Tanzania Partnership

One of the simple joys of this partnership  is exchanging letters, particularly between the students we sponsor and the families who sponsor them by providing scholarships. Dear My Sponsor, I am very glad to write this letter to you. I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. I hope you are going on well in your daily activities. May God bless you. I am fit mentally and physically. The aim of this letter is to thank you for sponsoring me and for paying my school fees. Now I am in form one. I hope you are praying for me. I pray for you. God bless you. Yours faithfully, Paulos V. Many times the Tanzanian students are just beginning to learn English.  Sometimes the students gather together in a room and share ideas about what they should write.  The letters coming from a particular school have similar themes and phrases.  That's okay.  We applaud the sincere effort and are humbled by the genuine gratitude tha...

Shepherd of the Valley's 3 year olds through fifth graders are learning a little about malaria this summer as they attend Vacation Bible School.  They're finding out that the mosquito is one of the most deadly creatures on earth because it can carry malaria, which is one of the leading causes of illness and death for children under age five in parts of the world. Tungamalenga, Tanzania is one of those places in the world. So our VBS kids are collecting coins to send with SOTV travelers at the end of July.  Our travelers will purchase several hundred mosquito nets treated with a mosquito killing insecticide.  The nets will be delivered to the Tungamalenga Dispensary, where Doctor Barnabas and his staff will distribute them to pregnant moms and to families with children under age five. These are life-saving gifts! Thanks to Mim Campbell, Jeanne Mikulski, & the Children's Ministry staff for their enthusiastic partnership!  Thanks to ki...

Bibi Rose, 1946 - 2012 Normally, this is a place for updates from Tungamalenga, a place for news of our Tanzanian partners, a place to tell stories of Tanzanian lives changed by the grace of God and through our partnership.  Today, it's a place to remember one of our Minnesota travelers, Rose Mahlum, who died last night after a year long battle with cancer. Rose traveled with Shepherd of the Valley members in 2008. We were a fairly big group of twelve.  Rose was the senior member of the group -- there were four other adult women in their 30s and 40s, and seven young adults ranging from 17 to 23.  Rose was quickly nicknamed "Bibi" or Grandmother. Coming from the Tanzanians, that was a sign of respect. Rose was a nurse and spent several days of our visit in the Tungamalenga Dispensary.  At the time, the doctor was away at school, upgrading his skills.  The clinic had been staffed by a lab technician for the past year....

Last night we had a partnership meeting and heard all kinds of updates -- here's a brief recap. Children's Ministry continues to walk bega kwa bega [shoulder to shoulder] with us, raising funds and awareness.  This summer the kids are learning about malaria in their vacation bible school sessions, and they are collecting coins to purchase mosquito netting that will be distributed to children and pregnant moms through the Tungamalenga Dispensary. Kuzunguka zunguka will be the theme of a summer camp experience for first through fifth graders August 20-23, with kids delving more deeply into Tanzanian culture and learning about the hardships and blessings of Tanzanian life. Mahove Water Project is almost complete! We've authorized the final payment and expect to dedicate the project during our August visit.  We will follow up with some sanitation training and conversation about maintenance and sustainability.  Thanks to St Paul Partners for their unwavering support. S...