An Open Letter to the Girls of JBFC

 You know the best thing about my job?

It’s not the working from home (although working in my pajamas is awesome).

It’s not working with a group of dedicated individuals (although they’re energy, big ideas, and even bigger hearts are enviable.)

It’s not even getting to travel the globe (although my passport is VERY happy).

It’s on a cloudy day, when I’m slogging through a menial task like organizing files and paperwork, something like this pops up.

These are notes from my girls.

And I have to tell you stumbling upon them feels almost better than the moment I first received them on a beautiful Tanzanian Saturday. 

With their broken English, little-girl obsessions with hearts and flowers, and a sincerity that leaps off the loose leaf paper, these girls have taken the thank you note to a new art form.

Liku writes: “Thank you very much for coming again at here JBFC and you such a good person in this time I have enjoy with you at the restaurant and I was to say thank you for teaching me to play tennis…”

Jackie writes: “Thank you for everything that you done to me and other girls. Thank you for teach us in Grade 5. God bless you and your family. Your a good aunt and a kind person…” 

Siwema writes: “Thank you for everything that have done for us and for being in our family. God bless you in your works and your trip…welcome again at JBFC.”

The funny thing is… I’m the one who should be writing the thank you notes.

Even from 8,000 miles away these 43 smart, funny, shy, beautiful, and strong girls brighten my day. They remind me every day what it means to be grateful, to take nothing for granted. I am so thankful for that fateful day – the day that almost never was – when I showed up at Chris Gates’ home with a decade-worth-of-local-news-sized chip on my shoulder. It was their faces, their stories that captured my attention, mind and my heart. It’s been almost two years since I decided to trade my career for a mission, and I’ve never looked back.

So this is my thank you note to all of them:

Dear Girls,

You make my day! You are smart, beautiful and strong. And I work every day so that you have the opportunity to show the world just how amazing you are.

Love,

Aunt Ashli

Guest Blogger Ashli Sims is JBFC's Director of Development. She is a former television news producer who left her career in broadcasting to work for JBFC in 2012.

An Ocean Without Shores

Guest blogger & JBFC Board President, Kristin Bender, visited JBFC last summer and had an inspiring night with some of JBFC's older girls as they shared their dreams and aspirations.

My daughter Torie and I spent several weeks at JBFC this summer. Torie first went to JBFC in the summer of 2007 and spent every subsequent summer there, and even Christmas one year. But life and studies intervened and she had not been to the campus for over two years. Needless to say she was both excited and overwhelmed at the many changes on campus---the new dorms, the Secondary School, Papa’s and the bungalows. But she was especially moved by the changes in the girls—how they have grown and matured into beautiful, caring and confident young women. 

We spent one very special night with our Form 2 girls. Torie and I hosted a dinner for them at Papa’s. What we wanted to do was to spend time with them and talk about their hopes and dreams for the future. So we went around the group and asked them to tell us their favorite subjects in school, and also what they envision for themselves and their lives. I would like to share their responses:

Liku: Her favorite subjects are history and geography, and she would like to be a teacher. 

Pelu: Her subjects are civics and language and she would like to be a lawyer.

Vero: Her favorite subjects are geography, civics and history, and she would like to be a journalist.

Ana: Her favorite subjects are history, geography, civics and languages. Ana would like to be either a weather forecaster or a designer.

Eliza: Her favorite subjects are chemistry, biology, geography and civics. Eliza would like to be an administrator.

Sophie: Her favorite subjects are math, physics, biology and chemistry. Sophie would like to be a doctor.

Nyamarwa: English, history and civics are her favorite subjects. Nymarwa would like to be either a teacher at a secondary school or a nurse.

Imelda: Chemistry, history, language and civics are her favorite subjects. Imelda would like to become a lawyer. 

Torie and I were so excited to hear about the dreams our JBFC girls have for their lives. We shared with them that all of us in the JBFC family will do all that we can to help their dreams become a reality. 

There is a Swahili proverb that says: “Knowledge is like an ocean without shores....”

Through education, and the loving support of family, our girls can imagine and dream, and know that there are endless possibilities for their lives.

“Elima ni kama bahir haina sahili….”

Kristin Bender has served as JBFC's Board President for two terms. She (along with two of her daughters) have visited JBFC's campus in Tanzania several times.

Graduation Day

All graduations are special. No matter where you are in the world. No matter what grade it is. There is something unique about watching students dressed in beautiful gowns with beaming smiles across their faces walking up to a stage and receiving recognition for their hard work. I know this because I have watched it happen dozens of times for friends, family members, neighbors, classmates, and, believe it or not, have graduated a couple of times myself. It is truly a special moment for everyone involved- the students who work so hard to get there; the parents and other family who have helped their children in so many ways and are so proud of them; the teachers who spend so much time and energy molding and preparing their students.

