The police brought baby Marie to us four years ago. A nine-month-old baby, deathly malnourished with the body weight of a three-month-old, she was given a few days to live. There was no dad. The mom, dying of HIV AIDS had left her on the steps of the station. Majengo couldn’t take babies, but our cook Adhija did, even though she had four grandkids of her own at home, feeding Marie a bit of milk from a dropper every few hours through the night. By day, she brought her to Majengo. Marie survived and thrived. This coming January, four years after making Majengo her home, she starts English school at Mama Anna’s, along with her 86 brothers and sisters.
Adibu’s story was different. Two years ago at age eight, she saw her mom throw her baby sister into a river, and then run away. There was no dad or anyone to help. Fortunately, the local social worker brought her to Majengo, which saved her life.
Jimmy’s dad chopped his mom’s hands off with a machete when he found out she had HIV AIDS, brought by him into their home. His mama died. Jimmy came to Majengo.
Stories of indescribably horrific beginnings, each and every one of our 86 live-in children has one of their own, memories, buried deep into their psyche. But today, thanks to the generosity and support of hundreds of people like yourself, these children live side-by-side together, in their very own Majengo Children’s Home – a huge and tightly knit family, each one with the chance to grow into a healthy and contributing citizen of Tanzania.
Many of you know the story, because a large amount of the start-up costs were donated by folks in Creemore and Dunedin.
Majengo was born back in 2008, when The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) project coordinator, Charles Luoga, took me to visit 52 children – on a mud floor, jammed into the dismal, leaking lobby of someone’s home, a make-shift daycare, without furniture, resources – brought here by local farmers and their wives, cooking the only meal these kids would have that day. At night the children wandered from neighbour to neighbour, with no one to call their own, truly amongst the most vulnerable in Africa.
Charles found a half built house down the road; I went back to Dunedin, and with the help of family, friends and the many artists who attended my art retreat workshops, wired over $23,000. House built one year later, there was a big celebration as 27 kids and a local staff of 12 moved in. By that time, Matt McKissock, from Warren, Pennsylvania had become our US partner, funding the operating costs of Majengo. We were on our way.
Three years later, the local government shut down orphanages setup as businesses along the safari route to lure in tourists, with donations sliding into pockets of corrupt directors. In two days, 67 more kids were delivered to Majengo – sick, starving and frightened for their lives. These children were eating leaves from the trees and garbage off the roadside.
We went into high-gear rescue mode. Thanks to our staff, and volunteers, we managed to merge these new kids into one huge family – the older helping the younger, with regular medical check-ups, three meals a day and English education sponsored for all 86 children by generous donors, mostly from Creemore and Toronto.
In 2012, Majengo Canada and Warren Majengo Foundation became Canadian and US registered charities, with tax receipt ability, the budget soaring from $50,000 to $250,000 annually – a huge chunk of that directed towards basic needs, local staffing and education.
In 2013, the government gave us 10 acres of rural land in the shadow of the beautiful Rift Valley. Thanks to our donors, we built our own facility, moving 86 children into three new houses, a dining hall for 100, kitchen, toilets, showers, a pre-school we run for the community, a soccer field and playground. The Majengo Children’s home is officially owned by the local government, managed by ICA Tanzania and supported financially, physically and emotionally, by Majengo Canada and Warren Majengo Foundation.
In nine years, we have come a long way!
Hens, goats and puppies abound. Each day, the kids trek three miles to and from Mama Anna’s school… showers, homework, soccer, dinner and bed, still without electricity – the batteries for our soon-to-be-installed solar system are expected in January.
The well, drilled by hand, a huge wheel with eight men pushing round and round, the drill spiraling down 40 metres – salty water! Still working on it. Thanks again to you!
With children ranging from age three to 17, transition time for many: through primary, secondary/high school/university for some, trade school for others: electrical, plumbing, sewing, gardening, carpentry… Many will be leaving over the next few years – we’ve just started researching how we can help them.
In February, Majengo Canada hired long-time volunteer Simone Lee Hamilton to work with me on the Majengo Charity; fundraising, budgets, outreach, organizing self-paying volunteers.
Majengo is a hands-on operation, started locally, in Creemore and Dunedin.
We invite you to join us as we move into our ninth great year, focusing on such issues as education, transitioning, trade/skills, health and safety, finances and fundraising, volunteers, management, facility and maintenance, to mention a few.
To celebrate Majengo please join us on Sunday, Dec. 20, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the River House in Dunedin, 8967 County Road 9, with great people, food, music and stories from the ground.
Donations can by made online at www.majengo.org or by email to lynnconnell@sympatico.ca.
Every dollar counts.
Thanks to The Echo, Dunedin and Creemore for such great ongoing support.
Lynn Connell runs the Dunedin Art Retreat.