Father Needs You

As we have mentioned in the past, Lucian Muna aka Father (like we use Junior, they use Father) is looking for a sponsor. Although this is not a project of TEP, I am happy to tell Father’s story and see if there is anyone out there willing to help. In 2009 I became very attached to Father. He is turning 9 in July and is extremely clever. Unfortunately he has a very rough life. His mother was very young when she had him and shortly thereafter both of her parents died leaving her the caretaker of their orphaned 5 member family. Their uncles took everything they owned and sold it off leaving them with nothing (a huge problem in East Africa). Father’s mother is extremely mentally ill and causes havoc where ever she goes. She is nearly the world’s worst mother and those who care for Father are at their wits end with her behavior. She beats him, mentally abuses him, tells lies about those who care for them, has sex with different men when he’s around and the list continues. As well, the identity of Father’s biological father is unknown for this reason. Since I first met Father I made a personal commitment to do what I could to help him. Unfortunately for Father, in the name of TEP I am responsible for helping the highest amount of people with the lowest amount of resources and concentrating funds and efforts on one individual is beyond our means. This continues to be one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. Although I believe I have made the right decision, during my second trip I could see how badly Father needs to be removed from his mother’s care. I am concerned time is running out. To send him to a really good boarding school, close enough that Babu and Ava (his Aunt) can visit him and care for him but far enough away that his mother can’t hurt him, will only cost $700 USD a year. This covers his books, uniforms and school fees. He is currently studying at a local government school for his Standard 1. Unfortunately, everyday he sits on the floor amongst 318 other students with only one poorly trained teacher to help them learn. The last time I spoke to him on the phone he said ‘Aunty Cassie, they don’t even have chalk for the board.’ The worst part is he goes home every night where his mother makes him run ridiculous errands without enough food in his stomach. Despite all of that he scored 19 out of 319 kids on his exams! I couldn’t be more proud of him. Father will need to be supported through Standard 7 and we would hope to get at least a two year commitment from any donor so we can ensure a little stability for him. It would be easy for two or three families to take a portion of the cost so the financial burden is not as great. In fact, we already have the Fitzgerald family committed to a portion of the cost per year. Groups such as businesses, church communities, sports teams, etc. have also been known to sponsor children. This is life or death for Father so please help me find a way to give him the support he so desperately needs. If you directly are unable to help I ask you to please tell Father’s story to someone who may be able to as you never know who could be the key to Father’s future.

Happy Holidays!

This is the holiday season for Americans and Tanzanians alike. As we go out to the mall to pick up our last minute gifts, Tanzanians too are preparing for family and friends to come over to enjoy a meal (if they are lucky they will get meat!) This Christmas is different for me as it is the first one I will not be with my family. Not being able to run around with my nephews or eat my mother’s home cooked meal makes it especially difficult to be away from my Tanzanian family. I was able to talk to Babu in early December as I called him on his and Bibi’s wedding anniversary to let him know that we were praying for his strength on such a hard day. He told me that it was a very difficult day for him without his ‘beautiful bride’ but as long as it rained for Christmas they would all be ok. The thought of not being able to take care of Babu and the rest of the family now that Bibi is gone is hard enough but to know that all they want for Christmas is something as simple as water breaks my heart. Babu informed me that they have been shipping water into FANAKA, ELA and the house from the main line every three days since we left. The process of getting water to the house is extremely labor intensive, time consuming and expensive. Every three days they are spending at least $120 usd to get just enough water to get by. The worst part is the water that comes from the main line is often contaminated so the children must treat their water with chlorine tablets. The kids obviously hate the taste as it is nothing shy of taking a giant swig of YMCA pool water after a kid pooped in the shallow end. Some of the children have been pulled out of school as they are suffering from dehydration and other waterborne illnesses. The worst one is the children (under 7) at ELA are getting a disease that causes their tongues to swell with what looks like a dry itchy rash in their mouths. Father (now 8) was out from school for a few days as the government school he now attends let the children drink untreated water which caused him to catch some bad bacteria. It is clear to me now more than ever that my holiday wishes too will be getting them water as soon as possible. Although TEP has been busy fundraising more needs to be done to get Hydrate to Educate off the ground. A $10,000 budget is no chump change so we need your help to make it. So please this holiday season keep TEP in mind by spreading the word, donating or attending Concert for Compassion on December 29th.

Thanks for reading- Warm wishes and prayers for good health to you and your families.
Cassie

Concert Fundraiser

Dear Friends, Family, and Faithful Followers,

Its been a while since I’ve had a chance to update the blog, and I’m relieved I finally have a chance to sit down and let you know about some pretty awesome goings-on.

Since returning from my fantastic voyage to Tanzania, I moved out of my residence in Winona and back in with my parents in Elgin, IL. This wasn’t too far of a journey, so right now it seems I am the only member of the original “TZ3” to not have relocated far West. I am holding a full time job at Big Apple Bagels, a deli/cafe/bakery. I’m really enjoying the job; my boss is extremely supportive of my work with the TEP and lets me promote the organization at work. The cafe is a pretty popular spot, so I’ve managed to make some really great contacts.

At this point, I would like to thank Hapte Michael, a customer of mine who has been extremely supportive of the TEP and has helped me brainstorm some ideas for fundraising and advertising. He is by no means the only customer who has been helpful, but he has been very instrumental lately. So thanks, Mike!

I have done a few speaking engagements in the Elgin area, specifically to the Elgin Area Retired Teachers Association, the ADK Psi Chapter, and the Elgin Area AM Kiwanis. This coming weekend, I will be speaking at my church, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, and at Jane Addams Middle School to a few World Cultures classes. A friend of my sister’s hooked me up with a journalist from the local paper, and soon after my return to the US, he did a long interview with me and I ended up on the front page of the local paper!

You can check it out here:


Since September, I’ve managed to raise over $2000! This is not so much because of my efforts, but because of many dedicated family members have been so helpful and generous- donating their time, talents, and treasure.

The event we are getting ready for right now is a benefit concert, which will take place on December 29th at Clearwater Theatre in West Dundee, IL. The benefit, called “Concert for Compassion” will raise money for the TEP. We have four bands and a solo act lined up right now, as well as a raffle planned. The bands are the DILF’s, Six Strings, Casa Karma, and The Love Shots. Our solo act will be a wonderful friend of mine from the Twin Cities area named Brandon Rompa. He has generously agreed to travel from Minnesota (during WINTER, no less) to perform at the concert! The Andry family (parents of my sister’s boyfriend) have been absolutely VITAL in setting up this concert, and I would like to thank Zach, Mr and Mrs Andry so much for all their help!

If you’re in the area, please check out this great event! Music will start at 7 pm and go on until about midnight. I will have dvd’s of the TEP documentary for sale, as well as lots of information about the organization and raffle tickets for sale.

In other news, I am planning on returning to Tanzania soon! My relentless work schedule has paid off and I now have enough money to return to Tanzania and stay with the Kahatanos for at least five months. A colleague of mine from the Women Studies Program at WSU, Kristiana, also plans on going with me this time. She will be graduating this Friday, and is very excited to make the journey. So hopefully you will start hearing from her soon!