It is no secret that many of the Amani children are disciplined, competitive athletes, especially when it comes to football (soccer), acrobatics, and African drumming and dance. Five Amani children have applied their passion for excellence to a new sport and in so doing, have found themselves at a new level of competition.

When competitive rope skipper Michael Fry visited Amani in November 2009, he introduced the children to the possibilities of a jump rope. Michael’s ability to do complex jumps and stunts intrigued many of the kids and for weeks after Michael’s visit, the children were often found jumping rope in the backyard. Five boys took it more seriously and, when the other kids had lost interest, Dastan, Zawadi, Joseph, Issa and Emanuel continued to practice. They helped one another learn different techniques and would not quit until each had been mastered.

In June a local competition was held and, after several days of jumping rope for up to eight hours a day, the five Amani boys earned the opportunity to compete in the First Annual East Africa Jump Rope Competition, sponsored by Michael’s nonprofit, One World One Rope, in Mombasa, Kenya. On July 1, the boys, along with Social Worker Isaac Rubirya, arrived in Mombasa, along with rope skippers from across Tanzania and Kenya. Doing handstands and push-ups while they jumped, exhibiting complex “Double Dutch” stunts, and competing for speed, the Amani boys brought home nine medals, including two gold. Zawadi was weighted down by the four medals he alone earned, tying for first place in the overall competition.

Dastan, Zawadi, Joseph, Issa and Emanuel continue to practice diligently every day. They are preparing for Michael Fry’s return in January and look forward to competing again – but now, their eyes are on the World Rope Skipping Championships in 2014…

Read about some of the other athletic opportunities available to the Amani children.

Late on any given afternoon, you will hear several of the younger Amani children squealing and laughing as they run as fast as they can around the building and across the backyard. Simultaneously you will hear the stride of Petro, chasing after the children in a game of tag. Petro is Amani’s groundskeeper, farmer, and gatekeeper, and nearly everyone who has visited Amani since 2003 has been greeted by his big, bright smile.

With boundless energy, Petro spends much of his day dashing between the Amani gate and the backyard as he accomplishes one task after another: welcoming visitors and staff, mowing the lawn, watering the shrubs and flowers, and indulging the children when they beg him to play. An avid runner in his personal life too, Petro runs the Kilimanjaro Marathon every spring.

Petro has been working at Amani since 2003 and is always ready to chip in where needed. When baboons stole corn from the Amani farm last year, he set up a cot in the field and spent four months sleeping there to protect the corn – without even mentioning it to his coworkers at Amani! If he sees a child who needs a friend, he’ll become that friend, and often stays an hour or two late in the evenings to have more time with the children. For his consistent efforts to go above and beyond, Petro has won “Staff Member of the Month” award twice.

Petro says, “When I talk with the kids, I remind them that Amani is the bridge that can reconnect them with their family. I try to teach them to be patient and respectful, to not use offensive language or engage in fighting, and to learn about God.”

Petro nurtures friendships the same way he nurtures plants – by caring deeply, being thoughtful and kind, and generously investing time and energy. And in his presence, the Amani children bloom.

You can help the Amani kids blossom too! Click here to make a donation in honor of Petro and other Amani caregivers like him.

We are pleased to announce an exciting change at Amani. As Amani continues to grow, we are expanding the role of Friends of Amani U.S. and declaring our independence. We thank Peace House Africa for their significant support through the years, generously processing our U.S. contributions. From now on, FOA US will be handling all of our donations in the States.

Future mail correspondence should be sent to:
Friends of Amani U.S.
P.O. Box 1781
Burnsville, MN 55337

To make a gift in support of Amani’s work, please visit http://amanikids.org/donate.

Friends of Amani U.S. is a nonprofit 501©3 entity registered with the IRS, so the tax-deductibility of your gift remains. Any questions about gift processing or monthly sponsorships in the U.S. can be directed to Diane Morrison at: diane@amanikids.org.

We are proud to now be able to stand on our own and we invite you to join us as we enthusiastically envision our future. If you would like information about Friends of Amani U.S. and how you might get involved, please contact Diane at the email address above. With your help, Friends of Amani U.S. will grow to enable Amani to continue meeting the needs of Tanzania’s orphaned and homeless children and provide them with futures filled with hope and possibilities.

