When I asked the 13 year-old Nianjema student what he wanted to do when he grew up, there was no hesitation. "I am going to the university and I will become a businessman." He went on to explain how he would get his degree and come back to this village to start and run some type of business. His response, and the enthusiasm that went with it, was the same type of response I recieved from all the students I talked with - boys and girls alike.
While this might seem normal to you and I - in the village of Bagamoyo, Tanzania, this is a miracle. In a place that modern life has forgotten, the women still get all their daily water from wells, the vast majority of houses are made of sticks and mud, and only about 20% have electricity. The infant mortaility rate is extremely high. The average life span is under 40. This is not a small village - there are almost 30,000 people living on the knife edge between survival and death.
Yet, in this town my cousin, Charlie Sloan of Vienna, Virginia, has made his home, built a middle school and high school, and provides hope to a 250 boys and girls.
While the school has made enormous progress since it started in 2000, it is very fragile. Each year, it relies on the generous donations of $50,000 - $60,000 raised in the US to ensure that ends meet.
My goal over the next 5 years is to create a $1 million permanent endowment fund for the school that will create a guaranteed stream of money from year to year to help meet its operational requirements. Each year my goal is to attempt to climb a "really big mountain" and participate in an Ironman triathlon to help raise awareness and money for this cause. Every penny donated will go to the endowment fund (no hidden fundraising costs!) as I will be covering the cost of all my efforts.
The story of the school is amazing and you can read more about it at: www.tanzaniaeducation.org.
Please make a small (or large) donation to the Nianjema Endowment Fund. The best way to do this and to ensure that every penny goes to the school is to write a check. I looked at setting up an online account... and the costs (credit card fees + service fee) simply did not make sense.
Make checks to "Tanzania Education, Inc." and send them to:
Endowment Fund, Tanzania Education Inc., 107 Pleasant Street, N.W., Vienna, VA 22180, a 501 (c) (3) organization. You will receive a confirmation of your donation for tax purposes.
Thank you!!
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