘foreign’ object which he had had in his ear for well over a year, now he can hear in that ear. The mama who had given birth had to have X-Rays and see a consultant who prescribed medication for 1 month; she has to return in one month’s time. And that was my day with the Liumba Maasai in their remote encampment.
Only God could have organized for us to be led off the beaten track to this camp and to be able to help this tribe. And only your ‘love gifts’ and support of Light in Africa’s Children’s Homes allowed me to help this tribe and pay for their treatment. Thank you and God Bless you all for your support.
P.S. I asked Mo to take a photo of this 12 year old boy with his knife in its scabbard. I was intrigued to find out why! This small in stature boy I was told, is responsible for taking care of a herd of over 100 cows to find grass and water, and in the forest they regularly see a lion each week and other wild animals. If the lion should take one of the calves of the herd, this boy as a growing - up Morani Warrior is expected to protect the herd and slay the lion…..
THE END OF A MOST BLESSED SAFARI -21.10.2023
PSALM 91:7 (Prayer of protection) A thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked…..
THE ANNUAL GREAT BIRTHDAY PARTY OF LAUGHTER & JOY
“We made it”….safely without any major traumas, thank God! The staff that I chose for the safari and to do God’s will worked very well together as we each had our specific roles to play. Mo turned 23 years of age whilst away, and Doudi’s wife gave birth to a baby girl. “Plum Pudding” was an amazing asset to our safari as when stopped by the traffic police and firmly fixed in his car seat, as the officer approached the driver’s side window, Plum was already greeting the Officer to get his attention with his “Shikamoo Officer”, or “Shikamoo Mr. Policeman”, which straight away opened up the conversation as to ‘where are you going’? which ultimately lead to a wave of the officer’s hand as he bid us goodbye, with a large smile on his face.
The absolute stunning scenery that we passed through will remain in our memories for ever. Tanzania has everything; from beautiful pristine beaches to Africa’s highest Mount Kilimanjaro that thousands of tourists climb each and every year. But it is the people that make this country so attractive with their warmth and their tolerance of different religions.
BIRTHDAY PARTY
When we arrived with the security gates fully opened for our arrival, the children’s excitement was quite palpable and much cheering ensued, followed by rows of garlands strung around my neck. It was a celebration like none other. All the staff had worked so hard to ensure we all had such a wonderful day, and I’m so privileged to work with such wonderful people.
THE WORD
Before I left for the safari - to make sure that I am accountable - I had already informed friends that there was someone whom God specifically wanted me to help. That turned out to be a Maasai girl who has one eye in the corner of her eye socket. The need expanded with a 3-year-old with a club foot, and a girl with a breathing problem. On Sunday, 5th Nov., they will make a 12-hour journey to Dar es Salaam to go the following day to the Agha Khan hospital for examinations, which I feel sure will result in scheduled operations.
THE PEOPE WE HAVE HELPED…
On our first day, a young woman with 3 children being cared for by her grandparents, asked for help. Our staff has done an assessment and has found the family are indeed in great need. The nine and seven-year-old children have never attended school as the family could not afford to buy school uniforms. Enrolment at the local school has taken place, and all necessary expenses will be paid for by Light in Africa Children’s Home.
In our endeavour to help with ‘Plum Puddings’ aqua phobia we visited The Old Boma at Mtwara which is an oldie worldly hotel offering 6-month training sessions in Hotel Management to local students. Maria one of my older girls is making an application to attend the course in Jan. 2024……..and after many aborted attempts to get Plum into the water, your prayers has resulted in success! Yipeee….
Fifty three head washes with medication and tablets to remove worms from this disablement school where we also purchased a large number of fresh fruits and vegetables to enhance their diet. An involuntary stop for Mo to replace the fan belt ensured that the 35 children in the encampment of the Wayawe tribe received a nourishing meal. At the encampment of the Maasai Laumba tribe is where the Lord wanted us to be. A five-kilometre drive down a mud road is where we were led. A further 35 head washes and worm tablets ensued, and then the real work began. Two girls with persistent bleeding noses, a boy who had lost his hearing over a year ago and was experiencing headaches, and a women who had given birth a month ago and couldn’t walk without pain. The patients and their carers followed us to the main city of Dodoma where we put them all up in a B&B (showed them how to use the flush toilets) fed them and the next day took them for treatment. The following day they returned home. Their gratitude for the help that God had given to them resulted in a prayer time.
WAS THE SAFARI A SUCCESS?
Yes, indeed it was. We have in January, Paul and two other colleagues coming over from the UK to knock down the old school kitchen, and funds for the re-build will be available.
DO THE MAASAI MAMAS WALK TO A RIVER TO CARRY WATER BACK ON THEIR DONKEYS, A JOURNEY OF 4 HOURS THERE AND 4 HOURS BACK?
Yes, indeed they do. What are we going to do about it? We are going to dig a well!!! With the ‘love gifts’ which have been received from this safari, we will have sufficient funds to dig a well with local contractors (not by machine) and this will give sufficient water for the mamas not to have to walk to the river or give their children contaminated water. But this well water which we will reach from the water table is very high in Fluoride, hence so many children with soft muscle issues, but it will be used for washing and give drinking water to their animals. (Steven told me he lost 20 cows to the drought, Doudi’s family 15 cows.). After the kitchen build, a wall will be built behind the kitchen which will house a high tower poly tank water container which will be filled by a water bowser making the long journey to the school and filling it with clean drinking water. The only access to the wall will be through the kitchen so the drinking water is there for the school children to have clean drinking water with their meals and to be used for no other purpose.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SAFE HAVEN HOSTEL?
Whilst we were away, Madam President has been so concerned that families are placing their children in boarding school from a very young age and not taking responsibility for them, that she has issued a decree that no child can board under 11 years of age, so sadly that part of the project has had to be ‘dished’. What a wonderful solution to a dire situation.
Bless you all for your prayers and your support of this project. It is so special to know that we all have helped to ensure these precious school children have access to the most fundamental of life’s requirements by providing them with clean drinking water, a clean place for their food to be cooked in and water for their animals to drink.
Abundant Blessings to you all - from Mama Lynn, Staff and Children of LIA.
