from The Huffington Post originally posted on: 11/26/2012  9:41 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-susan-wilson/daring-to-hope_b_2175608.html

This blog post is part of the #GivingTuesday series, produced by The Huffington Post and the teams at InterAction, 92nd Street Y,United Nations Foundation, and others. Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday — which takes place for the first time on Tuesday, November 27 — is a movement intended to open the holiday season on a philanthropic note.

When I first saw Judith, Yeseti, Bariki and Joyness standing outside the broken walls of their mud house in 2005, the jelly bears I had brought with me — a packet for each of them –  suddenly felt so inappropriate. There was no way these children had eaten for days. The packets of bears, which I had been so pleased to bring, now shouted out that I obviously had no idea of the life these children had been leading and I felt ashamed of my ignorance.

Judith was then 16-years-old, but looked no bigger than a 9-year-old, due to chronic malnutrition. She had been looking after her two brothers and one sister since her mother had died from AIDS when Judith was twelve. Their life had a clear routine; every morning with no food in the house, Judith set out before dawn to walk four miles to the nearest town to beg. In a region where average annual income is $110, she didn’t beg for money and food that would not be given away — she begged for the chance to work.

“Mama, can I come and carry water for you today?” she would cry out, or “Father, can I come and work on your farm for you today?” If someone took up her offer, she would work all day, and at the end of the day, she would walk four miles home with food in her arms to feed her brothers and sister, their only meal of the day. But to look at them, she must have walked that journey so many times before my visit, arriving home at night closed in and saying “Sorry, no-one wanted me today.” And so they would huddle together on the ground, no blanket, little shelter and hope that there might be food the next day.

Bariki, the younger boy, had stick-like arms and legs and sunken eyes when we visited. He wouldn’t have lasted much longer without food. I handed over the jelly bears, but we found someone to go and buy them food that night and left money for a regular supply of food until we could enroll them in our Tumaini program.

In 2012, Judith is now literate, numerate and married with a baby; Yeseti is a cow-herder, in the steps of his father; Joyness is one of the 7 percent of local children who graduate to secondary school and is doing well there and Bariki is being encouraged to pass his elementary school exams next year. But this family’s story of suffering is a very familiar one in the region of Kagera, NW Tanzania, East Africa.

Prior to the genocides in the countries of Rwanda and Burundi, which lie across the border from Kagera, HIV infection only afflicted 2.8 percent of this stable, religious community. But as the men of war streamed over the border and raped the women and girls and the refugee camps attracted itinerant men into the region, the HIV rate increased to 28 percent, so that 1 in 3 families were being orphaned.

When my husband and I, general practitioners from the UK, went to work in a Mission Hospital in Kagera in 2001, we were shocked to see children looking after children, children leading each other by the hand looking for food with babies strapped to their backs. A community which had always cared for its orphaned relatives was now unable to absorb any more children into families, as an entire generation of Kagerans fell to AIDS. When a husband died, the wife remarried — then she died and her new husband remarried and so whole clans lost their generation of parents.

When I returned from our short period of service, I could not forget the children’s faces. I tried hard to interest charitable organizations in Kagera, but all were busy elsewhere and I could find no help. After yet another rejection, I called out to God, “Someone has to do something for these children.” But be careful what you pray for; I realized that it was me, I had to do something for these children and so in 2003 The Tumaini Fund began.

Tumaini means “hope” in the Swahili language and if anyone needed hope, it was children like Judith, Yeseti, Bariki and Joyness. We are now supporting 20,000 orphans in their communities in Kagera and hope to increase this number to 25,000 by the end of 2012.

Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month women are gathering and helping to create hope for orphans in Tanzania, Africa. Volunteers bring their sewing tools, creativity and love of giving. The dresses give hope to young girls by providing the opportunity to attend church and school. Without these dresses, the girls would never have the chance to learn and grow.
Not only are the volunteers talented dressmakers, but they are gifted teachers as well. I myself attended a sewing session and was a complete novice to patterns, sewing machines, bobins, surging, and “stiching in the ditch”. With nothing but smiles and positive encouragement, they helped me complete my first dress. Thank you to the volunteers who not only give hope to the children, but also who helped me to join in the cause.

Have you received hope because of the generous actions of others? Are you currently bringing hope to others?
We want to hear about it. Find us on Facebook or Twitter.

Pine Ridge Middle School held a fundraising event on May 3-11, 2012. The proceeds from this event were used to purchase solar lamps for African AIDS orphans in Tanzania who are supported by Tumaini Fund USA.

The Goal:  Raise money to purchase 100 solar lamps. The Pine Ridge Middle School students competed by class for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes for the largest amount of funds raised.

A solar lamp can change the lives of these children in Tanzania! Daylight is a precious commodity for the orphans as they must travel hours to attend school and then need more daylight to tend to their farming. These lamps will provide light with which they can study at nighttime—all which leads to increasing education levels. Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Literally, these lamps can be the difference between passing and failing!

Total Raised: $4,067.58    Total Lamps that can be purchased: 101

Congratulations to the prize winners!

