Now It’s Your Turn to Celebrate Mother’s Day in Tanzania

Are you ready to make a mother’s dream come true?  Children in the Kambasegela and Kisondela Wards in Tanzania dream of going to school.  And, their mothers want them to go to school.  They work hard at making their chicken, cow and avocado co-ops become sustainable. At this time of year, I reflect on the values my Mom gave me… so many things to ponder on the list… love of family, helping and giving back to others, spiritual faith, learning to learn, listening and having fun.   I will be letting my Mom know that I appreciate her and that I have made a gift to Africa Bridge.   What do you want to your impact to be this coming Mother’s Day?  Please make your gift today!  Please join Africa Bridge on the journey of supporting women  who dream of having their children in school.  Wishing all a very Happy Mother’s Day! With Loving Thanks, Sharon Executive Director

Cows Enhance Extracurricular Learning

                       Bugoba Secondary School students and headmistress feeding cows grass. 

 

There are eight schools in the Kisondela Ward that have cows onsite that students and faculty look after. This is our Cows For Kids program, in which Africa Bridge staff and partner agencies teach the children how to properly take care of the cows.

Children in the schools take great ownership of these cows; scheduling who will take care of them on weekends, feeding them, ect. Not only are the children learning about the responsibilities of taking care of an animal, they are learning life skills outside of the classroom setting that are teaching them time management, the importance of reliability, and how to raise cows.

Last week, Africa Bridge staff conducted follow-up vaccinations on all of the cows located at Kisondela Ward schools. Each school was taught deworming techniques and treatments for the cows, and encouraged to vaccinate every three months. The schools are also expecting to provide annual vaccination for diseases like anthrax, blackleg disease, and lumpy skin disease which starts from September to November each year. Empowerment Workers – community members trained to assist Africa Bridge in working with vulnerable children – and livestock officers will work collaboratively to ensure all schools are continuing to provide all required vaccines for their cows.  

 

 

 

Urgent International Need

Help Now   As the year ends, Africa Bridge is busier than ever. We have just begun a new investment in Kambasegela Ward, comprised of three villages and located in the rural southern highlands of Tanzania. As always, our goal in these three villages is to empower people through our five-year sustainable development model that pairs short-term startup capital with extensive training to enable villagers to achieve long-term economic success. Africa Bridge knows this model works, as it has been implemented in 34 villages prior to Kambasegela, and has changed lives of more than 7,000 vulnerable children and their families. There are 1,500 vulnerable children in Kambasegela Ward, living in households subsisting on less than one dollar per day. Kambasegela is the poorest ward we have worked with and the children need your help. Africa Bridge partnered with the Busokelo District Council to conduct an on-the-ground survey of the ward. Our objective was to learn about the current community, identify the greatest needs and opportunities with our programs. The findings during this process were beyond heartbreaking. The ward has a total of five schools and on average, each child walks six miles to school every day. More boys were observed attending schools than girls, and in each school, the children sat on dirt floors, had limited access to text books, and experienced little to no teacher presence. As you can imagine, these villages have some of the lowest rates of literacy anywhere in the world. With low literacy rates, 99 percent of the Kambasegela population relies on subsistence farming to earn income. To change their future, the people of Kambasegela desperately need sustainable agricultural opportunities that can grow, leading to more food and more income. Africa Bridge understands this vital need, and has committed to providing cows in 2018. By establishing a dairy co-op, we can help alleviate poverty, improve health, and create economic sustainability. This is accomplished by providing a pregnant cow to households with the most vulnerable children. Africa Bridge will provide extensive agricultural trainings and small business discipline, creating new opportunities and life-long impacts. By donating to the co-op, you are helping provide the most vulnerable children with access to milk to build strong bones, households with new farming techniques that also become desirable job skills, and care-takers with new income streams. Your gift will also help these vulnerable families with increased access to education and health care. Africa Bridge needs to raise $50,000 to obtain these cows for Kambasegela Ward. Before this year ends, make an impactful contribution. Here are some specific ways your tax-deductible donation can help us reach more vulnerable families with the promise of a prosperous future: For $1000, you can buy a cow and a bull for the dairy co-op to give more families access to nutritious milk, rich fertilizer from manure, and new income opportunities. For $500, you can buy a cow for the dairy co-op providing more families with access to nutritious milk, rich fertilizer from manure, and new income opportunities. For $250, you can supply 5 vulnerable kids with school uniforms, workbooks and shoes, supporting their education for a year. For $100, you can provide 25 vulnerable kids with more time to play by sending them to quarterly Children’s Club meetings for a year For $50, you can provide veterinary care to help keep livestock cooperatives healthy and productive. Please donate to Africa Bridge today. Your contribution will have a long-lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable children, their guardians, and entire communities. We have hard work ahead, but with your generosity, we can build a brighter future for these villages. Given the recent passage of the Tax Bill, it makes sense to maximize your charitable contributions this year because it helps reduce your income in 2017 when tax rates are higher. Plus, you might not end up itemizing next year since the standard deduction is nearly doubling Source: Washington Post. Donations can be addressed to Africa Bridge PO Box 115, Marylhurst, Oregon 97036 or made online at our website https://africabridge.org/invest-now-help-forever/. Asante Sana, Deborah Saunders