While all graduations may be special, recently I got to witness one that was slightly more so for several

reasons. Last month, Joseph and Mary Primary School graduated its fourth 7th grade class during what was the first event in our new dining/event hall. These 24 proud, smiling, happy students were not a normal group of students. In my four and a half years in Tanzania- during which I have visited dozens of schools- I have yet to see a group of students- as well as their teacher- work harder than this group has (others may work as hard, but none harder). This group- full of personalities that sometimes got the best of me (as well as their teacher and other school administrators)- worked incredibly hard day in and day out to prepare for their national exams, which they finished the Thursday before graduation. It was not unusual to find Mr. Fred, their teacher, at school an hour early in the morning preparing lessons and then keeping his class late into the

evening finishing those lessons. Together, students and teacher, this group epitomizes dedication.

Included in this group are three students who made the day even more special for all of us at JBFC. As administrators, teachers, employees, etc. it is incredibly rewarding to see all of the class 7 students receiving their diplomas as, in some ways, all of those students are our own.

 However, for just one moment that day, we were able to take our work uniforms off and step into the shoes of parents and watch three of JBFC’s own- Julie, Siwema, and Maggie (pictures below) - walk (or dance)into the graduation hall, take their seats, participate in the festivities, and, ultimately, be recognized as the amazing young women that they are. 

 

This is incredible for a couple of reasons. First, for these three girls, it was never guaranteed that they would receive the opportunity for an education, let alone graduate- in Tanzania, many people, especially girls, don’t. They made it, and they made everyone proud along the way. Second, it was amazing to see the family support that these three girls had. They may have lacked the traditional family support that many of the other students graduating that day received. However, these girls, far and away, had the largest family in

attendance. Looking on, cheering, and supporting them throughout the entire ceremony were 40 sisters, a few brothers (Chris’s boys), a dozen or more aunts and uncles (the JBFC support staff), their Dad (Chris), their grandmother (Chris’s mom), another uncle (me) and some wonderful guests. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the other JBFC girls said it all; this is a family, and Julie’s, Siwema’s, and Maggie’s family showed up!

This was a special graduation- the students, the teacher, the school, the hall, JBFC’s girls, and the families made it so.

Seth Diemond is JBFC's Campus Manager and uncle to the 47 girls and boys, who live at JBFC.

New Faces: Melinda Wulf

In the spring of this year I embarked on what I believed to be a once in a lifetime journey to Tanzania to experience a safari, run a half marathon and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Upon arrival, I immediately fell in love with each and every person I ran into along the way. I learned so much about the history and culture of the Tanzanian people thanks to our various guides and people we met throughout the trip, but the part that really touched me was the children.

One day, a few of us in our group visited a local school and home for street children and that was when something clicked for me. We played with a brand new parachute someone had recently donated to the school, just like one we had at my grade school. The children were having the time of their lives, and so was I. It was more than just the Tanzanian kids though, there was a group of teens from a high school in Canada that was spending their spring break at the home. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had done something like that when I was their age how that might have shaped my life.

I’ve had a successful career in the advertising media industry, but I can’t say it has been something I have been truly passionate about. I have always had the underlying desire to do something more, something that actually touched people’s lives. Over the years I had thought about jetting across the world to work or volunteer in a developing country. I wasn’t sure how to go about that though. I always thought if I were a teacher or a nurse, I might have something more to offer. I ran into this Tanzanian man during the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon and spent a couple miles talking about my desire to come back someday and do something to impact his country. He was really the one that made me realize there was a great need for all types of professionals, not just in the education or healthcare field. Two days later I started the trek up Kilimanjaro, which allowed for lots of time to think and reflect on everything that had happened the two weeks prior as well as my life and career back in the U.S.

The summit was a success and when I got down from the mountain, I really didn’t want to board my flight home. I wasn’t sure when I would be back, but I knew for sure that I would. Upon returning home and getting back to work, the desire to get back to Tanzania took over. A mutual friend put me in touch with Chris and I was impressed and inspired by his story and JBFC. I am so excited to get to work for the foundation on many different levels. I hope to help educate and empower not only the kids at JBFC, but also the youth volunteers and ambassadors.



Melinda Wulf left her career as a media planner to join the JBFC team as our new Administrative Director. She is moving to Tanzania and will start her new job in early October.

Sharing the Joy of Reading

 Guest blogger, Nina McManus, is a JBFC Ambassador, who decided to raise money to provide electronic readers for the students of JBFC. She raised $15,000 in less than six months (click here to read more about her project, Share the Joy of Reading). In this blog, she tells us how she introduced the eReaders to the kids in Tanzania. 

This past June I traveled to JBFC for a second time. At first I was nervous that the girls wouldn’t remember me from last summer, but as soon I saw their smiling faces, I knew that I had nothing to worry about. They were so excited to see me again and the other Bronxville students who were also returning. They were even more excited when I told them about the Kobo Mini eReaders that I brought over with me. 

