By Philippe Aladenise | President for Tareto Maa Austria
Last August, all supporting teams’ leaders from the USA, Germany and Austria met together with the Kenyan team at Tareto Maa. This was the moment to get to know each other better and to make great progress so we all leapt at this rare opportunity.
Highlights of the time we spent with the children
We were incredibly happy to meet with the children who seem to be doing really well. We were hoping to take them on a safari but the weather conditions did not allow it. Instead we went hiking on the nearest mountain called Pirrar. It took us two hours to reach the top before we could enjoy the amazing panoramic view.
Sigfrid, the treasurer of the German team organised an athletic event including running, jumping and throwing. It was great fun!
We brought lots of new games and some music instruments for the children.
We also managed to repair the seesaw on the playground.
In exchange for dancing the Macarena with the children (see the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Kyz86HPmc), we had raised money which we spent buying fruit baskets for the children. We also cooked Mexican food for everyone and provided fresh popcorn one evening with a movie in the new dining hall.
Many of the older children jumped in to assist the younger ones with the letters they were writing to their respective sponsors.
New road map with a stepwise approach
There were many points on our agenda so we shared the work whenever we could. For instance, 10 children were sent to the city of Kisii for medical check-up.
We also met with another NGO representative and agreed to stay in contact as we are both serving the same cause of eradicating FGM.
We had reserved the last days of our visit to discuss about the current projects and tasks and to agree on what the priorities are for the future.
One of the greatest challenges is the rapid growth of Tareto Maa since the project started five years ago. Given the circumstances, we have managed extraordinary well until now. Fighting FGM and forced marriages remains our priority. There are also young orphans who have found a new home at Tareto Maa.
We are confident that many people are willing to support Tareto Maa, once they know about it. It is essential to continue promoting the project to recruit more sponsors.
Also, it is clear that the team in Kenya is doing a wonderful job. Just think about Helen, Sarah and Lilian who cook every day breakfast, lunch and dinner for so many children! Pastor Daniel, Joel, Tonje, David and many others are all contributing to the well-being of the children and the success of Tareto Maa.
We gained a much better understanding for the many challenges they face on a daily basis. We look forward to find adequate solutions to strengthen their situation.
The neighbouring community is still very enthusiastic about Tareto Maa and people have reaffirmed their support to the project. The idea that Tareto Maa can generate one day its own resources and gradually gain more independence from the help from abroad is not too far-fetched. The training centre which we spoke about in our previous report will start very soon with the sewing school. We also plan a vegetable garden and an orchard soon after.
Thank you for helping us promoting Tareto Maa and for your generous support!
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