Bringing hope through education to the youth of Tanzania.
 
 
March-April, 2009
 
HABARI! 
News from 
 Godparents for Tanzania
 
 
Annual student interviews in June
            Board members will be traveling to Tanzania in mid-June to conduct annual interviews with as many of our G4TZ students as possible.  Joined by Tanzanian staff, the annual interviews present an opportunity to evaluate student progress, check on our students' welfare, update photos, visit with parents and provide career counseling.sponsor and student
            This year, we are adding a health counseling component to the interview process.  We want to be certain all of our students are receiving adequate HIV/AIDS education.
            Students will also be asked to write letters to their sponsors to update them on their progress.  Sponsors are invited to send cards or letters to their students which will be hand-delivered during the interviews. A recent picture is always appreciated. Send your card or letter to: Godparents for Tanzania, P.O. Box 20221, Roanoke, VA, 24018.  We discourage the inclusion of monetary gifts since not all students may receive them.
            Sponsors of students interviewed may expect to receive a report, photo and letter in late summer or early fall.
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2010 Discovery Safari dates set
  safari car 2
           Discovery Safaris, the travel program of Godparents for Tanzania, will depart Dulles Int'l Airport on June 23, 2010 for a two week, 10 day in-country safari to visit our friends in Tanzania.
         We will visit our students, their schools, hospitals and churches as well as go "on safari" to some of the most famous game parks in the world. 
          One highlight of the trip will be the dedication of Hai Technical Training Centre which has been built with substantial support from G4TZ donors. See the article about HTTC below.
          Join us next year for an extraordinary adventure in Tanzania, East Africa!  Sign up soon on our web site or contact the trip leader, Dwayne Westermann at 540.353.6341 (click here to email him). Space is limited!
          For more information, click here to go directly to the Discovery Safaris section of our web site.. 
 
                            KARIBU SANA, TANZANIA!
 
         
Hai Technical Training Centre
to be dedicated on 2010 Discovery Safari trip
 HTTC Students
           Dedication ceremonies to officially open Hai Technical Training Centre (HTTC) will be held in June of next year with 2010 Discovery Safari travelers as the guests of honor representing Godparents for Tanzania.  
           Construction is nearly completed on this G4TZ funded facility which is already providing vocational training to very poor students (right) in the Hai District near Moshi, Tanzania.  Approximately 60% of funds have come from G4TZ, while 40% have been raised locally.
            Significant financial assistance to help furnish classrooms, workshops and dormitories has come from the Rotary Club of Smith Mountain Lake, VA in partnership with the Rotary Club of Moshi, Tanzania as well as many generous individuals from Trinity Ecumenical Parish, Moneta, VA, Christ Lutheran Church, Roanoke, VA, and elsewhere.
HTTC Bldg            HTTC has been the dream of Mr. Peniel Shali, a civil engineer who lives nearby.  "In this area, unemployment is very high because young people here have no money to attend secondary school or seek vocational training.  HTTC will serve these youth," Mr. Shali said.  He added, "We are very grateful to Godparents for Tanzania for helping us to turn this hope into a reality."
            Vocational training will be offered in multiple disciplines including auto mechanics, carpentry, tailoring, plumbing, and electricity.  Scholarships will allow the poorest of students to develop an employable skill.

 

 
Godparents for Tanzania receives grant
from Grace Lutheran Church, Winchester, VA

          A $2,500 grant has been received from the Mission Fund of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Winchester, VA.  The grant was received in response to a grant application to provide Clinical Officer training and to support G4TZ operating expenses.
           Clinical Officers are young men and women who receive three years of intensive medical training to work in hospitals as physician's assistants.  With the shortage of doctors in Tanzania, they are desperately needed.  The Clinical Officer who will be selected to receive this scholoarship from Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church will be designated to serve at Karatu Lutheran Hospital where some Grace members have volunteered in the past.
           $2,000 of the grant was targeted for the scholarship. An additional $1,000 in matching funds needs to be raised to provide the first year of training.  The remaining $500 will be used for the operating expenses of Godparents for Tanzania.
           We extend our gratitude to Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church for their mission-mindedness and generosity.
 
First Clinical Officer graduates in June 
David Sabas Petro            David Sabas Petro (right), 27, will graduate from Clinical Officer Training College this June and begin his service at Karatu Lutheran Hospital in Karatu, Tanzania, shortly thereafter.  He is our first G4TZ Clinical Officer graduate and the recipient of a full three-year scholarship provided by one G4TZ sponsor family.
            David hails from the village of Dongobesh near Karatu and is the eighth born of nine children to subsistence farming parents. He is looking forward to beginning his work at the hospital and is very proud that he will be able to serve the people of his area as a Clinical Officer as well as be able to care for his elderly parents.
            We congratulate David on his achievement!
 
From the President:  Bad news, good news.
    
             It seems that news of the economy is all bad news these days, but we have some good news to report.  Even with the downturn in the economy, not a single one of our sponsors has withdrawn his or her pledge.  Sponsors continue to support their students even if making a personal sacrifice to do so.  Our older students follow the news and know about the instability in global financial markets.  Several have fearfully asked, "Does this mean I will lose my scholarship?"  We are glad to be able to reassure them.
            Where the downturn has hurt Godparents for Tanzania is with respect to operating fund income.  G4TZ has been committed since its inception to insuring that students receive 100% of the scholarship money given by their sponsors.  We have sought to fund our operating expenses from friends of G4TZ who understand that maintaining staff and program also requires financial support. 
            We sincerely thank our sponsors who continue to support their students and we ask all of our sponsors and other donors who are able to please consider a donation to our operating fund.  It's easy to do; just click on the Donate Now button below. 
             Asante sana!  Thanks very much!

Dwayne J. Westermann, President
Godparents for Tanzania
 

DonateNow

 
Godparents for Tanzania
is a 501(c)(3) public charity
incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia
 
                              Post:      P.O. Box 20221, Roanoke, VA  24018
                              Web:      www.godparents4tz.org
                              Email:    tellmemore@godparents4tz.org
                              Voice:    540~353~6341