Brothers Bahati, 10 years old, and Pius, 9, came to Amani in a circuitous way. Their mother died when they were very young. Their father, who suffers from mental illness, couldn’t care for both sons on his own so, while Bahati remained with their father, Pius was sent to live with an aunt and her husband in Arusha. Just a few months later, their aunt died as well and her husband decided to return to his home in Uganda, leaving Pius with no one to care for him. Pius ended up on the streets of Arusha.

Bahati’s situation was not much better. Even with the help of Bahati’s grandmother, their father was unable to adequately care for his oldest son. Finally, Bahati left home, deciding to try to meet up with his younger brother in Arusha. Once reunited, the boys managed to make their way to Dar-es-Salaam hoping to connect with another aunt they knew who lived there. They searched in vain for family in Dar, finally giving up and returning to Arusha; their plan was to continue to look for relatives who could take them in.

John Mbati, one of Amani’s social workers, met the boys on their first night back in Arusha. Because the brothers are younger than many of the homeless children he meets, John went to work immediately to rescue them and bring them to Amani, where they would be safe and protected.

When Pius and Bahati first arrived at Amani, both were withdrawn, anxious and emotional. Pius, especially, cried easily and frequently at the least upset or provocation. They stayed away from the other children and were reluctant to leave one another’s side.

It has been more than two months now since the brothers arrived at Amani and they are slowly adjusting. While both boys remain on the shy side, Pius smiles as easily now as he once cried and Bahati is becoming more outgoing and cheerful. They enjoy playing soccer and can be found most afternoons on the swings. They are getting settled in the Starters classroom and making friends.

Amani’s Social Work Department is looking for relatives with whom the young brothers can live. To date, they have not identified a relative who can offer the boys a stable and caring home but continue to search. For now, Pius and Bahati have found a safe, loving home at Amani and day by day become stronger and braver.

To help Pius, Bahati, and more children like them, please donate today.

It is easier than you think to rescue orphans and homeless children. For as little as ₤6/$9 a month you can help Amani rescue street children, giving them a safe place to live, nutritious food, clothing, medicines and the chance to go to school. Learn how you can become a superhero to vulnerable children as an Amani Helping Hand monthly sponsor. No cape required!

Ask youngsters to think of ways to make a little money and they will invariably come up with a list of minor household tasks they can ask Mom and Dad to pay them to do. In West Chester, Pennsylvania (U.S.), Lois Lynch’s Sunday School kids are no different. When Lois’s daughter Danielle returned home after volunteering at Amani for six months, Lois invited Danielle to tell all of Calvary Lutheran Church’s Sunday School classes about her experience. Danielle did so and then invited the rapt audience to find ways to raise money; chores were at the top of their lists.

The young fundraisers decided to focus on supporting secondary school education for the Amani kids. As contributions took off, the children challenged the rest of the congregation to participate. Colorful bulletin boards, decorated with cut-outs of textbooks, book bags, and math kits, tracked both the children’s and the adults’ fund raising progress.

The campaign got a boost when the church’s Global Vision Committee talked to the congregation about the Amani children. Calvary Lutheran Church also had a “Bold” campaign and matched donations; the tithe from their parking lot campaign was added in as well. When all was said-and-done, the Amani Secondary School Fund Raiser brought in $8,000, which will pay the school fees for twenty children to go to secondary school for an entire year.

Lois Lynch believes that a couple of things made the project successful. “The bulletin boards made people stop and ask about what we were doing. The other was that, as a committee, we believed in the project and tried to educate the congregation about Amani – time and passion were involved.” Lois feels inspired by the work Amani does with orphans and homeless children. She said, “If they are to change the cycle of poverty, the children need an education. Amani makes a difference in the lives of these kids.”

Interested in connecting your school or church with Amani? Read more here.

Do you enjoy staying connected to friends and family on Facebook? Did you enjoy reading right here about what’s going on at Amani? Have the best of both worlds by becoming a Facebook Friend of Amani! You can keep up with all of the terrific things happening with the Amani kids when you find us on Facebook.