Tag: Humanitarian

A Story of Inspiration – A Recent Experience at FAME

I got a call from my dear friend Joseph. He is my communication connection to many Maasai friends. My little friend, Yasi, was very sick and repeatedly vomiting up the medicine she had been given for malaria and giardia. I had Joseph tell the mother to bring her to the FAME Clinic where I was confident she would be provided the resources to get well.

Severely dehydrated and malnourished upon her arrival, Dr. Frank explained that she needed to be put on an IV drip immediately. Unfortunately, she was so dehydrated and her veins so small, they could not get the line in. After many attempts all over her body they finally got the IV into a vein in her head. She stayed in the observation room at FAME throughout the day, receiving fluids and medication to treat the malaria and giardia.

I checked in on them from time to time and Yasi was resting peacefully, with her mother sitting on the bed next to her. Monica, a FAME Nurse Assistant who is also Maasai, went to great lengths to explain everything that was happening to the Mother in her tribal language. After returning a second day for IV fluids and medicine, Yasi looked so much better.

It was time to discuss what should be done about her malnutrition. You see, Yasi is almost 4 years old and her weight is just over 17 lbs. Pooling our resources, we learned of a program in a city roughly two hours away, where she could be placed on a special feeding program over a 10-day period. With FAME offering to finance her stay, the next step was returning to her boma, explaining the situation to Norkoranga’s father, and securing his permission to enroll mother and child in the program. He agreed and thanked me for my help.

Ten days later we received news that mother and child were doing well and could be discharged from the program. Babu, the head security guard at FAME Medical, who is also Maasai, agreed to accompany me to the boma to translate. As a Maasai male, I felt his voice would be helpful. When we arrived all the women and children came out to greet us. We were invited for food in Norkorianga’s mothers home, where Babu explained each and every thing he learned about good nutrition and Yasi’s needs to Norkorianga’s mother and Yasi’s two uncles. Using their Mother Tongue, he talked about the importance of good nutrition in making children strong so their body can fight illnesses, and they thanked us for helping Yasi to get well. I

In Tanzania, as in most of the world, it takes a network of people to make things happen. Family, friends, coworkers and medical personnel all worked together for the good of Yasi. She is back home now and doing great!

– Pam McClendon, FAME Volunteer Coordinator

Africa Dream Safaris will match dollar for dollar any $50 donation thus turning your contribution into $100, which has real significant purchasing power in Tanzania. Please click here to contribute to FAME and to learn more about the organization. Make sure to enter ‘Africa Dream Safaris’ in the designation field to ensure that your $50 donation is matched correctly.

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Peace House Update – December 2011

Peace House Secondary students successfully completed another school year. The Form 2 students’ test scores launched the school into the top 3% in the region! Now all students are enjoying a welcomed break from their studies until classes resume in January. Although Peace House students are orphaned (having lost one or both parents) or otherwise vulnerable, they still have strong ties to their communities. This break allows them to reconnect with grandparents, guardians, siblings and friends. It also maintains their cultural connection and strengthens their sense of social responsibility as Tanzanian citizens. To this end, many senior PHS students planned to spend their break tutoring local primary schoolchildren or volunteering in community service projects. As Peace House Africa envisions educating students to become the future leaders and change-makers of Tanzania, we are proud to see them already making efforts to “give-back” to their communities.

To make a donation to the Peace House of for more information, please visit http://www.peacehouseafrica.org/donate.html. Your donations to Peace House Africa go directly to helping vulnerable children including AIDS orphans receive an invaluable education. In Tanzania like many countries in Africa, a strong education simply means HOPE. Every contribution makes a BIG difference: $35 covers the cost of school uniform; $75 purchases one desk and chair; $160 provides a dorm room bunk bed; $450 provides all meals for a student for one year and $1,200 sponsors one student for an entire year.

