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.

Wheels of Freedom

It all started with a simple question: “Do you all have any students with disabilities?” 

It was a common question, but it sparked a conversation about the many struggles these students face on a daily basis.

At JBFC, we have three disabled students – Neema Malele, Veneranda and Mayila. The two girls live with us at our home; Mayila lives with his family in the village about half a mile away from school. 

Both Mayila (below on left) and Neema Malele (below on right) contracted a bacterial infection when they were infants. The disease caused their legs to become malformed and both walk on their hands and knees. 

We are still working to get Veneranda properly diagnosed, but we think she suffers from severe scoliosis which has stunted her growth. She endures a lot of pain and needs a cane to get around campus. 

Despite their conditions, these are three of the most cheerful and active members of our JBFC family. But sometimes they can’t hide their hardship. The reading buddies program was a favorite activity between both our summer guests and girls. But it took place in our new library. After a long day at school, it was almost too difficult for Neema Malele and Veneranda to make the trip down the dusty road to the library.

Thankfully one of their sisters or a kind-hearted friend would carry them the distance, but some time they would have to stay behind in the dorms, having a guest or one of their sisters pick out a book for them. Mayila is on scholarship to attend JBFC’s Joseph & Mary Schools. Every day he walks on his hands and his callused knees about half a mile each way to learn. Truth be told Mayila gets around on his hands and feet better than most kids do on two legs. He “runs” plays tennis and horses around like any other 9-year-old.

But at the end of the day, even this seemingly tireless little boy hangs his head in fatigue as has to makes the trek home.

These were the stories I told to a friend of my aunt who lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. Lisa Stuart and her husband, Scott, immediately thought wheelchairs would be the answer to helping our students with disabilities. However, our sandy and rocky environment was not exactly conducive to the standard variety of wheelchairs. Working with the Walkabout Foundation, the Stuarts found the Tough Rider. It’s a wheelchair made for Africa- sturdy, tall, and as its name suggests- tough! Best of all, the wheels are actual bicycle wheels, making the inevitable puncture a breeze to repair. 

After a few months of working out logistical matters of getting the Tough Rider chairs to campus, three brand new chairs arrived last week, have been assembled, and have been passed out to our three children with difficulties- Neema, Veneranda, and Mayila! 

They took their first spin around our home dining hall with all of their sisters and matrons cheering them on. Neema Malele is actually an old pro – she had a wheelchair before but it broke and could not be fixed. She was quick to lead her new wheelchair buddies in a quick tutorial. 

Mayila’s first question – “Can I ride this all the way home?” The smile that cracked across his face when I told him he could, would break your heart. 

Their smiles say all that needs to be said. They have freedom - freedom to go where they please, freedom to attend reading buddies all on their own, freedom to go to and from home for school without wearing down their knees. 

Distributing the chairs and giving a lesson in wheelchair use for the first time reminded me how incredible our entire JBFC family is- from the ones here in Tanzania, to all of our supporters and friends abroad! We thank our supporters Lisa and Scott Stuart, from Greenwich, CT, who made this happen. And we look forward to seeing what these three students will now be able to do with their newfound freedom.





Chris Gates is the Executive Director & Founder of JBFC.

Volunteer Lessons: Education, Money & Family

Guest blogger Anna Sokolosky talks about what she learned at JBFC in Tanzania this summer. 

There was something different about this year. My first year to JBFC, I skimmed the surface. I made memories with the girls, grew in my faith, and started relationships with lifelong friends. This year, I learned the importance of education, money, and family.

I attend Holland Hall, an independent Episcopal college prep school in Tulsa, Oklahoma; I’ve attended Holland Hall since preschool. I’ve always appreciated the amazing opportunity I’ve had, but I’m embarrassed to say I took it for granted until this year. At JBFC, we tutored the girls one-on-one everyday. I got a peek inside education in Tanzania. The girls are highly intelligent and motivated but have not been exposed to education fundamentals. The Joseph and Mary School lacks resources we use everyday: web access, up-to-date textbooks, and teacher resources. These students have astounding capabilities and JBFC has a 100 percent passing rate on national exams. This year showed me the importance of education for all, how blessed I am to live in a country that strives to attain it,

and to be involved with helping JBFC get to that point.

