PEN PAL PROGRAM

Left to right Lisa Carraher and the representatives of the Village Assistance Program of NCWA; Jack Richards and Maas Van Den Top.

Through the Naples Council of World Affairs, Tumaini was introcuced to Lisa Carraher, a 7th grade teacher at Pine Ridge Middle School. Lisa’s students were introduced to Tumaini Fund USA in March 2010 and sent 300 letters to Kagera high school students. (English is not learned until High School.)
The Pine Ridge Middle School students are reading some of the 150 responses from the students in Tanzania. The letters from Africa describe their local foods, interest in sports, football (soccer) is the favorite. They also express their desire to learn much more about life in Naples Florida and the United States, from their new “pen pals”.

Click on the Thumbnails below to view correspondance from students in Africa.
   

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Tumaini workers assess specific needs in orphan families and initially supply food needs, blankets, grain etc; we have a programme to re-build derelict family-houses and support establishing “chekacheas”, nursery schools, for younger orphans, encouraging churches to set them up and helping equip them, then the older children are freed to go to school, knowing that the younger children are safe, while the young ones can be given the stimulation of early education.

Secondary Schools are all fee-paying, but if a child passes their 11 Plus with a high enough mark, they are entitled to a place in a Government Secondary School, which costs about $70 per year…pricing it out of most families’ budgets: in 2010 we are supporting
5,500 Tumaini orphans to go to Government Secondary School – such Secondary Education is likely to lift the entire extended family out of poverty! We are also supporting 7 students going to Teacher Training College