Africa Dream Safaris is proud to be a major sponsor of Peace House. Monthly donations by Africa Dream Safaris help the Peace House provide vulnerable children with the opportunity to receive a quality education in a nurturing environment. Financial support by African Dream Safaris focuses on the Peace House School, which is a unique boarding school for over 240 AIDS orphans.

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Making a Difference One Child At A Time

Five-year-old Beatrice arrived at the Clinic in visible discomfort. Covered in a bright red kanga, she shuffled down the clinic hallway like a much older and frailer person. When FAME doctors removed the kanga and examined her, she was covered from head to toe with scaly, bleeding, infected scabs. Her body exuded a strong odor from a severe skin infection. The original skin condition was likely caused by an allergic reaction to medicine of some type.

Before arriving at FAME Medical, she had been languishing in a village with her mother for over six months. Frustrated and overwhelmed by her ongoing problem, her mother left her in the care of two incredibly loving grandmothers who knew about the Clinic and brought Beatrice in to see our team. On the day she arrived, we happened to have two Nurses volunteering with us. Erica and Janet proceeded to soak little Beatrice in a warm tub. The doctor then sedated her and the nurses gently and painstakingly scrubbed, debrided and sanitized every inch of her body, later coating her skin with Vaseline and olive oil. She was sent home on medication and told to return the next day for the same treatment.

By the third visit she showed marked improvement over most of her body, and as you see in this photo, was able to smile again. “To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.” This quote came to mind as I watched this story unfold. Two very special grandmothers, two amazingly compassionate nurses, and an accessible and well-equipped medical facility converging in the African bush to make a profound difference in a child’s life.

Africa Dream Safaris is proud to be a major sponsor of FAME and Dr. Frank Artress since 2008 and was honored with the Tanzanian Humanitarian Award specifically because of our work with FAME. Our ongoing monthly donations help FAME fund their mobile medical clinic bringing medical care to children living in remote areas. Many medical conditions can be treated correctly with proper healthcare including respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and diabetes. We suspect many children with juvenile diabetes simply die in rural Tanzania due to limited access and resources.

You may be asking yourself “How can I help?” The good news is that it doesn’t take much to make a real positive impact. Please consider a $50 donation to help Dr. Frank and Susan meet operational expenses for their Mobile Medical Service, purchasing laboratory equipment to provide more comprehensive diagnostic services, and completing the next phase of the medical project which involves expanding the existing Outpatient Clinic into a small hospital. The facility will include 12 inpatient beds and a major and minor Operating Room.

Africa Dream Safaris will match dollar for dollar any $50 donation thus turning your contribution into $100, which has real significant purchasing power in Tanzania. Please click here to contribute to FAME and to learn more about the organization. Make sure to enter ‘Africa Dream Safaris’ in the designation field to ensure that your $50 donation is matched correctly.

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Words from Peace House Secondary School

The needs of Africa are many and can appear overwhelming, but just as a furnace that melts gold starts with only a spark; education is the spark to ignite positive change and to reshape the future. We believe in the power of education to change lives.  We look back at the past and what we have accomplished, and we touch the future by making a difference in the lives of otherwise desperate Tanzanian children. We are proud of each student at Peace House Secondary School. Their effort and resilience is a constant reminder of our commitment and of the aspirations for Tanzania and the African continent at large.

Knowledge is an indispensable catalyst in bringing about community change. We are certain that most of Africa’s current problems can be solved with proper allocation and use of the available resources within the continent. This can only be achieved by disseminating knowledge throughout the community and harnessing local technology and ingenuity with a business- minded approach in the global context. It may be a complex process, but worth the price if there is to be a better world in the future.

To make a donation to the Peace House of for more information, please visit http://www.peacehouseafrica.org/donate.html . Your donations to Peace House Africa go directly to helping vulnerable children including AIDS orphans receive an invaluable education. In Tanzania like many countries in Africa, a strong education simply means HOPE. Every contribution makes a BIG difference: $35 covers the cost of school uniform; $75 purchases one desk and chair; $160 provides a dorm room bunk bed; $450 provides all meals for a student for one year and $1,200 sponsors one student for an entire year.

