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