When I say I learned about the importance of money while living in a country where 90% of the population lives on less than $1.25 a day, you might assume I mean how important it is to live in a first world country and have the luxuries we do. But it’s actually quite the opposite. The importance of money is to learn how to live without it. And once you do that, you’ll learn what you really need. While comparing my life to the girls’, you would say they have nothing. But in fact, they have everything. They have a home, food for every meal and a family. Their luxuries aren’t buying a new car, splurging on designer clothes, or summer vacation. Their luxuries are a soda on their birthday, new clothes that someone gave away, or getting to read a new book. After being around this kind of mindset, it changed my own.

When I explain to someone what JBFC is, and I refer to it as a family, some people say it’s not a real family. But it’s the most close knit family I’ve been around. The love every single one of them has for another is incredible. They are so grateful for one another and are always laughing together. They would do anything for each other, and if any one of them is upset or having a bad day there are 42 sisters around to pick her up. And if that’s not a family, I don’t know what is.

Anna Sokolosky is a Holland Hall Senior and has visited JBFC several times. She's also a JBFC Ambassador and is working to raise money to pay for solar panels for JBFC's dorms.

Reflections on Guest Season: Seth Diemond

 They come from all over the U.S.- even the world. Some are young- in high school. Some are in college. Some are well into their careers and have families with grown children of their own. Despite coming from many different places with wildly different backgrounds, they all come with one goal in mind- to make better the lives of the girls at JBFC and to enrich the education of the children at Joseph and Mary schools. That, I am sure, they have done- far beyond our or their expectations.

As guest season here at JBFC comes to an end and I enter into my fourth month in this position, by far one of my favorite aspects of this job has been meeting so many wonderful guests, supporters, board members, and volunteers. In addition to just being able to spend time with these people- high school students from Bronxville, New York, soon to be college graduates from Vanderbilt University, recent graduates from Holland Hall in Tulsa, Oklahoma- it has been truly amazing to see the impact that all of these guests have had on campus. I have seen a young man- soon to be a college freshman (whose nickname is Kuku Kaka)- build (or continue, depending on who you are talking to) a lifelong relationship with our youngest girl, Esther. I have seen a couple of very talented soon to be teachers from Vanderbilt University share their skills and knowledge with our teacher at Joseph and Mary. I have seen American teachers- whose passion has brought them back to JBFC time and time again- digging holes, moving manure, and painting buildings with the idea of helping JBFC improve its programs

and meet its goal of being self-sustaining. I have seen groups of high school students- some of them away from home for the first time and some of them returning volunteers to JBFC- spending afternoon after afternoon on the guest house porch or in our newly stocked library reading with the JBFC girls during “reading buddies.”  

I have seen all of these volunteers- young and old, big and small, from New England or from the Southwest or from Germany- spend hours upon hours building relationships with Zai, Lau, Neema (all of them), Eliza, Nyamalwa, Shida, Yonga, and all of the other girls here. Ultimately, and I have written about this before, they spend hours upon hours with the girls who now see them as family. One thing that is obvious is that in just a short amount of time, guests can have a profound impact on both our girls and on our school and it has been truly remarkable to watch first hand.


One thing that I have learned during my four plus years in Tanzania- and it’s one of the things I most hope that our guests will take home with them- is a lesson that I  think, at least for some people, doesn’t hit until later.
Many times guests and volunteers in Tanzania -- and this was more than true for myself during my first trip to Tanzania in 2008 -- come here expecting to teach, to guide, to change fortunes, to improve lives, to inspire, and this is certainly true, often beyond their wildest dreams. But what I want our guests to remember is that often times- even when they can’t see it- the change happens in them. 

The impact on them is as big as the impact on any of the girls could ever be. And as a result these volunteers are even more empowered to inspire or create change.

This change - this impact- that kids in Tanzania have had on my life has made all of the difference and has put me on the path that has brought me to JBFC.

When I was a sophomore at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, studying to be a teacher, I hit a wall in my life. I didn’t know what I wanted to be, where I wanted to go, or, most importantly, how to get there. I was lost, to say the least. Just as I hit this difficult junction in my life, my best friend -- my sister, really --  invited me on a trip to Tanzania for the following winter. I had always had an interest in Africa, but had never really dreamed of traveling to such a far off, foreign, abstract place. While we were snowboarding in Maine one day I agreed- on a whim- on a chance- to go to Tanzania with her for no better reason than I didn’t know where else to go. It was on this ensuing trip to Tanzania that I would arguably make the most important relationship- most important bond- of my life. I met my role model- a person who remains my role model, my idol, until today.

When I tell this story I usually ask “who do you think my role model is?” Often (more often than not actually) people answer, “Chris Gates!” Chris is truly an amazing person and an outstanding role model for anyone (including for me). And although I learn something new from him nearly every day, he isn’t “my” role model.

