The First Round of Support
Last summer in Dar es Salaam, Fr. Gaudence told me the Centre's outside funding had dried up. What they needed most was a new tractor. But a tractor is one large purchase dependent on grants, so in order to make headway, we identified needs we could meet sooner. We settled on three things the children needed most: wheelchairs, walking frames, and standing frames. The Centre already had some of this equipment, but not enough, and what they did have was old, worn out, and borderline useless. The shortage strained their daily work and limited any hope of taking on more children.
A quick aside. While applying for grants to fund the tractor, one foundation invited us to submit a full application, which required endorsement letters from the Archbishop of Dodoma and a Capuchin Superior in Tanzania. The Archbishop wrote his without hesitation. The Superior, however, took his time, and the day before the deadline we learned why: his own community had applied for the same grant. He declined to write the letter, but instead gave us a tractor. He knew of a recently closed farm with an idle one, and had it sent to Mlali.
With the tractor out of the way, we turned to the other needs. In early July, Fr. Gaudence received a first wire transfer, and in due course purchased nine walking frames, nine standing frames, and nineteen wheelchairs. On July 14th he sent photos and videos of the equipment arriving at the Centre, as well as a thank-you video (see below). While talking about the first transfer, he mentioned he'd been able to buy diapers (and lots of them) for the first time in a decade. Never in my life had I thought of diapers as a luxury item. Nor had I noticed, while in Mlali, that they didn't have any. The Centre cares for 75-plus children under the age of 10, so it's not hard to imagine why they've been useful.
Fr. Gaudence records a thank-you video for donors.
We also funded three months of Child Sponsorship. The Centre often takes in children whose families cannot afford treatment, and after decades of doing so, Fr. Gaudence has no way to know how much has gone unpaid. The program has donors cover the cost (around $76 a month per child), so that the Centre no longer foots the bill.
More recently, I sent a second round of funding toward a new solar hot water system. The old one was installed 20 years ago and recently failed, leaving the Centre without hot water. Until the new system is in, workers boil water in the kitchen and carry it across to the dormitories to bathe the children and themselves. We expect updates in the coming weeks.
In response to this support, Fr. Gaudence wrote a personal note to donors. Here’s what he had to say:
Our center offers service to children who are physically disabled, either from birth or who happen to be so after birth for a reason or another. Most of these children belong to low-income families with very little possibility to pay for rehabilitation services offered in our Governmental & Privately sponsored hospitals. With the donations received, we have been able to purchase new WHEEL-CHAIRS, STANDING as well as WALKING FRAMES. These newly bought SUPPORT INSTRUMENTS have replaced the old ones that were both worn-out as well as insufficient in number. Indeed, they did not match with the current number of children receiving our services.
This support has reached us at a time when we were really at a standstill. We SINCERE EXTEND OUR THANKS AND GRATITUDES TO ALL MEN & WOMEN OF GOOD WILL WHO HAVE SO GREATLY & GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED US.
MAY GOD BLESS & REWARD EACH ONE OF THEM.
Fraternally: Fr. Gaudence Aikaruwa Shayo, OFM Cap
(Director: Mlali Rehab. Centre for Children)
While the smaller needs have been met, our work isn't done. The Centre recently finished building a clinic. Years ago a US donor funded the structure, with talk of more once it was up. It's built now, but that donor hasn't been able to proceed. The building already operates as a pharmacy, and as a dental clinic when Italian volunteers are on hand, but there's room for general care and, most of all, a maternity ward. Unsafe childbirth is one of the biggest problems in the villages around Mlali, and Fr. Gaudence wants to fix it. Encouraged by the support so far, we're turning to the clinic project next, in hopes of extending the care Mlali provides far past its physical bounds. Though we are still working out the logistics, I've made a page for it where I'll post information and updates as we get them.
Until then, the most useful thing anyone can do is sponsor a child. $76 a month fully covers one child's cost of care and takes that financial weight off the Centre. Most importantly, it saves families from feeling like a burden for seeking life-changing care for their child. To learn more and read the bios of children who need support, visit our Sponsor a Child page.
With sincere gratitude,
Ben Rainford
Photo Gallery: The New Equipment
