Posted by student JENNIFER HICKS – Sometimes the work we do in public service is impersonal, detached. Perhaps we work as advocates on behalf of people we never see or lobby for policy changes whose impact may only come long after we are gone. It’s easy enough to turn off the lights at the end of the day and head home. But with some projects, like my work with the Amani Children’s home orphanage here in Moshi, Tanzania, the need is so tangible and so enveloping, it’s hard to maintain a professional distance. Perhaps we aren’t meant to.
Last week, I traveled to Arusha, a city of roughly 300,000 just north of Mount Kilimanjaro, with Amani’s street educator Godfrey. We had come on business, but we weren’t ready to get to work until after the sun had gone down. We were there to talk to the kids that call the streets of the Arusha their home. Some kids had left home because there was not enough food for them or because of an abusive parent, whose alcoholism had led to neglect. Others had no home from which to flee, having lost their parents to AIDS, malaria or birthing-related maternal death. Bundled in layers of dirty clothes and lacking shoes, children as young as eight sniffed glue in an effort to sleep through the cold and the hunger. Some of the kids do not even know their date of birth. If they agree to come with us, we bring them to Amani.
Amani Children’s Home is dedicated to the protection of Tanzania’s most vulnerable population: street-children and AIDS orphans. It is estimated that there are 2.5 million orphaned children in Tanzania. Since its founding by Tanzanians in 2001, Amani has rescued hundreds of children from the perils of life on the streets, where they face a high risk of HIV transmission, malnutrition, and abuse. Amani, which means “peace” in Swahili, provides healthy food, education, counseling and medical care for every child who turns to us for help. The organization is unique in that it is not an orphanage, but instead actively seeks to reunite a child with a loving and capable family member whenever possible.
In my International Public Service Project for Amani, I am working with their marketing director to develop new relationships through their Partner Schools Program, which partners Amani’s classrooms with schools throughout the world. Through the program, children exchange cultural information beneficial to both our kids and those in our partnering classroom. In the past, partner schools have proved a vital resource to Amani through their fundraising efforts on Amani’s behalf. Fundraisers such as a Walk for Water – where kids find sponsors to donate an amount for every lap they make around a gymnasium, symbolizing the distance a child must walk everyday to get water – is a great way to instill in children a sense of empathy and foster a commitment toward public service.
Based on the principle that we can do more as a collective than we can do individually, Amani is seeking businesses and churches that may be interested in partnering with Amani, in an effort to expand this type of outreach. The Amani Partners program is a wonderful opportunity to promote team cohesion and a positive working environment as a business’s team works together to raise vital funds for children that are truly and greatly in need. Options such as matching donations, further companies corporate social responsibility efforts and can provide a fantastic public relations opportunity. Churches will find the Amani Partners to be a great program through which churches can expand their ministry. Learning about the plight of street children and AIDS orphans can be a very beneficial addition to both children’s and adults’ bible school classes.
If you would like to learn more about Amani Children’s Home for your office, church, or school, please contact me at jkhicks@clintonschool.uasys.edu or email Joe Ventura at joe@amanikids.org.
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