News from FFCC!

March 7, 2012

FFCC Tanzania Team #11 Leaps Home
From An Amazing Journey!

February 29th was especially joyful for the eight FFCC volunteers who completed their physical journey to Tanzania and returned home to their families! The impact that they made on the people in Tanzania, however, will live on and continue to multiply!

To list just some of the accomplishments...

Assessed food supply & brought a gift of encouragement to Light of Africa orphanage in Moshi.
Unloaded shipping container from San Diego, providing food for the 1,000 or so street kids of Singida Town that our Children's Center cares for.
Provided boxes of school supplies & toys for the children of Singida Town, Nkungi Village & an AIDS orphanage in the Lake Manyara area.
Provided soccer gear for teams at the Children's Center
With a huge celebration, involving government dignitaries, FFCC delivered a top of the line, 75 horsepower tractor, a plow and our custom built trailer to the Leper's of Charadeleco. The trailer will provide much needed transportation for these people who have been so isolated due to the effects of the leprosy.
Assessed & upgraded computers in the FFCC funded computer lab of Gunda Secondary School.
Met with district educational officers to fight to get more teachers for the primary and secondary schools we support in Nkungi Village. The teacher to student ratio is currently 1:70. With the additional teachers we were able to secure for the schools, it will improve to 1:40. We were also able to negotiate housing for the teachers that the government will help supply funding for.
We built a teachers house for Gunda Secondary School.
Followed up on 60 water filters that were installed last summer in the homes of families throughout Nkungi Village. Our report findings- NO MORE TYPHOID, NO MORE CHOLERA, NO MORE BACTERIA BORNE ILLNESSES!!!! Also, money saved due to the need for less fire wood, charcoal & doctors visits. The families are so grateful for this gift!
We left 989 more filters to be installed. By July 2012, every family in Nkungi will have a water filter!
Brought the leadership from six different churches of Nkungi together to unite and begin to work together for the betterment of the people of their village.
Loved on a lot of wonderful people!

Thank you for supporting FFCC so that we can continue to make these journeys -both across the globe and right here in North County San Diego- life-changing for so many people!

Soccer Gear For The Children of Tanzania!

Alyson Heaney, Samantha Boyce, and several other contributors from our community made a lot of Tanzania kids & coaches VERY happy! Thanks to their collection efforts, our FFCC team took two and half suitcases full of soccer jerseys, shorts, socks, cleats, shin guards and soccer balls to deliver to the Children's Center in Singida Town and to both the primary and secondary schools of Nkungi Village. They were thrilled! We even had the opportunity to play a game with the kids who were all decked out in their new gear. It was so much fun! Great job San Diego!

Local Neighbor Needs

Our extended FFCC family continues to bless our local neighbors as the needs right here in San Diego are very real, as well! Thank you FFCC supporters for providing some of the necessities for local families in need! Some updated needs are listed below.

Working vacuum cleaner with bags (or bagless unit)
Gently used double stroller
Shelving unit/bookshelf for small bedroom
Queen mattress with boxspring and floor frame
Closet organizers for small bedroom closets
Ladies size 16 (or large) for a teen girl -- pants/jeans, tops, dresses for church, cardigan sweaters, dress shoes, and Vans type tennis shoes (size 8 1/2 - 9) - New or next to new donations please
18 month old clothing for two baby boys
Diapers in sizes 3 and 5
Stater Bros grocery cards and Walmart gift cards

If you can help by donating any of the above listed items and/or transporting furniture from one home to another,

please contact Becky Palenske at bpalenske@san.rr.com.

Join Us In Haiti!

This August FFCC will make it's 11th trip to Haiti to help support and encourage the Haitian people as they continue to rebuild their country. One important project that FFCC is involved with is the building of Shepherd's House, an orphanage that will eventually provide a home for 200 children and a school that will educate not only the children from the orphanage but from the community as well. The first phase of the orphanage was completed this past January and the work continues. A special project that our August team will be working on is the construction of a soccer field and the hosting of a soccer tournament for the kids in the area. Ryan Sullivan, a Poway High School senior, has spent much of this past year raising funds for the field & collecting equipment and uniforms for the kids. In addition to the soccer project, we will continue to distribute water filters and work to find more permanent housing for those still living in the tent city of Aviation. If you are interested in joining FFCC in Haiti this August, you are invited to an informational meeting Monday March 12th at 6:30 pm. For more details, contact Tina Socha at tina.socha@san.rr.com.

Click here to watch a slideshow from a recent FFCC trip to Haiti!

Reflections From Tanzania Team #11 Volunteers Nancy & Bob Parker

Nancy shares, "This was my first humanitarian trip and my first trip to Africa. It was personally rewarding and I highly recommend the experience. We had a great team and the work we accomplished was meaningful. The people we met in Tanzania were warm and welcoming. They would laugh at my attempts at Swahili, but it was fun to learn a few words. Playing with the children was a highlight! The beauty of the school children singing with such pure voices brought a tear to my eye. I will never forget the sights, sounds, smell and beauty of Africa!"

From Bob, "This was my second trip to Africa with FFCC. It was great to get reacquainted with the friends that I made last year, as well as making new friends. Having worked at the Children's Community Center on the new playground last year, I felt great pride when I saw the finished project! The warm feeling that I got from the people of Charadeleco (Leper colony) was worth the whole trip. I'm glad I was able to make it back this year with my wife!"

Congratulations Katarina Stapleford!

She won a $500 Seed Grant Award from the organization, "Do Something" to help support Del Norte High Schools food packing event! Katarina (Kat) and her Del Norte High School KIN (Kids In Need) Club plans to host a food packing event for the students of Del Norte High School on Friday March 16th. To help raise support for this event, Kat applied for a Seed Grant Award through an organization called "Do Something". Kat was judged on whether her project was youth led, demonstrated measurable change, had a community focus, had long-term problem-solving action, was creative and promoted diversity. Kat explains in her proposal, "We hope to create an event that has a two-fold goal and benefit: Simply, to engage students in volunteerism and community activism while saving the lives of children who are at risk due to hunger and hunger-related issues." You can read more about Kat's project by going to www.dosomething.org and click on 'grants'. Congratulations Kat and the Del Norte High School KIN Club! We know your event will be a great success!

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