I began to teach the students of Joseph and Mary how to use the eReaders around five days into the trip. First I taught Form One, the American equivalent of Eighth grade, followed by Grade Three just a few days after. The children were so excited to be exposed to new technology that would help them in the classroom and very anxious to begin the lesson. It took a while to get the hang of this foreign contraption, but they were very determined to understand the full extent of its capabilities. The students of Form One were amazed that something so small could hold millions of books on it and could highlight words and take notes on the highlighted phrases. At the end of their lesson, they begged me to return to the classroom another day to teach them even more about the Kobos. 

My lesson with Grade Three, however, did not go as smoothly. The short attention-span of the students made it difficult for me to introduce so many complex steps and concepts in just one sitting. While I was very discouraged at the end of my lesson, I later realized that it did not reflect my teaching ability, it simply meant that during the initial introduction of the Kobos in the school, they should be limited to the older students, who are a little more mature. JBFC has since re-assigned the Kobos to the 5th graders, who are currently learning how to use them to maximize their learning. 

The JBFC girls in Grade Three were very attentive, though, and asked me to continue the lesson the following day. The four girls successfully mastered the Kobo and spent hours reading chapter books on it. Overall, I am very excited about how the Kobos are being integrated into the girls’ and students’ day-to-day lives in and out of the classroom. Chris feels that my lessons went very well and that the EReader project is heading in the right direction. Soon I will begin to fundraise again in order to purchase more Kobos for the library and provide the children with more ebooks.

Nina McManus is a senior at Bronxville High School in New York.

Kwa Heri, Kayci!

JBFC's Outgoing Administrative Director, Kayci Hebard, says farewell to JBFC and shares what she's learned after working in Tanzania for more than two years.

Over the last few years, JBFC has been more than just my place of work it has been my home, my family, my everything from the moment I wake up in the morning to a “knock, knock” on my door, until the moment I fall asleep dreaming about it and now my entire life has been flipped upside down… How do you sum up two and half years of your life? How do you accurately measure your time spent? How do you determine if it was spent wisely or to the fullest extent? These are the thoughts reeling through my mind at 2 am while I am shoving my last item into my “20 kilo” bag.

Have I done everything that needs to be finished? No, Pendo needs a new flash light, schedules need to be printed, trees need to be planted, Mama Mary needs more soap, Quick books has to be done, Papa’s restaurant needs a new food stock, budgets have to be updated, I still need to write my goodbye blog (Ashli may take my head), Pili needs a business plan… Needless to say that was not the end of the list and my head was exploding. How could I be leaving with so much unfinished business? Projects so incomplete? Panic started setting in…

I began concentrating on my breath, breathing slowly and fully and focusing on calming my mind, I then had a realization; there would never come a point where I would feel fully comfortable leaving. JBFC is living and breathing. It will always be growing, changing, facing difficulties, taking new opportunities and there will

always be tasks that will need to be accomplished. JBFC is constantly striving for more, opening itself up for opportunity, ready for growth and change, and these are just a few of the reasons why it has grown so rapidly in the last 6 years and why it will successfully continue its growth in the future and that’s why I am leaving… Yes, just as JBFC changes and grows so should I, so I am able to offer more, to help more, to be better equipped for the challenges and to be able to take better advantages of the opportunities. I owe it to myself, I owe it to JBFC (if I have the chance to work with them again in the future) and I owe it to any

organization that needs the support and expertise in order to grow successfully. It is time for me to go back to school I can honestly say, I would of never had this mindset if I had never grown with JBFC, never learned what it offered to teach, never let it change me and I did, thankfully, and it is time to show my appreciation by taking what it has given me and doing something with it.

Coming back to my earlier question, how do you accurately measure your time, your success? Is it the number in your bank account, the number of pictures you’ve taken, the amount of people you’ve treated, the kind of car you drive, the number of promotions you’ve been given, or is it realizing what you have learned and how you have grown during that time? Maybe; or maybe it’s a mixture of everything but without analysis you will never really know or fully understand what that time spent has meant. It was well put by Socrates, "an unexamined life is not worth living." I have made a conscious effort over my last few days away from JBFC to think about how I am different from when I first arrived to Tanzania, what has impacted my life and what is now important to me that wasn’t before and what was important and is no longer; I notice little things throughout the day and I will hopefully continue to learn new things over the next several years, and I will probably never fully realize the changes and impacts this experience has given to me.

