In a Flash Everything’s Gone

Today, Saturday August 4, I (Cassie) was busying working on some FANAKA advertising at our stationary shop when Mwenda busted in the door. He said his classmate and one of my students who graduated in 2009 from FANAKA just called him to notify him of a family tragedy. I could tell Mwenda was upset because his English became extremely broken and he was moving the fastest I've nearly ever have seen from a Tanzanian. I finally got it out of him that the student was Kelvin and his family’s house burnt down just hours ago. We dropped everything and rushed to town to do our part to help.

We ended up meeting Kelvin outside his technical college where he is learning Tax and auditing. He explained that a week ago he paid all his school fees that allowed him to sit for his examinations that started in just two days but the University called him shortly before the fire to say he needed to bring his receipts to prove he paid, or he couldn’t sit for his exams. Although situations like this are stressful, he thought he could just go home, grab the receipts and everything would be straightened out. As he sat in his final lecture for the day, his friend sent him an SOS message. He stepped out not expecting to hear some of the worst news he could imagine; his family’s house burnt down with everything they owned inside.  He rushed home to find his house black as night with all his possession gone.

When we arrived it was absolutely heartbreaking to see what little possession they had to start, sitting in the yard ruined. With crying and prayers in the background, Kelvin walked us around his small house where his brother, two sisters and his mother stayed. Although the cement structure of the house remained, every couch, picture and bed was gone. Luckily, no one was hurt. But, in Tanzania there is no such thing as insurance. When you lose something, it’s gone for good. There is no government support, no insurance check coming in the mail and no means to recover important documents. Kelvin sat holding a folder of charred papers that included barely readable documents that proved his life accomplishments, including those essential receipts. He held it up with tears in his eyes and said, ‘madam, this is my life. This is all I have left.’

All too often I have seen how detrimental family tragedies have on students. They can shake a student so bad that they ruin their only opportunity for a future. In Tanzania everything comes down to an exam. In secondary school they have one shot, if they blow it, they can kiss their future goodbye. For Kelvin, these life changing exams started in just two days. Everything he needed to study from was gone. Not a single pencil remained. This is the most agonizing detail of Kelvin’s story and one that continues to keep me up at night.

I had given him as much money as I could so he could start to rebuild his family’s life but it hardly put a dent in the loss.

I am asking for your support. Anything you can give will allow Kelvin to at least replace his school materials. For additional questions please email me at cassie.parkhurst@yahoo.com. All donations can be made directly to National Exchange Bank or sent to N5205 CTY S Beaver Dam WI 53916. Thank you in advance for your warm thoughts, prayers and contributions.
-Cassie