Why I Can't Wait to Return

 

 It’s hard to believe, but I’m getting ready for my 5th trip to JBFC. I spend most of my time in the US, helping raise money for the organization and keeping supporters informed about what’s happening in Tanzania. But visiting JBFC in Tanzania is my favorite part of the job, despite the marathon series of stuffy plane rides it takes to get there.


These are my top 5 reasons why I can’t wait to get back to JBFC:










1) GIRLS!!!!!

This is #1 for a reason. These girls have captured my heart. From the young, sweet ones that still come snuggle beside me at prayer service; to the too-cool-for-school teenagers, who despite the bravado have tears in their eyes when they say good-bye; to the young women, who are growing up (faster than I would like) to be such smart, interesting people.









2) JBFC’s Growth




JBFC never ceases to amaze me. The way this organization has taken root in our little village of Kitongo is nothing short of miraculous. Chris Gates keeps driving us to be better, more efficient, and more impactful. And it shows in our physical footprint. We’re not just adding acres; we’re nurturing farmland. We’re not just erecting structures; we’re building libraries and science labs; we’re not just expanding, we’re growing a center of the community. You all make that possible and I can’t wait to see it for myself, so I can report back to you about the many changes and improvements. I’ve drafted my good friend & videographer, Jonathan Wooley, into joining me in Tanzania yet again. So we will be documenting JBFC’s growth and broadcasting our progress every month on JBFC’s Youtube channel.







3) Chris Gates & the JBFC Staff

Chris is truly one of my best friends. He’s inspiring, hilarious, driven, smart and has a huge heart. So it’s no coincidence that the team he’s built around him is AWESOME. Seth & Melinda are terrific cross-continental co-workers and I can’t wait to find out what I can do to make their lives easier, so they can continue to make such huge differences for kids. Also, they’re all a lot of fun. So, I’m looking forward to kicking back on Chris’ back porch, which overlooks Lake Victoria, and hanging out with them. I also can’t wait to see Rachel, Mzee Kitula, Mama Mary, Gertruda, Samo, and Edith, all of the behind the scenes staff members who are the backbone of the organization.



4) Prayer Time

There is no picture for this one, because an image just can't capture it (although we will keep trying). Prayer time at JBFC is one of the most special parts of the day for me. When I’m at home, having a rough day, I turn to my phone and play the recordings of the girls singing at prayer time. Something clicks – my perspective shifts and whatever the “huge” problem was becomes miniscule. There is such a sense of peace and spirituality that washes through the room at Prayer Time. In that moment, you can see the hardships that are so often hidden behind our girls beautiful smiles. But it’s a burden that becomes lighter surrounded by so much faith and love. These are the moments I cherish and the ones that fuel my work for the organization.

5) Tanzanian Sunrises

There’s truly nothing like it. It’s unparalleled beauty and the kind of sight that restores the soul.











Blogger Ashli Sims is JBFC's Director of Development.

 

 

JBFC's Teacher Training

Editor's Note: Last week, we told you some exciting news - our Form 2 students (US equivalent 9th grade), in their first year to sit for the Tanzanian national exams, passed with flying colors outscoring every other Form 2 student in our district. This week's blog from Administrative Director Melinda Wulf talks about the foundation JBFC lays to make that kind of student success possible. And it all starts with our teachers.

 Each year, we spend the two weeks before school starts hosting a teacher development. This is an opportunity that teachers at other schools in Tanzania don’t have. We use our own experience, and bring in experts and materials to help our teachers learn and grow as educators.


This year we are lucky enough to have an educator specializing in literacy with us, Tracy Todd.
Tracy’s background, along with materials provided to us by Sarah Lawrence College’s Childhood Development Institute, helped kick this year’s teacher development off on a strong note.

Day one included a discussion with the teachers about taking your classroom outside and learning from nature and the environment around us. I can’t think of a better atmosphere to implement a program like that.

Thinking back to my grade school experience, the most exotic animal we had exposure to was a third grader's pet porcupine that was brought in for show and tell. The only flowers we had on the playground were dandelions.



These kids have rows of banana trees to learn from, fences lined with passion fruit, and eggplants the size of your head. They get to witness the birth of baby pigs, pluck a chicken, and learn anatomy from a butchered cow.