Thank you to all of our local sponsors of our event!

In a February presentation to NCWA members, Dr. Wilson provided the statistics of 5 Tumaini Fund orphans who were among the 70 who received bicycles in 2010. In all cases, their class rank has improved by 15% – 35%. In other words, the 5 mile walk to and from school each day was replaced with the bicycle ride thus saving an average of 2 hours per day. As a result, the students had more time for homework and more sleep; thus their grades improved dramatically! As a result of the 2011 NCWA grant, 150 solar lamps were awarded to Tumaini Fund families that average five students per dwelling (a thatch hut with hay floors). Now imagine for a moment the additional positive affect the solar lamps will have! The student  returns home from school,finishes their  subsistence-farming chores and eats their modest evening meal.   Afterwards, there are only a few precious hours of daylight  remaining and no electricity.  Now after a long day and as darkness appears the family turns on their new battery-charged solar lamp and the orphans can read and do homework until it is bedtime. We are confident that these lamps will further improve the children’s grades and class rank. class rank has improved by 15% – 35%. In other words, the 5 mile walk to and from school each day was replaced with the bicycle ride thus saving an average of 2 hours per day. As a result, the students had more time for homework and more sleep; thus their grades improved dramatically! The 2011 NCWA grant funded 150 solar lamps which were awarded to Tumaini Fund families that average five students per dwelling (a thatch hut with hay floors). Now imagine for a moment the additional positive affect the solar lamps will have! The student  returns home from school, finishes subsistence-farming chores and eats a modest evening meal.   Afterwards, there are only a few precious hours of daylight  remaining and no electricity.  Now after a long day and as darkness appears the family turns on their new battery-charged solar lamp and the orphans can read and do homework until it is bedtime. We are confident that these lamps will further improve the children’s grades and class rank.

Meet the Staff of Tumaini Fund in Tanzania
Love and peace to all friends in USA! I am David Kibenza the Tumaini General Secretary in Tanzania; I am saved and love Jesus my Lord and Savior. I’m very glad and thank you all praying and supporting Tumaini work in Tanzania, we are appreciating your love in Christ Jesus. We are working hard to make sure we achieve our goals as Tumaini for fulfilling our mission and mission and vision. Please pray for Tumaini, our vision is to reach 200,000 orphans in Kagera [who have been affected] with civil war and HIV/AIDS. We love visitors, please you are welcome to visit us and see the work of God through Tumaini Fund in Tanzania.”

Many professional fundraisers have told me it takes 3 years to firmly establish a new charity; and sure enough the momentum of our Third Annual Fund Drive was palpable! Dr. Susan was welcomed back to Naples like an old friend. Speaking engagements at Trinity and St. Monica’s Episcopal churches, local Rotary Clubs, and at The Naples Council of World Affairs were well-attended. I am pleased to report that most annual donors repeated or increased their contributions. We learned that Rotary International has selected the Rotary Club of Karagwe, Kagera, Tanzania as Rotary affiliate for Future Vision 2013. This is tremendously exciting for Tumaini Fund as this will bring hundreds of thousands of gallons of fresh water by digging new wells in the center of Kagera. The Tumaini Fund is working with our Collier County Rotary Clubs in assisting with the selection of the neediest villages based on our experience in providing fresh water in Kagera. Our partnership with Pine Ridge Middle School continues to expand and flourish. The Pen Pal program continues with 300 students on two continents. In May, I will be teaching an introductory class focused on the continent of Africa, including safari video and history of Tumaini Fund, to all Social Studies classes at the school. This will culminate in a fundraising walk on the school track.  The funds raised will be used to purchase more solar lamps for the children of  Tumaini Fund. Finally, we are grateful to all of our generous donors. This year’s main event for fund raising was an art show featuring more than 40 original paintings by world-renowned artist Paul Arsenault. We will be sending $155,000 to Tanzania this Spring, which is a 160% increase over last year’s disbursement of $60,000.  This makes contributions from 2010 to date in excess of $250,000. Thanks to you, our faithful supporters, we are making a difference and bringing HOPE to the children of Tumaini Fund!

-Doug Burke  President, Tumaini Fund USA

Sept. 8-9  St. Matthews Catholic Church of Southborough, MA
St. Matthews Parish will welcome Dr. Susan Wilson who will speak at all weekend services. Tumaini Fund USA friends and supporters from Canton, Westborough and Cambridge, MA encouraged to come hear Dr. Wilson speak.gh, and Cambridge MA.

May 1-4  Pine Ridge Middle School of Naples, Florida
“Let the Light Shine on Kagera” – Doug Burke will educate the children on Africa and Tumaini Fund as well as raising dollars for solar lamps and walking the school track on the final day of the event.

Thank you to all who donated to the Bicycle for Christmas Campaign

Tumaini Fund USA has delivered over 80 bicycles to the Kagera Region of Tanzania and distributed them to the most needy orphans registered with the Fund over the past several years. As a result of the 2011 Bicycle Campaign, 48 more bicycles will be sent to Tanzania this year.