A few days ago I received a letter from Bryony Budd and Grace Burgess, 2 volunteers working at the Amani center. The letter was a report asking for donations to sponsor 4 children in need at the Amani center. If you're interested in sponsoring a child, please read below and contact the center at bakhitaj@hotmail.com. Mama Josephine Bakhita who has opted to look after these children due to their difficult circumstances, is retired with a pension, but does not have any other source of income. She continues to work voluntarily however full time at the Amani Centre for Disabled children, which she founded in 1992.
Here is the story of each child:
Joel Yona
Joel is a 3 year old boy who suffers from severs cerebral palsy and mild mental disability. His story is one of great sadness, and consequently he is a child who deserves so much more than he has ever received. Joel is a child of a Masai tribe, but unlike most Masai, his family was severely poverty stricken. Shockingly, the tradition in Masai tribes is to kill disabled children, through slaughter or abandonment. This abhorrent practice is illegal, but the tradition continues to this day. Thanks to the courage of Joel’s Christian father, who saw the immorality of such actions, Joel was spared. His parents took him to hospitals to see if their child could be cured, but on finding that his condition was permanent, his mother abandoned the family. Joel was then put into the care of his blind Grandmother, and lived in great poverty as his family only owned 2 cows, neither of which produced milk thus Joel had nothing to eat. In august 2010 Joel’s father sensed that he was close to death. He went to Amani Mvomero and the staff there referred his case to Amani headquarters, Morogoro. Mama Bakhita visited the family and saw for herself the desperate conditions they were living in. She therefore decided to take the boy into her own home to care for him personally, knowing that without her intervention he would have died within weeks.
Joel requires a mature, devoted and committed care taker as he needs close attention day and night. Joel is entirely dependent on adult care as, due to his disabilities, he has the physical abilities of a 3 month old child. Since he is in poor health he needs also needs medication from time to time, regular feeding during the day and visits to the physiotherapy clinic at Amani, and the health clinic at hospital.
Therefore sponsorship is vital to ensure Joel can be supported by a carer able to devote themselves to his constant care.
Neema and Rose
Neema Marie and Rose Marie are disabled orphans found in the streets of Moshi Town In Kilimanjaro. Their exact names, ages or even their tribes remain unknown. It is thought Neema is around 7 and Rose 6 years old. In August 2009 they were taken in by nuns, however as the orphanage was for non-disabled children, they were unable to provide Neema and Rose with the care they required. As a consequence they were then brought by the nuns to the Amani Centre, seeking help for the two girls. However, due to their still tender age, Mama Bakhita felt that they required more constant support thus brought them into her home to care for them herself.
Neema’s disability is undiagnosed as of yet, she has no physical disability but suffers a mental disability and most likely ADHD. Neema also has a speech impediment due to a lack of early speech development. For Rose, her disability is physical and partially mental due to severe cerebral palsy. Both children suffer learning difficulties, heightened by the lack of attention and support in their early years.
Michael
Michael is a boy, who was living in the mountainous village Maskati with his single parent mother. He is deaf and cannot speak and as a result was not given any education before coming to the Amani Centre. After Mama Bakhita visited his parish church and spoke about the rights of the disabled to education, Michael became determined to benefit from an education at the Amani Centre. He persuaded his mother travel the long way to the centre with him so that he could meet Mama Bakhita. Having felt so inspired by her words, he requested that whilst here, he could live under her care. Since then, his mother has gained the courage to see that her son, despite his disability, is both valued and regarded by those at Amani. Therefore In her community, she no longer feels ashamed being the mother of a disabled child.
Justification for the sponsorship
The most important priority is the care of Joel as he is completely reliant on adult support . He requires very close attention 24 hours a day. Rose Maria is the next priority, who cannot manage herself well and is very dependent due to her severe cerebral palsy. Neema and Michael can simply be supported by the carer in their daily needs.
The cost of sponsoring these children is explained below, and is worked out according to the costs of education, healthcare, food and resources for hygiene of each child per month.
In English sterling In US dollars
If you're interested in making a donation or fully sponsoring a child:
Sponsorship per month in total=£129
Sponsorship per month in total= $206
Sponsorship per month per child=£32
Sponsorship US $ per month per child= $51
contact the center at bakhitaj@hotmail.com
contact the center at bakhitaj@hotmail.com