On day two of teacher development, we had a discussion about values and setting good examples for the students. As we discussed a key value, cooperation, one of our secondary teachers Mr. Cornelly piped up with a suggestion.

We could show the students a bee hive and talk about how the bees work together as a group to create honey. It was a simple suggestion, but it was exciting to see the message from the day before stick with the teachers.

I talked to the teachers at Joseph and Mary about the school clubs we want to have this upcoming school year. Permaculture is a huge initiative at JBFC, not only does it help sustain us, but it teaches our kids skills they can use later in life to provide for their families. So, of course we want to have a permaculture club, no 80s pop band pun intended.

Again, Mr. Cornelly was very excited about the potential of teaching agriculture in the classroom, and then taking them outside to see it in nature. To allow the students to experience it firsthand, rather than read or be told about it is one of the great benefits of JBFC.


We are hopeful these teachings, plans and discussions will carry into the classrooms and ultimately provide an incredible educational experience for our students- one that would otherwise be unattainable in Tanzania!
















Blogger Melinda Wulf is JBFC's Administrative Director.

Back to School

January is a special month all across Tanzania- schools open for the year, students, some for the first time, dress in red, blue, green,  yellow, orange, or white uniforms with polished black shoes and head off to their first day. Textbooks are assigned, though paper-back, are covered by students in newspaper or paper-bags and doodled on just  as they are in the states. Parents, at least those who can afford it, send their children off to school with new clothes, new supplies, and a bit of pride (and maybe a tear!) just as mothers and fathers across America do.

On Monday we opened school for the year at JBFC's Joseph and Mary Schools. As JBFC administrators, Chris, Melinda, and I all got to spend a moment as proud parents as we sent the JBFC girls, gleaming in their uniforms and sporting new back-packs, off to their first day of school. This is a special moment for students and parents alike- my mother still (jokingly) sends me messages saying "I hope you get the teacher you wanted!" (she did this on Monday).






This year it hit hard. It is one of those moments that JBFC's impact on our girls is most noticeable. If
it wasn't for JBFC, these girls would never get to experience this day- the excitement of a new teacher, their own notebook, and the hope for the future that comes with education. I hope, and am confident, that the JBFC girls will remember this day in the future as something a bit special.




We ended last year on an exciting note. In Tanzania, 4th graders, 7th graders, and Form 2 students (9th grade), all take national standardized tests to determine if they are eligible to move on to the next grade.  Passing is not a guarantee- in fact, in most of Tanzania, the majority of students fail. At Joseph and Mary, 100% of our students (many of them JBFC residential girls) passed in 4th grade, 7th grade, and Form 2, an amazing feat. Proud we are.

 This year brings plenty of excitement of its own. Those amazing Form 2 students have now moved on and become our first ever form three class and are well on their way to graduating. Last year's 7th graders have now moved on to form one, becoming our newest batch of high-schoolers.

Eight adorable children have come to school for the very first time as pre-schoolers (pictured napping, all except for Esther). After two weeks of intensive professional development, our teachers (some new, some old), are more prepared and eager than ever to train the next generation of leaders.




 We are confident that come December, as we close another year at Joseph and Mary, we will have many more exciting announcements in our fight to provide and improve education in the places where education is needed the most.










Blogger Seth Diemond is JBFC's Campus Director.

Farm to Table

JBFC’s campus restaurant, Papa’s, was already breaking molds by being one of the only non-profit restaurants in our community. Now, we’re stepping into brand new territory.



For several weeks, Papa’s has been 90% farm-to-table, making it stand out, in yet another way, from other Mwanza restaurants! Our restaurant now features all fresh food straight from our 35-acre farm.



With our farm production booming, I thought it was time to make some changes. While we were able

to provide for much of the produce needed for our previous menu, its rigid nature made it hard to be flexible, when we were out of a certain type of fruit, vegetable, or meat. So, we decided to start shaking things up. Now, every Friday a new menu appears, featuring unique menu items whose produce and meat is from our farm only- not from the grocery store or local market! Not only does this reduce the amount of shopping we have to do for Papa’s, but the new menu has been met with incredible praise from the Mwanza community.


