The backyard garden is a common feature of most African households. This year, classes at Amani broke ground on their own garden plots as part of their primary school curriculum. The children will be learning about soil health, effective planting methods, and learning the signs of when to harvest a variety of vegetables by running their own gardens.

The children broke ground on fifteen small garden plots over the school holidays, which ended July 14th. The students planted spinach, Chinese cabbage, and beans as part of an experiential learning program. Amani teacher William Haule, who is coordinating the gardening project, hopes that this hands-on approach to agricultural science will give his students real world examples of the biological processes like photosynthesis that the children will be studying this year.

As anyone who has ever worked a garden before knows, growing food is a lot of work! Students in Haule’s class spend time each day after school caring for their plots.

The gardens will also supplement Amani’s own food needs. “It’s a very important learning experience for the children to sit down to a lunch they’ve helped grow,” says Haule. “In a few months the children will have the benefit of knowing they can feed themselves and their classmates.”

Amani Children’s Home relies on a global community of friends and supporters who make our work with homeless and orphaned children possible. This important group is made up of a wide variety of people from more than 15 countries. All of them are united in the belief that children deserve a healthy and happy childhood.

This month Amani extends its thanks to Dick and Karin Bergesen, who’ve been making a difference in the lives of the children at Amani for more than 4 years. Karin grew up in Sweden, where she studied physical therapy at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Dick is a graduate of Duke University in North Carolina, USA, and worked as an accountant in Sweden and the United States. They are currently both enjoying retirement at their home outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dick first learned about Amani in an article in the Duke University alumni magazine, where Director Valerie Todd also attended university. Dick emailed his fellow alum to learn more about Amani, and found out that she was preparing to embark on a fundraising trip to the US in the fall of 2005. Dick and Karin arranged for Valerie to speak at a fundraiser in their home, as well as make a presentation at their church service the following Sunday.

“As an accountant working with non-profits, I knew the value of a steady, reliable source of income for an organization. Expenses such as salaries and utilities come regularly every week, and the income to pay them should be regular also,” explained Dick about their decision to join the Helping Hands sponsorship program. Karin’s interest in child welfare extends beyond her work with her own children. “At Amani, we feel that we are helping children who are growing up in one of the poorest nations on earth, without the support of their parents. What worthier cause can there be than that?” Karin asks.

“The US dollar goes so far in Tanzania. For the price of a pair of tennis shoes in the United States, you can send a child to school for a year in Tanzania! It is very inspiring to read the histories of the children who live at Amani, and learn how much their lives have been changed for the better; that encourages me to continue giving.”

Hundreds of Tanzanian children will receive an education this year, eat three healthy meals a day, and sleep safely in a warm bed at night because of the support of our Helping Hand sponsors. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Helping Hand sponsor, visit www.amanikids.org/become-a-helping-hand.

As the Amani kids – and football fans around the world – eagerly wait for World Cup 2010 to be held in South Africa, they had the chance to play in the East African Cup, an annual youth football tournament for boys and girls from 12 to 16 years old.

The tournament brought together more than 50 teams from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania. Nine of the Amani children played in the East African Cup in June. This year’s competition was held a short distance from Amani Children’s Home in Moshi, Tanzania.

Amani caregiver and coach, Isaac Gamba, praised the Amani children for their effort on the field, which earned them a place in the quarter finals. “They did very well and showed great sportsmanship,” says Gamba. Their good behavior earned them a special award for fair play at the closing ceremonies.

The goal of the tournament is to combine sports with education. The Amani children attended seminars and workshops on HIV/AIDS, environmental awareness, life-skills, first aid, leadership training, gender equality, refereeing and coaching.

“The seminars really help the children to understand and utilize their talents, and also give them the opportunity to meet and interact with new kids in the community,” says Gamba.

If you are interested in learning more about the East Africa Cup, visit: www.eacup.org

Amani believes that the best place for a child to grow up is in a safe and loving family and not in an institution. Our Family Reunification program aims to reunify children into the homes of extended family members, giving them the chance to spend their childhood with an aunt, uncle, or grandparent.