Here are just a few little things I have realized over the last couple of days of things I’ve learned during my

time at JBFC:

· Respect goes a long way

· When a child does something wrong discipline is necessary no matter how cute they are; it will help them learn and grow

· Don’t ever take good, clean, non-smelly drinking water for granted

· The beauty of the earth alone makes it worth saving

· Very awkward classes about the birds and the bees are a necessity for adolescent girls (and boys)

· Admitting your wrongs and weaknesses to yourself and others is the first step to correcting and changing them

· A half hour tickling fight is considered a full body work out

· An awkward moment only occurs when someone allows it, but everyone needs those moments once in a while

· Communication is key at all levels; once it breaks down so does everything else

· Speaking the same language doesn’t always mean complete understanding… Even if it’s both parties native tongue

· Mulch everything; even the children

· Kids notice EVERYTHING, so always be careful

· Children can do more than what they are typically given credit for; believe they are able and they will believe they are as well

· Appreciate the US government 

· Singing and dancing at any age is good medicine- Bibi Nyamawa is a good example

· When finding yourself outside with no flashlight on a new moon, walk in a high-knees fashion

· Be as clear as possible on instructions and expectations

· An honest smile will help any situation

· Charades is a sport

· Be thankful to God for what you have, no matter how little you may think it is, because there is always someone who has less

· Hugs are a must

· Teaching young girls about confidence will help to build your own confidence

· Being silent, shy and giggly only works for kids four and under

· The health benefits of moringa are amazing and should be shared with everyone http://www.treesforlife.org/our-work/our-initiatives/moringa

· Make a to-do list, not a schedule, it will help to keep sanity

· Healthier food needs to be cheaper in the US, produce is too expensive, one MASSIVE Avocado is $0.30 in Tanzania

· Words with ‘t’s Americans tend to say with “d” sounds; thank you liddle Zai for that observation

· Kids grow quickly, don’t blink

· Students who have access to good quality education don’t appreciate it and students who are given little or no education yearn for it

· Step out of your comfort zone - always be willing to try new things it will help you to discover amazing new things (kisamvu- sautéed greens with peanut butter…. Yes it is delicious)

· Maxi skirts and dresses are so comfortable

· Having a kitchen garden is a gift to yourself, the earth, your wallet and your friends and family on bountiful harvests

· I am still bad at football (soccer)

· “If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make the change” MJ

· Learn another language, though I am blessed to have English as my mother tongue

· Enough is actually enough

· You don’t need 57 choices of ketchup

There are so many people I am thankful for during my time at JBFC and there is no way I could list

everybody here but let me just name a few; I am so grateful for Chris and the JBFC Board for giving me the

opportunity to work for this beautiful organization and thank you for taking the chance on me; a big thank you to all the staff and students who welcomed me so warmly and openly into your lives, and the biggest thank you to the girls of JBFC for opening up their family and accepting me for who I am, thank you for all your smiles, hugs and beautiful voices. JBFC has helped me grow in every way over the last couple of years and in return I can only hope that I have helped it grow.

Kayci Hebard volunteered for a summer in Tanzania in 2008, before coming to work for the organization in 2011. She has served as the Assistant Director/Administrative Director, big sister/mother to all of our girls, and was instrumental in getting JBFC's Joseph & Mary School up and running. She's leaving JBFC to pursue  post-graduate education and she will be sorely missed.

Reflections on Guest Season: The Laughs

Every summer, as guests come through in waves, the campus is filled with new life. From all across campus, you can hear the laughter and happy screams of our girls and guests as they play chase, tag, and occasionally have a water fight. But all of this laughter doesn’t necessarily come from games. Much of it comes from those hysterical moments of cross-cultural misunderstandings, as both our guests and girls try to educate and communicate with each other, sometimes falling short of fully understanding. Others come from simply working with children. For anyone who has travelled abroad, I am sure you can relate to these laughable moments. While there are many, we wanted to share a few with you, as seen through the eyes of six of our girls. We hope you enjoy…

Anna

“There was a guest who tried to climb all the way to the top of a papaya tree, thinking it was strong like a
mango. It was not. He got to the top and it broke in half!”
- Anna, 15

Esther

“Wes was reading buddies with Esther. She never wanted to sit still or read, so we all laughed. When he would come down after school, Esther would always run away from him.”
- Zai, 9

Drama with Meaghan Oppenheimer

“In drama with Meaghan, we had to play lots of silly games. There was one where we were holding a fake potato and pretended it was hot. Everyone made funny faces.” - Leticia, 13


“It was funny watching the guests dance to our songs. And to Beyonce, really funny when they danced to Beyonce.”
- Anna, 15

Rachel with a chicken

“Many of the guests are very afraid of things, like bugs. There were some guests who screamed every time the saw something fly, even if it was a pretty bird. They had to be inside a lot.”
- Pili, 16

Neema R

“It was funny to watch the guests to try to play football (soccer).” - Neema R, 17

Salome

“One guest said they liked the Masai so much they wanted to take them home in his pocket. How will they fit?”
- Salome, 8





Thanks for the memories. We hope to see you next year!








Chris Gates is the Founder & Executive Director of JBFC.