I just got back from the bank, where I wired over $4,000 to the Kabanga School.  It took a lot of time to raise that money (and thanks to all of you who helped), and I wanted to share with you a bit about how we did it, and exactly what it will be used for in Tanzania.

First, we only have a handful of supporters who have written us checks for over $100.  That means that the bulk of the money comes from the sale of small handcrafted items and in $25 and $50 increments: mostly from family, friends and students.   We’ve had barbecue dinners, backyard concerts, bake sales and holiday craft sales.  Each of these events required many volunteer hours from my family and friends: baking,  cooking, hosting, hauling and cleaning up.  We’ve talked to thousands of people, written hundreds of letters and sent uncounted emails.   I’ve developed a passion for making earrings; and again, my friends are my best customers!  I have also started writing grants, but for now, we are raising each dollar one at a time.

So, where does it go?  Well, the Kabanga School has given us a list of priorities, and we purchased a computer for them last August, and then furniture for the dining hall.  The $4,000 I just sent is to cover three things: a poultry project; a washing stand and a sewing project.  Currently, over 250 people use one wash stand with two spigots to do all of the laundry, personal hygiene, food preparation and cleaning.  The new wash stand will have six stations and a roof to protect the people with albinism from the sun.

There are approximately a dozen mothers living at the school, and about half of them have albinism.  They are living at Kabanga because they fear for their lives or because their family has rejected them for having a child with albinism.  They have nothing to do all day, and have asked for some kind of vocational training.  We are working with the Red Cross to build a poultry project at the school, so that the moms can have an income from eggs and meat.  We also are paying for the supplies for a sewing project.  One of the mothers is an accomplished tailor, and she will train the others to make clothing and other items to sell in the village.  Not only will this provide them with a small income, a measure of independence and empowerment – but it will begin to create a positive relationship between the villagers and the school.

All of this will take time, and we hope to see some of it in place when we travel to Kabanga in June.  I look forward to posting updates and pictures soon.  Our next fundraiser in another concert on May 19th (limited tickets available soon!), and that money will be used to purchase books and school supplies for the school.  We hope to build a small library while we are there in June.  Saying ‘thank you’ to everyone for all of the incredible support isn’t adequate to convey our deep appreciation, but hopefully the photos and stories will show how much it means to us and to the people of Kabanga.