2018 Annual Impact Report

We are excited to share our 2018 Annual Impact Report.

2018 Annual Report Final 030519

And, we want to extend our heartfelt thank you for joining us on the bridge as we engage in our mission of empowering Tanzanian families to care for the most vulnerable children.  We are looking forward to a very exciting year ahead!

 

Gala Live Auction Items

Join us at our annual fundraiser A Toast To Tanzania on Saturday, October 6, 2018. We are excited to host our event at the Multnomah Athletic Club from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM. Hear from Africa Bridge Founder and Purpose Prize Winner Barry Childs on his recent travels to Tanzania and program highlights. This year’s theme is “Brighter Futures For All”. With your help Africa Bridge can provide brighter futures for people in rural villages, providing opportunities for most vulnerable children and their guardians, village committees, and farming co-ops. Click hereto purchase tickets and be a part of the change.

Purchase Tickets 

Bid on amazing live auction items with the help of our personable auctioneer Michael Faith! Our packages this year are sure to excite! Raise your paddle high in the sky to bid on a week’s vacation to a luxurious villa for the stars in Mexico! Casa China Blanca, is an upscale, modern villa overlooking Banderas Bay.  Bid on a week’s stay in the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii. Spend your days on the beautiful beaches, and your nights at eating at luaus! Bid on a local package with world-class Oregon experiences that are fun for everyone. Bid on once in a life time Africa Bridge Travel Tour to Tanzania guided by our Founder Barry Childs. Visit the villages, meet the guardians, and play with the children; witness Africa Bridge’s impact first hand! These are just a few of the packages we are offering this year!  See all our exciting auction packages listed below!

 

Live Auction Packages

 

 

 

Five Eggs A Week

This past week, Africa Bridge staff conducted a successful visit to the Kambasegela Ward with a focus on chicken co-op members’ chickens. Representatives from each of the three villages, within the ward, were present. The primary purpose of the visit was to teach chicken co-op members how to create nest boxes. These are enclosured structured provided for chickens to nest in. Co-op members collaborated with Africa Bridge staff by providing wood, nails, and other essential materials needed to build nest boxes. After building the nest boxes, chicken health and disease prevention was also discussed.

Building nest boxes in the Kambesagela Ward is important because many of the chickens are expected to start laying eggs soon. When eggs are laid in the boxes, it is easier to collect the eggs, to avoid cracks in the eggs, and to ensure that the eggs are safe from outside moisture that could cause decay. While the amount of eggs that a chicken lays in a day varies, most healthy chickens are known to lay five eggs a week or one every other day. These chickens promote hope among the village and provide brighter futures for vulnerable children and their families!


Cow Pregnancy Loss Prevention Training

Africa Bridge staff is collaborating with local veterinary workers to provide skills and knowledge about cow pregnancy loss prevention. These trainings are administered to Africa Bridge empowerment workers, cow co-op members, and local school teachers. Topics discussed at training range from common causes of cow pregnancy loss to awareness and prevention. Prior to the trainings knowledge tests are administered in order to determine the training participant’s understanding of the issue. Post tests revealed that participants gained significant insights from the trainings, guaranteeing more successful cow management going forward.

It is extremely important for the community to understand the potential maladies that could affect their cows and the proper treatment for maladies. In addition to providing milk, cows are a social capital booster, helping families work towards economic independence as they use the cows to generate income. Healthy cows provide the hope for a brighter, healthier future and will have a great impact on the lives of vulnerable children!

 

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Celebrating Successful Avocado Trees!

Africa Bridge staff have successfully conducted avocado harvesting monitoring visits at at both the Masoko and Mpombo wards. The purpose of the visits were to see how many Co-op members harvested avocados this year, and the amount of avocados harvested. It was found that co-op members in both wards had seen a very successful avocado harvest season. In the Masoko Ward 86 co-op members harvested a total of 68,477 lbs of avocados, and a 101 co-op members harvested a total 94,652 lbs of avocados in Mpombo Ward.

Both wards are reaping the benefits of their successful harvest by selling their avocados to the KUUZA Company and LIMA Company. Both companies service people in the Rungwe and Njombe regions. From harvesting and selling avocados, both wards combined earned a total income of 88,792,776 Tanzanian shillings, which equals $38,927.13 US dollars. This goes to show the incredible opportunities for co-op members to generate sustainable income just from an avocado tree. Avocado trees provide a delicious treat, a social capital booster, and an income!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling inspired? Enjoy the amazing benefits of avocados with this quick and tasty recipe for five-minute avocado toast from Gimme Delicious!

 

 

 

Healthy 5 Minute Avocado Toast

Ingredients

  • 1 avocado peeled and seeded
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 slices whole grain bread or bread of choice
  • 2 eggs fried, scrambled, or poached, optional

Instructions

  1. Toast 2 slices of whole grain in a toaster until golden and crispy.
  2. In a small bowl combine and mash the avocado, cilantro, lime, and salt + pepper to taste. Spread half of the mixture on each slice of toasted bread.
  3. Top with fried, scrambled, or poached egg if desired.

 

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.