The extended family can provide children with long-term personalized care and allows them to grow up within their own culture and traditions. Amani views family reunification as the most sustainable solution for the tragedy of child homelessness.

This month we sat down with Japhary Salum, Amani’s Social Work Coordinator, to learn more about Amani’s Family Reunification Program.

ACH: What are the main reasons that children run to the streets?
JS: Poverty remains one of the most common reasons children give for running away. We continually meet families unable to provide for their children’s basic needs. Many of the children have fled their homes in rural villages in search of work in the bigger cities of Arusha and Moshi.

Abuse and neglect are other major factors that drive children to the streets. These stem from an ignorance of children’s rights.

ACH: What makes for a successful family reunification?
JS: Many factors contribute to a successful reunification. In my experience a successful reunification has three primary requirements: 1) Comprehensive psychosocial support for the child 2) Adequate family support, meaning counseling for the family members, helping to shape their perceptions of what proper care is, as well as listening to their needs and seeking solutions to the challenges they face, and 3) a healthy dialogue between everyone involved – the child, his or her family, Amani, and the community.

ACH: What happens if the child has run to the streets because of physical or sexual abuse at home?
JS: Many parents in Tanzania aren’t aware of laws regarding a child’s rights. Each tribe has a different perception of a child’s role in society and their traditions affect how children are viewed. Our role is to identify safety issues in the family and to educate the family on proper care. If there’s any chance that the child will not be safe and protected in their family home, then they stay at Amani while the social workers make connections with other relatives.

Amani’s social workers meet regularly with village leaders who are tuned into daily issues in their communities. We also involve leadership at local churches and mosques. By involving the entire community we are creating a network of caregivers from the community to work together to create a safe and healthy environment for the child to grow up in.

ACH: If a child’s parents have died or can’t be located and you meet with extended relatives, what are their reactions to taking these children into their homes?
JS: If it happens that the child’s parents have died, moved away in search of work, or are not in a good position to provide a safe environment for the child, you must begin to look for other alternatives. Often the reaction from other family members is one of concern regarding the additional responsibilities involved in caring for the child. Many of them carry their own negative image of what a “street child” is like and worry about how the new child will affect their own children and their family status. We work to change perceptions about the child who has lived on the street, and to make them understand that the child deserves their sympathy and support. The family structure in Tanzania is strong and many families want to help, as long as they are able.

ACH: Do the children ever return to the streets or Amani after being reunified?
JS: After being reunified, some kids do run away from home and return to the street, or come back to Amani. This may because there is a problem in the family, or they are unsure whether their home or the streets or Amani is the best place to live. This is a challenge we continue to face. Regular follow-up visits with the family and proper counseling for both the child and the family help mitigate this problem.

ACH: What kind of assistance is given to the families?
JS: This depends on the opportunities available for a particular family. Amani gives food support to a number of families in which a shortage of food has been identified as the main obstacle for reunification. Amani also sponsors the education of many children living with relatives. The family receives counseling on various matters including rights and duties. We are currently exploring the possibility of providing small loans for families with income-generating project ideas.

Families also receive counseling before, during, and after a reunification is made. In Tanzanian culture, informal conversations build trust. It may take a long time to build a good relationship between Amani social workers and a prospective host family. Through this counseling we can give them advice on how to use available resources, provide them with information on loan opportunities, and identify which families require special counseling interventions.

Friends of Amani (FOA) is an international network of volunteers united in Amani’s mission. Here’s what’s on tap in the next couple of months:

FOA UK member Bruce Thew is hosting an Amani Children’s Home Golf Day on September 29th at Moor Park Golf Club in Hertfordshire. The day promises to be a lot of fun, with a gala dinner, a performance by the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and an appearance by Director Valerie Todd. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Amani. For more information, contact Helen@activenes.com.

FOA US Amani Children’s Home Raffle! 1st Prize is a VISIO 32" LCD HDTV. 2nd Prize is 4 Red Sox Tickets for Friday, August 28th – RED SOX vs. TORONTO. To get your raffle tickets, email skipm@friendsofamani.org.

FOA Canada Luncheon fundraiser at the National Club in Toronto on October 5th. Guest speaker: Valerie Todd.