|
|
|
|
HABARI!
News from
Formerly, The American God Parent Scholarship Foundation |
|
|
|
TWENDI!
Dear G4TZ Friend, |
|
 "Twendi!" is Swahili for "Let's go!" It's something our Discovery Safari travelers hear their trip leaders say a lot on our trips to Tanzania as we keep up with a busy daily schedule of visits to schools, churches, our projects, villages and, of course, game drives in some of the most famous national parks in East Africa!
Our two trips scheduled for this summer in June and July are filled with 30 travelers, but we are already making plans for 2009. Trip dates will likely be July 8-22. If you may be interested in traveling with us, drop us a line and ask to be put on the list of those who would like more information this fall.
For more information, click on our web site (at right) and then on Disovery Safaris.
The G4TZ Staff
|
|
 |
|
|
| Our New Logo |
We have a new logo! Central to our logo is the Acacia tree, one of the most hearty of trees in Africa. In the midst of drought, the Acacia survives when other plants die. In the midst of hardship and struggle, we are determined to help our students survive.
In the branches of the Acacia tree are books which symbolize our conviction that the most effective way to help young people lift themselves from poverty is through education. The goal of Godparents for Tanzania is to provide scholarships for young Tanzanians to attend secondary and university level education, so they may be a part of the solution to poverty in their country and not simply recipients of first world charity. While food and financial resources must continue to help our friends there, the final solution will depend upon them and their skills, gained through education, to end their own poverty. We believe that educated Tanzanians are the best equipped to understand the causes of poverty and end it in their own country.
Below the tree stands a godparent and a student. Our goal is not only to provide education but to develop personal relationships between young people in this developing country and those of us who have been blessed with many resources. Godparents are people who commit to taking responsibility for a child. We work to help our godparents (sponsors) learn to know their students and develop a relationship that will grow through a lifetime.
The godparent who stands with the child under the Acacia tree is hopefully not doing so from a great distance. We sponsor annual trips to Tanzania in order to introduce our sponsors to their students. If you are a sponsor who has not yet met your student face to face, we hope you will have the opportunity to do so when you come with us to Tanzania on one of our annual Safaris (see the Discovery Safaris menu on our web site for more details).
Our thanks to Anne Schulte of Anne Schulte & Company of Ellicott City, MD, who patiently guided us in the development of our new logo.
|
| Student Profile - Simon Gerald Manyara |
Simon Gerald Manyara is a 25-year-old student at the University of Dar es Salaam, now in his second year of study for a Bachelors degree in Geology.
When we first heard from Simon, he had worked to put himself through secondary school with excellent marks but had no resources to pursue his dream of attending university and continuing his education. Instead he was working as a porter for tourists who come to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. When he couldn't get a job as a porter, he worked as a "cleaner," someone who picks up the trash from mountain expeditions.
The tour company for which he worked, Kiliwarriors, is an active supporter of Godparents for Tanzania and Simon discovered our orgainization on the Kiliwarrior web site (www. www.go-kili.com). Simon wrote to us and told us about his hopes and dreams for a future that would give him the opportunity to lift himself from the poverty he and his family had always experienced: "I really need to be out of poverty and, as you said [on the web site], 'Education is key to helping people overcome poverty.' I appeciate that and hence I can become a resource to my country."
While in Tanzania on a Discovery Safari trip, we met with Simon for an interview. We were very impressed with a young man who was committed to working hard if given the chance. We agreed to sponsor him for one year and evaluate his progress. His high grades in his first year have led us to continue his sponsorship.
Simon was one of the "student hosts" on our 2007 Discovery Safari who accompanied our group throughout our trip and was eager to answer all the questions about his homeland asked by our travelers . We are very proud of Simon and thankful to those who continue to support him during his university career.
We are now seeking additional sponsors for Simon so he may continue his education. If you would like to become one of Simon's sponsors, contact us at:
|
| Habari kutoka Mkuu (Message from the President) |
|
Children learn to walk. Rosemary walked to learn. She walked 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) to school in the morning and then 12 kilometers home at night. That meant she left before dawn and returned after dark. She walked on dangerous roads. Hyenas were around, both four-footed and those who walk upright, seeking a young girl alone on the road. Though afraid every day, she walked to learn. She wanted to learn more than anything else. Her classmates spent the nights at school. They only walked (or went by local bus) on the weekends to go home. But Rosemary walked to learn every school day. Had she not walked, she would have spent her day fetching water, washing clothes and cutting grass for the cow. Had she not walked, she would have had no future, no hope. So, Rosemary walked to learn.
But Rosemary's grades were not good. After walking 24 kilometers every day (15 miles), there was not much time and energy left for studying and homework. It was hard to stay alert in class. Attaining sufficient grades to graduate appeared to be beyond her best effort, but not beyond her will. So, everyday, she walked to learn.
Rosemary came to our attention through her father who is the headmaster of a primary school. Rather a good job one might think, but still, while the family could pay the school fees, they could not afford to pay for Rosemary's room and board at her secondary school. So, she walked because she wanted to learn more than anything else.
With a scholarship from Godparents for Tanzania, Rosemary is now boarding at her secondary school. No longer must she leave home before dawn and walk dangerous roads home at night. Her grades have vastly improved. She is on her way to graduate soon. And, when she does, many possibilities will be open to her that, before, were only the dreams she dreamed as she walked in the early morning and late evening. Rosemary is no longer walking on a dark road to learn every day. Now she is learning to walk on a road that will lead her to a much brighter future thanks to her sponsors.
What a difference a godparent can make!
Dwayne J. Westermann, President
Godparents for Tanzania | |
|
Godparents for Tanzania
is a 501(c)(3) public charity
incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Post: P.O. Box 20221, Roanoke, VA 24018
Voice: 540-353-6341
President: Dwayne J. Westermann
Administrator: Kristin D. McFarland
| |
|