Africa Dream Safaris is proud to be a major sponsor of Peace House.  Monthly donations by Africa Dream Safaris help the Peace House provide vulnerable children with the opportunity to receive a quality education in a nurturing environment. Financial support by African Dream Safaris focuses on the Peace House School, which is a unique boarding school for over 240 AIDS orphans.

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Peace House Update – Celebrating the First Fruits

September 24, 2011 marked a momentous occasion forPeaceHouseSecondary Schoolas we honored 61 graduating students. The celebration of our very first graduating class stood as a special milestone for the school’s progress. When PHS opened four years ago, these students arrived with wide-eyed fear, excitement and, at last– hope. Orphaned or vulnerable, they all came from deeply impoverished homes. They were bright, hard-working and eager to learn, but the opportunity for secondary education seemed an impossible dream all because they could not afford school fees. Now at PHS, the dream that seemed so out of reach was actually coming true.

These students, who arrived as boys and girls timid and uncertain, have grown into confident young leaders. Now they will go on to become another “first” at PHS as they proceed to Form 5 of advanced-level (A-level) secondary education. A facilities expansion project is already underway on campus and will be complete in March 2012, just in time to welcome our first A-level students in April. The expansion includes constructing two additional wings that will house new classrooms, science labs and an 80-seat lecture hall.

PHS is able to provide quality education to these children because of the passion and generosity of our supporters. Our partners, volunteers and sponsors fuel the mission of Peace House Africa and make a world of difference in the lives of PHS students.  Together we have planted, nurtured and now celebrated the “first fruits” of this collective effort.

To make a donation to the Peace House of for more information, please visithttp://www.peacehouseafrica.org/donate.html . Your donations to Peace House Africa go directly to helping vulnerable children including AIDS orphans receive an invaluable education. In Tanzania like many countries in Africa, a strong education simply means HOPE. Every contribution makes a BIG difference: $35 covers the cost of school uniform; $75 purchases one desk and chair; $160 provides a dorm room bunk bed; $450 provides all meals for a student for one year and $1,200 sponsors one student for an entire year.

Africa Dream Safaris is proud to be a major sponsor of Peace House.  Monthly donations by Africa Dream Safaris help the Peace House provide vulnerable children with the opportunity to receive a quality education in a nurturing environment. Financial support by African Dream Safaris focuses on the Peace House School, which is a unique boarding school for over 240 AIDS orphans.

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Peace House Update – September 2011

Peace House Secondary School with the help of generous supporters has started phase II of their construction project. The expansion includes two classroom wings. The additional space will include new humanities classrooms, science lab, lecture hall, music room and art gallery. After the construction is completed, Peace House Secondary School will provide advance level secondary classes. Secondary classes are the highest level before college (university level education) in the Tanzania educational system.

To make a donation to the Peace House of for more information, please visit http://www.peacehouseafrica.org/donate.html . Your donations to Peace House Africa go directly to helping vulnerable children including AIDS orphans receive an invaluable education. In Tanzania like many countries in Africa, a strong education simply means HOPE. Every contribution makes a BIG difference: $35 covers the cost of school uniform; $75 purchases one desk and chair; $160 provides a dorm room bunk bed; $450 provides all meals for a student for one year and $1,200 sponsors one student for an entire year.

Africa Dream Safaris is proud to be a major sponsor of Peace House.  Monthly donations by Africa Dream Safaris help the Peace House provide vulnerable children with the opportunity to receive a quality education in a nurturing environment. Financial support by African Dream Safaris focuses on the Peace House School, which is a unique boarding school for over 240 AIDS orphans.