The menu now features a three-course meal, where customers pay one price and receive their choice between two starters, three main dishes (with their choice of sides) and a dessert. Recently, the menu looks something like this…

Starters: Mini Pizzas
Baba Ghanoush

Mains:
Slow Roasted Lamb
Papaya and Passion Roasted Chicken Breast
Pesto Pasta with Grilled Eggplant

Sides:
Basil Chips
Fried Okra
Roasted Eggplant in Peanut Sauce

Dessert:
Passion Tart

*Build Your Own Pizza Menu Available. 

Last summer, JBFC volunteers and our residential girls planted dozens of passion fruit vines. Those vines are now bursting with fruit and we’ve turned that into our new featured dessert – a passion tart.

Our signature pizzas are still on the grill, but now, you have to build your own, choosing only the toppings available from our garden that week. As for the steaks, grilled chicken, and other dishes, those are only on the menu when there is enough from our farm to go around! However, the

Burgundy Beef Stew has been a huge success and much preferred by customers over the steak so far.  

It is the little things like this that are allowing JBFC to inch closer and closer to its goal of self-sustainability. Not only are we reducing the operating costs of the restaurant, but we are increasing our appeal to customers by constantly having a new menu with fresh ingredients. And we’re showing our customers, staff, and students the benefits of a productive farm.


In 2014, as we continue to increase farm production, we plan to open a weekend Farmers Market at the Papa’s entrance gate, as well as various take-away options- so customers can enjoy fresh Papa’s meals all week long! Our updated menu is posted to our Papa’s facebook page weekly (www.facebook.com/papastanzania) and if you are in Tanzania, you can sign up for our weekly texts, as well!



Blogger Chris Gates, officially, is JBFC's Founder & Executive Director, but he also fancies himself an executive chef for Papa's.

2014 Outlook: New Year, New Growth

Just thinking about writing this blog got my head spinning in about a million different directions. Anyone who has visited the JBFC campus knows that we have dozens of different things going on each day. And in 2014, we are gearing up to add to that list!

For the past couple of years, we have been preparing for growth, preparing for expansion. We have put a great system in place, tested it, learned from it and now we’re ready to start replicating it. In 2014, we feel it is finally time to take the leap and open up a second JBFC campus! While plans are still being finalized, this is something we are all extremely excited about in Tanzania- we will be able to rescue new girls, educate even more students, and empower an entirely new community.




Even though we are expanding, that does not mean we are stopping at our home campus of Kitongo.

We are more dedicated than ever to improving the education of our students- in part by strengthening our teachers through our various school partnerships and staff developments.






We are more dedicated than ever to self-sustainability- by adding more livestock, crops and trees, so we can continue to save money by eating what we harvest, rather than buying what we eat.


And, we are more dedicated than ever to our girls and look forward to being able to take in five new girls from desperate situations with the completion of a new dorm!



 2014 is already shaping out to be an incredible year for all of us at JBFC! We can't wait to share with you each and every step of the way. As always, we welcome you to Tanzania and look forward to welcoming all of our volunteers to our campus this year!



Remember, the path to ending poverty begins with YOU! Thank you for all of your support in 2013 and we look forward to a great year.



Thank you to Elisa Masso for the second and last picture featured in this blog. www.elisamariphoto.com.


Chris Gates is JBFC's Founder & Executive Director

Reflections on 2013: Seth Diemond

New Year’s is a special time. It provides every person with a chance to reflect honestly about the year that was, and to plan for the year to come. Every year, like most people, I take a few moments to evaluate my life, make corrections, and to reflect on what I am thankful for. This year, however, was special. This year I was able to reflect not only on my own life, but on the lives of the 43 amazing girls who have blessed me by allowing me to join their family.



My reflections on 2013, as they apply to the girls:





 *These 43 girls are a family. When I stroll down to the girls’ home at 7:30AM to make sure we have everything we need for the day, I see evidence of their love for one another as they work like a family on morning chores- Rose sweeping the yard, Neema Mdogo doing the dishes, and Kulwa and Eliza cooking breakfast. Despite sisterly squabbles, it is hard to not think to myself "these girls are a family- in every sense of the word.”

