Africa really does get under your skin and into your heart ."
As founder of OneLoveTanzania.com, I learned that first-hand, when I set off, unsuspectingly on a volunteer adventure to Tanzania to “get to know” the locals 14 years ago.
Volunteering, it seemed, offering a great opportunity to experience traditional life there and immerse myself in the diverse culture which is Africa.
Equipped with a bag full of children’s activities and a head full of ideas about how I could help Tanzanian people, I set off at 58, a member of the Projects Abroad team where I was placed at the Tumaini for Africa Children’s Centre, an Orphanage on the edge of Arusha.
A family-operated home, where 27 children were given a second chance at a family life after their world had collapsed around them, for any one of several heartbreaking reasons. A meagre home filled with happiness, family values and security.
Mostly under age 10, these mischievous children, shy, with wide, sparkling eyes, glistening smiles, and unconditional love for their Bibi (Grandmother) Cherie, irresistible, even to the wary, crept on in and stole my heart. While, all along, I was trying to win theirs!
An unexpectedly moving time in my usually well-guarded life.
Having taken that initial bold step, I was pretty impressed, I had survived in a developing country and really had brought hope where it was desperately needed – oblivious, I’d let my guard down. I’d been charmed!
That mighty feeling of achievement lasted about 5 minutes upon returning to my home in rural Australia.
Unsettled, I found myself unravelled – my world was upside down!
I certainly did not expect to be longing to hear those mischievous giggles at my bedroom window each morning, and I certainly did not expect to miss that desperately poor country in which I'd heard them
Somehow, at some time, a deep and profound love for people I had absolutely no duty of care for, had ignited.
The seed of “How Can I Help?” was bursting within me.
Support for their home, Tumaini for Africa, was urgently needed. Infrastructure, food, clothing, education, medicine, guidance. The need for money gnawing at me every day.
Innocent in its beginning, I began decluttering my home to raise funds…….if it wasn’t tied down, I sold it. Cash in hand, I bolted straight back to Tanzania. At last, I could ‘help’.
This revisit nurtured a whole new bond between myself and the children. I had come back. They knew I cared and they trusted me. Their stories unfolded before me, profoundly tragic stories leaving deep scars only compassion and love could heal.
How does a 7 year-old boy recover from discovering his mother, unable to keep going, hanging dead, when abandoned by her husband leaving her with two small children to support. What hope does a baby have when born to a child mother, not even aware of what’s going on in her own body.
Why are 2 year-old twin girls left in the care of a grandmother crippled with leprosy. Abandoned, to become the carers.
A whole new clarity dawned. A whole new urgency. These kids needed more. I was desperate to find a better path for them. A path which brought hope, and the right of every child, a good education.
Not just an education which pays lip service to the 3R’s, and only recognizes academic achievements, but an education which puts kids first, which identifies individuality and fosters personal development.
In short, out of the government system and into a non-government school. A school where all classes are taught in English.
As much as I wanted this change and could so clearly see its potential, changing attitudes in Tanzania was a challenge I had not anticipated. Orphanage children simply did not go to English Medium schools in this country! Tribal people walk in the footsteps of the past, never daring to step off that path. Ever wary of change.
Back in Australia I continued the battle to enrol two children to a non-government school where I believed they had a better opportunity to aspire to their full potential, a battle which took 5 months to win.
Finally, two children from Tumaini for Africa Centre started a whole new chapter of education at Tumaini which would eventually see all their siblings sponsored to quality, non-government, English Medium education.
From that moment on, their lives were transformed, they had real dreams and hope to bring those dreams to fruition. Fundraising became my new focus. The future of my two sponsored students, my goal, along with the many other students now the financial responsibility of One Love Tanzania.
As tertiary studies proudly become a reality, a whole new level of self-belief is emerging. A new level of hope. Confidence is growing and so is the drive for funds.
We are in desperate need of financial support to see kid’s dreams come true. Dreams of studying Nutrition to offer dietary guidance to the multitudes of sufferers of intergenerational, cultural health conditions here.
Dreams of studying Economics when clearly the financial management of this country needs stronger leaders. Dreams of becoming doctors. Medical professionals who really do care.
This journey is far from over. The need for funds to support continued better education, personal development, creative, and leadership programs, is urgent.
Every dollar gifted brings dreams closer to reality.
This mission isn’t just mine—it’s for anyone who believes in giving children the best start in life. Together, we can inspire them to reach their full potential. We can realise dreams and change lives.
Join me in this journey to influence change: OneLoveTanzania.com
Help me remind these children they are worthy of love, opportunity, and a much better life.
Cherie Smirl OneLoveTanzania.com
Education is Key
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