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An Inspirational Story of Hope – Providing Children with Basic Medical Care

Tanzania is a country of striking contrasts. Endowed with spectacular natural resources and home to the greatest wildlife viewing areas in Africa, Tanzania is also one of the poorest countries in the world. Poverty is critically severe and access to medical care is limited particularly in rural areas. Did you know that an estimated 1 out of 9 children in Tanzania die before their 5th birthday?  Sadly their deaths are often the result of preventable or treatable diseases, including malaria, diarrheal disease, acute respiratory infections, low-birth weight and AIDS.

But, there is HOPE! There are truly great people doing wonderful things in Tanzania. Meet Dr. Frank Artress and Susan Gustafson. They are the founders of FAME, The Foundation for African Medicine and Education. Their mobile medical clinic is penetrating deeper and deeper in the bush to provide medical care to children that have never been vaccinated before or let alone seen a doctor! This is the real deal…real people having a real impact on the lives of children in Africa. Please take a few minutes of your time to watch this amazing short documentary video, which chronicles Dr. Frank and his wife Susan’s journey in Tanzania. You won’t believe it! This is truly extraordinary!

Africa Dream Safaris is proud to be a major sponsor of FAME and Dr. Frank Artress since 2008 and was honored with the Tanzanian Humanitarian Award specifically because of our work with FAME. Our ongoing monthly donations help FAME fund their mobile medical clinic bringing medical care to children living in remote areas. Many medical conditions can be treated correctly with proper healthcare including respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and diabetes. We suspect many children with juvenile diabetes simply die in rural Tanzania due to limited access and resources.

You may be asking yourself “How can I help?” The good news is that it doesn’t take much to make a real positive impact. Please consider a $50 donation to help Dr. Frank and Susan meet operational expenses for their Mobile Medical Service, purchasing laboratory equipment to provide more comprehensive diagnostic services, and completing the next phase of the medical project which involves expanding the existing Outpatient Clinic into a small hospital. The facility will include 12 inpatient beds and a major and minor Operating Room.

Africa Dream Safaris will match dollar for dollar any $50 donation thus turning your contribution into $100, which has real significant purchasing power in Tanzania. Please click here to contribute to FAME and to learn more about the organization. Make sure to enter ‘Africa Dream Safaris’ in the designation field to ensure that your $50 donation is matched correctly.

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Poli Village School

Poli is a traditional Tanzanian village within the Usa River (pronounced “Oosa”) district and is close in proximity to the local offices of Africa Dream Safaris. Support and sponsorship by Africa Dream Safaris helps Poli Village provide an invaluable education for the over 300 young children that call Poli their home.

The power of a good education offers real hope to elevate these children and their families above circumstances of poverty. The children here are eager to learn, but the dedicated teachers at the Poli village primary school must work long, tiring hours in over-crowded classrooms and with limited supplies. Through community work and donations of cash and supplies, we at Africa Dream Safaris hope to provide the fundamental resources to ensure that each student has the tools and resources to develop to their full potential.

Many of our guests are extremely moved by their experience in Africa, not only by the beautiful natural resources but also the graciousness of the culture. Generally speaking Tanzanian people are bright, eager to learn and inherently happy, even in circumstances of extreme poverty. A consistently reoccurring question from returning clients is how to “give back” and make a tangible difference in the lives of real Tanzanian people. Herein lies just such an opportunity, and we invite you to participate if you feel called to do so as Poli Village is still in dire need for adequate supplies to support their school. Some items you may wish to consider bringing with you to Africa include pens, crayons, exercise books, composition/spiral books, small back packs, coloring books, colored markers, chalk, chalk board, age appropriate novels, and rulers.

If you bring school supplies with you, we recommend distributing them among your regular clothes and luggage to reduce the change of being asked by Customs to pay duty. Alternatively you may wish to donate towards the purchase of curriculum specific materials or classroom items such an overhead projector. You can rest assured that Africa Dream Safaris takes great care in making sure your gift is put directly to work right here in the village. Regardless, please see below for a description of our Poli Village excursion, which can be conducted with an Arusha layover or on the last day of your safari if departing on the late night KLM flight. ADS will donate $30 per person directly to the Poli Village primary school for every guest conducting the Poli village tour described below.