Usually a couple more names of a couple more amazing, wonderful, courageous, adults are guessed before I tell the true answer (no one has yet to guess correctly who my role model actually is). In reality, and in all honesty,
my role model was six years old when I met her.

Today she is a beautiful, intelligent, hard working, caring, amazing ten year old girl named Elizabeth Gideon Shemaya. I call her my daughter. She calls me dad. We tell each other almost everything. She’s the reason I am in Tanzania today. She’s the reason I am at JBFC. And she is the reason, for better or worse, that I am the person that I am today.


Like many, if not most of JBFC’s volunteers, I expected my first trip to Tanzania to be my one and only trip to Tanzania. The night before I left for this trip I remember talking to my father. We were discussing the possibility of me going on a safari to the Serengeti and I was convinced that I should do it because this would probably be a once in a lifetime experience. My father, very wisely, said that “if this experience turns out the way I think it will, you very well may end up back in Tanzania, maybe many times.” He was more right than he could have ever known. It was on this trip that I met Elizabeth. She sat quiet in the back of a classroom for students who didn’t have enough money to go to school that I taught in every day in a rundown section of a small city called Moshi. For the first couple of days I barely noticed her. One day, as I was helping students correct problems that they had gotten wrong on a worksheet, I noticed why Elizabeth sat so quietly; Elizabeth, rather than being detached, was teaching herself English from an English-Swahili dictionary. 

It was at that very moment- and every moment over the course of the next couple of weeks- that Elizabeth became my role model in life. The sum of what Elizabeth taught me in that short amount of time- what she taught me about life, about perseverance, about patience, about caring, about being positive and not giving up, about love was more important than any number of English words or Algebra that I could have ever taught her. She continues to teach me these lessons until today. Elizabeth taught me that no matter how hard it gets, no matter how many obstacles you have put in front of you, all you need to do is hold your head up high, believe in yourself, remain positive, and know that tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or even next year, things will be better.

I tried to pay Elizabeth back for these lessons by sponsoring her to go to school after I left Tanzania, still thinking this would be a one-time trip. It took one phone call from Elizabeth a couple of months later and receiving one picture from her in her school uniform via email for me to plan my second trip back to Tanzania. And then my third. And fourth. And fifth. 

My father and Elizabeth were both teaching the same thing- sending the same message- however unintentional it may have been. What they were teaching me- my father by telling me not to rule out coming back to Tanzania and Elizabeth by teaching herself English out of a second-hand dictionary- was to never discount an opportunity as too small to matter, an experience too little to be worthy of further thought. Had Elizabeth discarded that dictionary, I may not have taken notice of her and she may not be in school today -- most importantly, I wouldn’t have her as a daughter. Had I gone on that safari and had it decided in my mind that I would never come back to Tanzania, I wouldn’t have seen her again. I wouldn’t be at JBFC and I wouldn’t have had the wonderful opportunity to work with Chris and the rest of the staff here, to meet so many amazing guests, and most importantly, to meet our girls here. 

If Chris hadn’t been open-minded to the experience that he was having on his first trip to Tanzania and the opportunity that it could become, I wouldn’t be here; our dozens of staff members wouldn’t have their jobs here; our wonderful guests wouldn’t have these experiences; and, although it is hard to imagine, the girls wouldn’t be here.

What I want our guests to take away is a sense that they should never discount an opportunity, an experience, a moment, as small, or unworthy, or meaningless. 

Moments become experiences; experiences become your path; and your path, years from now, becomes your life.

I met Elizabeth in one small moment and let that moment determine my path in life. Kayci, our Administrative Director, came to JBFC as a volunteer and ended up coming back (and has stayed for several years). Chris saw an opportunity, regardless of how small it may have seemed at the time, and made dreams come true- not just for himself but for dozens, if not hundreds, of other people in Kitongo, in Tanzania, and around the world.

Our guests deserve a huge thanks- the work they do, their dedication, their love- it shows up and makes a huge difference every minute that they spend here (and even when they return home). But to those same guests- let the girls teach you something- let them change you and empower you to do something bigger, be something better, for them. 

Don’t forget that moment sitting with Liku on the porch or in the library.

Don’t forget that moment when Esther came running across the court yard to see you again. 

Don’t forget that moment when one of the girls started crying because she knew you were leaving to go start college. 

Don't forget, because they don’t.

Guest Blogger, Seth Diemond, is JBFC's Campus Director.