Making a difference in Glory Orphanage

Volunteers and donors organize water and a new roof for Glory Orphanage

By: Tiina Heikkinen & Saara Kanula (Originally published on May 18, 2014)

Art in Tanzania volunteers have been dedicating a lot of their time and enthusiasm to further develop Glory, an orphanage in Dar es Salaam. The orphanage serves as a home to 9 children and as a day-time school for other children from the neighborhood. During the day, the volunteers have been teaching the children reading and writing using interactive games, songs and other exercises. During the past few months, the volunteers have also been giving their time towards gathering donations to renovate the orphanage.

Manuela and Patrick, volunteers from Germany put their effort towards building a new roof for the building where the bedrooms are located. Half of the roof was renovated earlier with the help of previous volunteers and now the other half has a new roof. Previously the building consisted of two separate areas that were connected with a roofless corridor. Now the corridor is covered, so the whole building has a roof and all parts can be accessed without getting wet when it rains! There were also holes in the bedroom walls which are now fixed and the bedrooms are now fitted with fans.

Manuela and Patrick gathered the donations for the Glory Orphanage from the Catholic Church of St. Peter & Paul, their church in Germany. Every year the church is fundraising for different purposes and this year they decided to help the kids in Glory Orphanage.

Perhaps the most incredible achievement, however, is the installation of a water pipeline to serve not only the orphanage but the whole community. Before the pipeline the orphanage was using rainwater or they bought water for a more expensive price. Now they will not only have fresh water all the time, but with every bucket they sell they will have a bucket for free for themselves. By selling the water they will also have money for food, medication and clothes. Also, the people living in the neighborhood can buy fresh water near by. The funding for the water pipeline came from Holland and Belgium. Suzanne Ter Haar (Art in Tanzania volunteer from Holland) and her parents have been very active in fundraising.

The main sponsor has been Lievesense CSO, a water pipeline company that Suzanne’s father works. Suzanne’s father gave a lecture for several other pipeline companies in Holland and Belgium and pitched the project Suzanne was starting to organize in Glory Orphanage. LSNed and Materials Consult also signed up to donate, and together with Lievesense CSO, they funded the whole project.

The opening ceremony for the water pipe line was on 1st of May. It was a success, and a lot of Ar in Tanzania volunteers and people from the neighborhood participated. The day was very sunny and cheerful, with lots of food (typical local rice dish, ‘pilau’) and soft drinks for the kids to enjoy. The day was filled with music, dance, and laughter.

An important part of donations to acknowledge
besides funds for building material are also school supplies, toys and clothes for the kids. Just before the opening ceremony for the water pipe line, Glory Orphanage received some donations from Holland. Suzanne Ter Haar’s friends were eager to donate all sorts of things and her parent’s brought them to Tanzania. Especially the toys were extremely welcomed and brought a smile to every child’s face.

Volunteers are also finding new ways to collect money for the orphanage. Two weeks ago they were throwing a party at the Dar es Salaam volunteer house to collect money for medical expenses for the kids in Glory Orphanage and other orphanages.

A valuable lesson to take away from this story is the fact that every bit counts. On behalf of Glory Orphanage, Art in Tanzania would like to say their thanks to all the donors and volunteers that contributed to the incredible improvements done over the past year. There are no words to describe how grateful the kids in the Glory Orphanage are for these acts of kindness.

Art in Tanzania is always looking for volunteers to help us continue to make a difference.

If you are interested to volunteer or make some donations, go to our website for more information: www.artintanzania.org