The Upendo Orphanage Project
According to UNICEF statistics, there are nearly 2.5 million orphans in Tanzania. Almost half of them have been orphaned because their parents have died as a result of AIDS.These children’s lives loses their stability as they are shunted from one relative to another. In the worst cases, finally end up living on the streets. They live as outcasts, shunned by many, struggling to get enough to eat.
GAiN Canada staff met Mrs. Hingi during a trip to Tanzania. Mrs. Rose Hingi is a Christian who had taken in 16 children and offered them what little she had, calling her loving sanctuary “Upendo Orphanage” (Love Orphanage). She has the moral support of her small church and so the children have not only shelter, but also family, stability and spiritual foundations.
When Mrs. Hingi heard that she and the children were to be evicted she prayed for God’s help. She sees meeting GAiN Canada staff as an answer to her prayers. We were able to help her and the children move into a different rental house with electricity and purchased beds and mosquito netting for them. They now have access across the street to one of the first water wells drilled by the new GAiN Tanzania drill rig team.
Ayubu Madembwe is 8 years old. Both of his parents died when he was very young, and his older sister looked after him. Within a few years, however, she also died, and local government officers brought him to Upendo. Now he has a large “family” of people to love and guide him, and he looks forward to a better future.
Now there are tremendous opportunities for future development at Upendo, not only for Ayubu and the other children, aged 3-16, but for others, as well who still need a place to call home. A big part of that future depends on an education. In Tanzania, if a child has no education, he has next to no prospects for finding secure work. School is free to attend, but the required uniform and school supplies are not free. Imagine…the cost of just $80 per child per year means the difference between attending school and having a future, and being excluded from school and ultimately, self-sufficiency.
We are looking for partners who will help us monthly to meet the children’s needs - shelter, food, clothing, education and medical care. Your gift of $50 or more will make a difference in these children’s lives. Please consider joining us in helping Mrs. Hingi grow a future for needy children in Tanzania!