    *These 43 girls are becoming well-rounded, multi-talented, skilled individuals. On my morning walk over to school- through the girls' home gate and down the dusty road that leads to Joseph and Mary school, I am awed by what I see on a daily basis. Elizabeth and Pelu (pictured on left) harvesting mountains of green peppers in their garden. Liku, Vero, and Neema Msafiri planting beans and corn before school. Pili making soap in her workshop. These are skills that serve the girls in the present and will continue to serve them in the future (and skills that I certainly do not have).



    *These 43 girls (and the other 250 students) are becoming well-educated Tanzanian and global

citizens. I walk over to the school with Abby, slowly pushing Vene in her new wheel chair. Ahead of me I see the morning assembly starting. The students are speaking English. One class is giving a "morning talk" in which each student briefly explains something he has recently learned in school: counting to 100; the basics of first-aid; photosynthesis; food groups; Tanzanian independence; multi-party democracy; environmental protection. Again, I am awed by how dynamic these students are. They  are all motived and excited to learn. They all love school. And, most importantly, they all want to make themselves and their country a better place.

    *These 43 girls get the care and medical attention that they need, when they need it. Over the course of these past months, I have escorted many girls to the hospital for various ailments- Malaria, Typhoid, UTI, bumped head, etc. In this family, they get quality medical treatment and, after a dose of medicine, an Orange Fanta, a Big Bomb Lolly-pop, and a hug from one of their matrons, they are usually all smiles.






Me- and more importantly these 43 girls- are thankful. We are thankful for JBFC. We are thankful for our many guests, volunteers (currently Elisa, Travis, Kelly, and Peyton), and supporters. We are thankful for our staff. We are thankful for Chris. We are thankful for Melinda. Without all of these people, we would not have our family. We would not have these skills (I still don't). We would not have this education. And we wouldn't have anyone to take us to the doctor when we bump a head or scrape a knee. We wouldn't have this future.

My wish for this new year and every new year to come: these 43 girls use these skills, this education, and this family to better themselves and the world around them. I am certain and confident that they will.

Seth Diemond is JBFC's Campus Director.

JBFC's Year in Review

2013 has been an incredible year at JBFC. We've grown and changed, while staying true to our mission... ending poverty one child at a time. Here are some of the highlights from our year.

We couldn't have done any of it without all of you. Thanks for all of the love, support, and prayers over the last year. We will need all of that and more in the year to come. We have big plans in store for 2014 and we will make sure we keep you informed of all that's going on in Tanzania, right here on this blog. So stay tuned...


In 2013, JBFC expanded our campus and got a bird's eye view of all that we have done in our village of Kitongo, Tanzania.

Thanks to some generous friends we added a dining hall big enough for our entire school community, where we served 200,000 meals in 2013.

Our students at Joseph & Mary School continued to excel, outscoring the rest of the students in our district.

And to keep our kids making the grade... JBFC launched Book by Book to build the JBFC Library.

We said farewell to old friends...

George & Connie

 

 

 

 

Kayci Hebard

And said hello to some new ones...

Seth Diemond

 

 

 

 

Melinda Wulf

We had more guests...

 

 

 

 

doing more things....

 

 

 

and raising more money and awareness about JBFC than ever before.

 

Nina's Share the Joy of Reading Project

 

Emily's Art for Africa Project

We swapped letters with our new pen pals in New York...



Exchanged art with some talented girls in Tulsa...

... which was featured in a local art show.

We flexed our creative muscles in other ways...

... learning drama and taking to the stage.

Thanks to our Permaculture partners, JBFC's farm is growing more fruitful and efficient by the day, providing our campus with most of our food needs and saving the organization money.

And we expanded our campus restaurant, Papa's, so we can serve more customers, help train more underprivileged youth, and continue to make JBFC more self-sustaining.

We partnered with the Walkabout Foundation to give some of our handicapped students some new wheels.

We saw more smiles...

 

 

and had more laughs...

 

than one year should be able to hold.

But 2014 promises to be even better.

For more information about JBFC and its mission, please check out our website.

For more pictures from JBFC, please visit our Facebook page.

And don't forget we're on Youtube, releasing monthly videos to give you more insight into what's happening in Tanzania.