Gifts of Education for the Holidays

This holiday season, you're likely being pulled in many directions for your holiday shopping.  I get several emails a day about how I should shop this year - all worthy causes, such as Seva.org, Kiva.org, Heiffer.org, Amnesty International, and many others.  So why would you even consider Project Wezesha as your option this year?  Well ....

For better or worse, we're a very small organization with one important project on the table and over a dozen wonderful children in our scholarship program.  Because we are so small, all of your donations go to one of three possible places - the building of Amahoro Secondary School, the school fees of our 12 rock star students and the salary of our co-founder, Lucas Lameck - which is small by our standards but life-changing for this amazing young man.  Lucas is currently using half of his salary to attain his own high school diploma with the hopes of one day going to university, which will only enhance his capacity to work on improving access to education for children in this region.

Here's another amazing reason.  Yesterday, while I was sitting in a NonProfit Academy workshop on High Impact Philanthropy, I received a text from Tanzania.  It's the first text I've ever received from anyone there (Lucas and I usually email or skype).  Here's what the email read (word for word/letter for letter):

My name is Dibeith. How are You and your fine that we have very happy because we can pass an exams. me and saidi. can help me to get the communicate you for now Thank You.

Dibeit and Saidi - Two of the brightest!

Backstory - That was Dibeit and Saidi (see pictures), writing from their village to tell me they passed their primary school exit exams!  Primary school is taught in Swahili, with limited English instruction. Then, the medium of language for most classes in secondary school is English.  You can imagine how challenging this makes learning in secondary school - and hopefully you can better appreciate the English in the above text. With the passing of these exams, Dibeit and Saidi will be joining our scholarship program, as I told them they could if they passed. 

Dibeit and Saidi are two of the first children I came to know in 2008, along with Hindu and a handful of others in Kiganza village.  Of course, when I got this text I cried in public and shared the news with the others in the workshop.  I am so happy for these boys!!  Click here to read a blog post with more about the Kiganza kids.


Dibeit and Saidi - Posing Pensive



There are two ways to give this holiday season. 

1)  You can make a charitable contribution in the name of a friend or family member.  You choose how much you donate (no less than $5 per person) and we will send you Gift of Education postcards with pictures and information about Project Wezesha and the impact of this gift.  You can enlose these postcards in the holiday cards you send out - Hannukah, Kwanza, New Year's, Boxing Day or just because it's that time of year.

2)  You can purchase a desk or wall calendar for 2011.  The calendars have pictures of the students, the community and the building project.  Desk calendars are $13 each ($10 goes to PW) and wall calendars are $20 each ($13 goes to PW).

Please consider helping us move towards our 2011 fundraising goal of $20,000 by August!  With these funds, we will be able to complete over half of the 16 classrooms for the school, invite three more students to our program and ensure that exit exam fees for our first group of students are paid in November.

Please click here to donate.  Then contact Rai Farrelly at railiz@yahoo.com with a mailing address for the Gift of Education postcards and/or calendars.

Asante Sana and Happy Holidays!