Available only to Africa Dream Safaris clients, our Poli Village excursion takes you to a traditional village in Arusha. For guests who wish to visit a non-touristy village and learn more about the culture and life of most Tanzanians, this 2-hour excursion to the nearby village of Poli will be a highlight of your trip.

Located at an altitude of 3,900 feet above sea-level, Poli boasts beautiful views that would be the envy of many resort properties. Curious giggling children will welcome you as will the Chairman or Mayor of the village. You might meet at the site of the village council “office” – a shady area underneath a large century old tree – that has been the traditional village office for countless years. The Mayor will share how a village of this size is managed along with the day-to-day issues and challenges such as water, electric and medical supplies. Site visits will include the primary school, clinic, courthouse and the village offices. This tour is usually a highlight for clients seeking cultural interactions and insight into the life of most Tanzanians.

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Peace House Orphanage

By 2010, an estimated 20 million children under the age of 15 will have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Without parents to support them, many children are often forced to abandon school. Without an education, orphans face a bleak future with little hope. A survey of over 400 households with orphans in Tanzania reported that almost 40% could not cover even basic expenses. The most common difficulty was covering school fees, including those for materials and uniforms. Africa Dream Safaris is proud to be a major sponsor of the Peace House, a charitable organization that was founded to help AIDS orphans in Arusha, Tanzania. Monthly donations by Africa Dream Safaris help the Peace House provide vulnerable children with the opportunity to receive a quality education in a nurturing environment. Financial support by African Dream Safaris focuses on the Peace House School, which is a unique boarding school for over 240 AIDS orphans. Peace House is a U.S. based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In the spirit of giving hope, Peace House is creating a brighter future for Africa’s orphans, vulnerable children and their communities through nurturing care, dynamic education, technology research and business development. The Peace House Boarding School for Aids orphans was opened in 2007 and is located on land donated by the government of Tanzania. Courses and activities at the Peace House School will include a focus on creative problem solving and entrepreneurial business development skills. A key goal is for Peace House School graduates is to become job creators – young people who can build a sustainable future for Tanzania. Many of our guests are extremely moved by their experience in Africa, not only by the beautiful natural resources but also the graciousness of the culture. Generally speaking Tanzanian people are bright, eager to learn and inherently happy, even in circumstances of extreme poverty. A consistently reoccurring question from returning clients is how to “give back” and make a tangible difference in the lives of real Tanzanian people. Herein lies just such an opportunity, and we invite you to participate if you feel called to do so as the Peace House is still in dire need for adequate supplies to support their school. Please see the Peace House’s wish list below. If you bring supplies with you, we recommend distributing them among your regular clothes and luggage to reduce the change of being asked by Customs to pay duty. Alternatively you may wish to donate towards the purchase of curriculum specific materials or classroom items such an overhead projector. You can rest assured that Africa Dream Safaris takes great care in making sure your gift is put directly to work. Guests travelling with Africa Dream Safaris are welcome to tour the facilities at Peace House. This excursion can be conducted with an Arusha layover or on the last day of your safari if departing on the late night KLM flight.

Peace House Wish List:

  • Academics
  • Notebooks
  • Pens
  • Overhead projector
  • Ruler
  • Novels (Age appropriate (pre-teen) / topic appropriate)
  • Back packs
  • Colored pencils
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Foundation for African Medicine & Education

Tanzania is among the 50 poorest countries in the world. Poverty at this level means little or no access to reliable diagnostic and medical care, particularly in rural areas. High child and maternal mortality rates plague the country. An estimated 1 out of 9 Tanzanian children die before their 5th birthday. Sadly their deaths are often the result of preventable or treatable diseases, including malaria, diarrheal disease, acute respiratory infections, low-birth weight and AIDS.

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