Dear friends, you who look through your heart!

In January 2011 my friend Željka and I spent our annual leave in Tanzania. Upon returning to Croatia we could not disregard the cries for help of the children from the Maasai tribe and the cries for help of our missionaries, don Dražan Klapež and don Nikola Sarić. Their biggest dream was building of a school; so we launched a project to build a school in the village of Magogo, in the Croatian Catholic mission in Dakawa, Tanzania. Magogo is a small village in the savannah with majority Maasai population, 50 kilometers far from the closest city. It was necessary to provide approximately 10,000 bricks to build the school, and each brick costs somewhat less than USD 1.25 or EUR 1 or HRK 7. Thanks to people who look through their heart, we have built the school for 150 children of the Maasai tribe in only 18 months.

We can proudly say that our project "Stone by Stone – the School in Magogo" is successful!

But, we move on! In order for the school to obtain all the necessary operational permits from the Tanzania ministry, we need to complete the sanitary facilities, a house for the teachers and the kitchen in which our children will receive their only daily meal every day. Before we obtain the permits, we have converted the school building into a kindergarten. Our children are overjoyed because they get to learn Swahili and English in the kindergarten, but they also socialize and get a meal every day – the so-called „udji“ – a kind of porridge made from flour, water and sugar, the only meal for the whole day. The kindergarten is open from 8:oo to 12:00. The children wake up very early because most of them have to walk as much as several kilometers from their home to the kindergarten. Our African teacher Gracy works in the kindergarten. After we build all the necessary facilities, the school will accommodate the kindergarten in one room, and primary school in two other rooms. So, our project and the assistance to the Croatian Catholic mission move on. Last summer we started building the auxiliary facilities and we very much wish, with God’s help and with the donations from good people, to open the school in the course of 2013.

In the future we would like to build an infirmary in our village of Magogo because, although the anti-malaria vaccine costs less than USD 1, malaria-related child mortality is still high. Education and health care will provide a dignified living to our little friends.

We thank from the bottom of our hearts to all those who have believed in us and supported our project with their donations! I want to tell those of you who will join us and helps us continue our project that even a smallest donation makes miracles in the far-away, poor Tanzania. Thank you all for looking through your heart at our African children!

STORIES FROM TANZANIA

Malaria

Dear friends,

To acquaint you with the far-away, but wonderful Tanzania, a country situated on the east coast of Africa, let us share African experiences and impressions of Maja, the president of the NGO.

Unfortunately, during my latest stay in Tanzania I experienced a shock and great pain. Our little Maasai friend Moringe, a child from our kindergarten, deceased. Moringe has left an indelible mark in our hearts, but also a great sorrow in our kindergarten because malaria took our little rafiki (friend). The boy fell ill and don Dražan took him to the hospital. Alas, it was too late! This was a major shock. I could not believe that we have lost a merry, playful little boy with a big smile. God loves angels and we believe that our little friend is now praying for us in heaven!

Together with the children from the kindergarten we paid a visit to Mama Moringe (the mother is always named after the oldest child) and offered our condolences. We took some soap bars, some sugar and some money – a Maasai custom. We walked through the savannah to reach a small, decrepit hut where our little friend used to live. I can say this was one of the most moving moments in my life. African children are really incredible! Here children look through their hearts!

Upon my return from the school/kindergarten I was thinking about what could be done. I cannot have the children die from malaria every day. It occurred to me to make posters and organize training sessions on malaria in schools, kindergartens and villages. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease, with symptoms such as high fever, headache, nausea, swelling of joints, bodily pains...Malaria manifests itself much more strongly with children and children literally collapse. Malaria is measured in terms of malaria severity score ranging from 1 to 20 as indicated by blood tests that show the quantity of parasites in the blood. A child will already die with malaria level 3. Treatment is carried out by injections and medicines, with a four-day therapy that needs to be accompanied by bed rest, a diet with fruits and vegetables and drinking a lot of water. Unfortunately, this is impossible for our children because they do not have money for fruits and vegetables, and one has to walk for kilometers to bring water. The water is also not clean, potable water, but water from various kinds of puddles and ponds. Not only do they not drink potable water, but they also do not take a rest because they have to walk kilometers away. They have no means to buy vitamins or provide better nourishment, so many of them die.

It is our great desire to build, next to auxiliary facilities, also a small doctor’s office – an infirmary which would provide for the basic health care for our children in the savannah. We will devote the infirmary to our little friend with a big smile and a big heart! I know we cannot save them all, but if we save even one life with this training and the future infirmary, we will have done a lot!

The malaria vaccine or anti-malaria tablets cost about less than USD 1, and blood drawing about 20 cents. So, to check if you have contracted malaria and the medication one has to pay less than USD 1. Does this mean that life in Tanzania is worth less than USD 1??? Unfortunately, YES!!! And this is sad...

Donations paid into our NGO’s gyro-account

Donations to the NGO "Gledati srcem" are tax deductible up to 2 % of the total revenue made in the previous calendar year. This tax benefit covers legal and physical persons registered in the Taxpayer Register. If you were our donor in 2012 and wish to obtain a certificate of the funds you paid as donation, kindly contact us and send your data (name, family name, address) to e-mail address [email protected] so that we may send you the certificate in a timely manner.

         Thank you!

HRK 1* PER DAY CHANGES THE WORLD

HRK 1 is an equivalent of approximately USD 0.20
HRK 1 or USD 0.20 per day = HRK 30 per month = 6 anti-malaria vaccines
HRK 1 or USD 0.20 per day = HRK 30 or USD 5.40 per month = 4 bricks for building auxiliary facilities for the school in Magogo
HRK 1 or USD 0.20 per day = HRK 30 or USD 5.40 per month = 3 pairs of shoes
HRK 1 or USD 0.20 per day = HRK 30 or USD 5.40 per month = 2 anti-malaria vaccines and 2 pairs of shoes
HRK 1 or USD 0.20 per day = HRK 30 or USD 5.40 per month = 2 anti-malaria nets and 5 school meals

This simple calculation shows that with HRK 1 or USD 0.20 per day you can also feed a hungry person and help an uneducated person to get education, the provide a thirsty person with potable water, to buy a barefoot person shoes, to provide medication to a sick person. Hard to believe? Look at the school in Magogo built by people who look through their hearts. With your donation of HRK 1 or USD 0.20 per day we will be able to provide medical care, feed, educate and build for those most in need. Save on a monthly basis HRK 30 or USD 5.40 kn and transmit it into the account of Charity NGO „Gledati srcem“ in RBA bank 2484008-1105624892. Let us make their future brighter.
It is A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY for us, but A LOT for the children in Magogo, Tanzania!
LET US CHANGE THE WORLD TOGETHER WITH ONLY USD 0.20 PER DAY !

       Thank you for looking through your heart!

The plaque with acknowledgements that will be placed on our school in Magogo, Tanzania.

"Prayer begets faith, faith begets love, and love begets service on behalf of the poor."

Mother Teresa