you know you wanna...

so the most pressing issue coming back from moshi, has been working on getting the rest of the kids at wisdom childrens center sponsored. there are 140 kids involved in the program and as it sits, there are about 47 with sponsors.

sponsorship is $35/month. this provides 1 meal a day, clothing, school supplies and helps with school costs. while school is technically free in tanzania, there are a lot of hidden costs associated, such as uniforms and supplies. team that with the fact that the older the child, the higher the associated costs. a typical school year can cost around $400 USD. the minimum wage in tanzania is $100/month, but keep in mind the vast majority of families there are WELL below minimum wage. in families that have more than one child, or are being raised by a family memeber, it's almost impossible to survive. every child involved in the program is either being raised by a single parent, aunt or uncle or grandparent.

this is probably the best case senario in terms of child sponsorship. while compassion and worldvision are great organizations, it's hard not to feel a bit of disconnect since it's so vast. we send groups at very least twice a year. this year alone, we'll send 4 groups. we get to know your child and sometimes their families. we visit some of their homes. i know the people who run the organization. i have complete confidence that all $35 goes to the child at their needs.

if you are interested in helping a child and making an impact on the future of tanzania, feel free to email me at mills.abbie@gmail.com for more information.

oh man!

well, i know it's been like eleventy-bajillion years since i've updated this, so here we go.

i'm now back in idaho...for the time being anyway. it's been a busy few weeks since returning from africa. i knew i'd have culture shock, so i was prepared, but it kind of came in waves. just as i thought i was doing pretty well, it'd hit again. God is so faithful though. right now, the main thing i'm praying about is what should my next step be. i might move back to seattle...or i might stay put for a bit. above all, i just want to be where God wants me. my prayer is that i will be able to get a job with a fairly low commitment level. i'd like to have the time to work on fundraising again and plan another trip back to tanzania to keep working on things on that side, as soon as possible. so, if you think about it, please pray for God's undeniable voice in all of this.

i've been slowly sorting through literally thousands of photos from the trip, so i'll get stuff posted in time. here is one to get you going though...just click on the photo and it should open to a full view. if not, leave me a comment and i'll fix it for you.