Sunday June 19, 2011 – Father’s Day

What Is A Dad?

A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail...

- Unknown

I think this is the first father’s day I’ve ever missed and I’m really sad I can’t be home to spend it with my Dad and family! I hope you have a great day and know that I am thinking of you! I love you Dad!!!

Even though it sucks not to be home, I was surrounded today by the love of fatherless children and I felt blessed!

River Rafting last summer down the Thompson!

While talking to L, the oldest kid, at boona baana today about Tanzanian politics and government corruption, we asked him if he felt that he was luckier than lots of the other kids in Tanzania because he was funded to go to international school and most kids have to go to private school. He responded “I’m not lucky…..I’m blessed”. And he is so right, he’s definitely blessed. He is such a smart kid and he knows exactly what’s going on in Tanzania and why things are the way they are, I learned a lot from him today. He told us a story about one of his friends and how you have to have certain grades and do well on an exam in order to be accepted by an international school. L ended up getting accepted and goes to international school because he is funded by a family in Australia and he’s smart so he passed the entrance exam, but his friend took the same exam and failed. The catch is that his friend took the exam a second time and paid the people who mark the exams money, and then he ended up with a B and was accepted into the school. He said international private schools are the best schools to go to but there is corruption everywhere even in those schools, from the teachers to the syllabus to the government. We also talked a bit about when Tanzania got independence in 1961 and how they are now a democracy but not a true democracy because of the corruption. He said something about how the one party, CCM, is in power and doesn’t do much good for Tanzania. It was interesting because he said that Rwanda’s government is actually really good and he wishes Tanzania could be more like Rwanda.

Below is a picture of a primary school that has just been recently painted inside. The idea is that because there aren’t any books or supplies or anything, that the paintings are a sustainable and affordable way to provide the kids with the letters of the alphabet, etc, but most schools don't even have this. It is a two room school that holds about 40 kids and two teachers, there’s nothing in the rooms except for a mat, one desk, and a chalk board.

The lady that owns this place said that another major problem is that when it rains the rooms sometimes get filled up with water because their are no glass on the windows so if the rain is blowing in a certain direction the floors get really wet. This is the same for the orphanage that is on this property as well, there just isn't enough funding to fix everything.