St. Lucia Orphanage

Hello family and friends,

In Tanzania there are many places that need help, as with everywhere in the world. There are over 20 orphanages just in Arusha (the city I am living in), hospitals without the resources they need, and people starving on the street. These are all things that I witness everyday here, but nothing has touched me like St. Lucia Orphanage. St. Lucia Orphanage is an orphanage about 15 kilometers outside of Arusha with 20 children, 18 of which are HIV positive. There are six amazing fulltime staff who cook, clean, care for the children, and most imporantly love the children. This orphanage does not have resources. I have visited three orphanages, and this orphanage just did not have the funding the others did. It is not religiously affiliated and not linked to any Western countries and thus does not receive funding that a lot of its neighboring orphanages receive. There is no running water and all the water they do get has to be boiled in order to be used. There are three towels, two spoons as silverware, limited pots and pans, no toys, no sandles, no backpacks, limited cleaning supplies, one chair for the six staff, no car in case of emergency and ripped up mosquito nets. There are so many other little things that we as privileged people have and do not appreciate that could change the quality of life of these orphans. The 18 HIV positive orphans are in good hands with the trained staff at the orphanage. The lead social worker, Allen, receives medication for all the children from the government and expertly gives them their medication exactly when they need it. Most children with HIV are in a home where the parents do not understand the importance of modern medicine and the importance of following the protocol of treatment. Many children here die before 18 with their untrained parents who often prize alternative medicine over modern (religious or spiritual) Western medicine. I am a full believer that positive energy from the community can help people, but the only way for a child to have a chance with HIV is proper medication and a balanced diet. Allen is trained by doctors on the subject of HIV and in the ten years the orphanage has run, no orphans have died. Some orphans are in their mid-20's and are still doing great and have careers. Most of the children came into the orphanage in critical condition and are now recovering or recovered. There is one little girl that stole my heart the moment I saw her. Amanda, a 7 year old who is HIV positive, is recovering from tuberculosis and has a few respiratory diseases that the hospitals have not been able to treat. Part of her right leg, part of her right hand, and the left side of her face is paralyzed. The kicker: she is always happy. Despite not being able to talk, she is always smiling and having a great time with the other kids. The other kids know that she has problems and they are always trying to help her out by including her in games, bringing her her food, and helping her walk from one place to the other. Whenever the children are playing fast-paced aggressive games, they always take special care to not hurt Amanda. These children are just so thankful for everyday and so understanding of each other's problems. Upon witnessing their conditions I knew I had to at least try and fundraise money for this orphanage. It started as an idea that I  should just go to the store and buy a few small things for them, but then I felt I could turn this into a meaningful gift that would actually impact their entire lives. The children have to share everything because of the limited resources and this is extremely dangerous for HIV. The two children without HIV share everything with the children which greatly heightens their risk of contracting HIV. Additionally, sharing towels and cutlery mixed with limited cleaning supplies means that if one orphan gets sick, many others will most likely get sick too. I would greatly appreciate it if you could donate even five dollars to these orphans, seeing change in their lives would bring me more satisfaction than anything I have done. With the money fundraised I plan on getting things that the owner of the orphanage and I deem most valuable for the orphanage. They have provided a list of items and I have combined  that list with a personal list I made. Many items are so cheap that even a small donation would make a huge difference. Twenty dollars could  provide cleaning supplies for about six months. I will personally be shopping for the items to ensure that I stretch the dollar as much as  possible and that all the money goes to the right place. I will shop with a local to ensure I get the best prices and do not get the white person prices. 97 percent of your money donated will go directly to the orphans as this website asks for 3 percent. If you would prefer to write a check or give money to me at a later time that would be perfectly fine as we could escape the fee! If you have any questions feel free to email me at [email protected] or just Facebook message me. With the supplies these children have right now they can still live a happy life, just because of their great attitudes and lovely staff. By donating money though you can prolong their precious lives and bring a new joy to their lives that will last forever. On their wall they have a poster on the wall with the caption, "Let us grow up." Please, help these children, and give them a better chance of growing up. I thank you in advance for your donation.

 

Here is a list of the items I would like to buy (in no specific order):  

Collection of Rain water through Garters

Paint for the house

School bags

Computer Desktop for documentation

School shoes

Socks

Sandals

Cooking pots (Kitchen utensils, brushes, dusters, spoons, glasses for drinking water etc.) Multivitamins

Bed sheets

Mosquito Nets

Dishes for cleaning outside

Cleaning tools

Gardening tools

Educational Tapes

School Supplies (Pencil, pen, reading books)

Clothes

Toys

Seeds for Vegetables growing

Towels (~20)

Silverware

Basketball and Soccer ball

Chairs

Tape

Wipes for children

Napkins

DVD's