Gratitude is at the forefront of our minds lately. Not just because of the holiday season but because it’s felt like a year filled with crisis. Hurricanes, fire, violence – so much loss demands that we take stock. Crisis is an interesting word. It is derived from the Greek word meaning decision. Its definition “a time when a difficult or important decision must be made.” At a time when so many difficult decisions were put on the table, your greatness emerged. In a time when most would not be expected to look beyond their own borders, you reached out to the other side of the world. With your support, we grew our team, our foundation, our service, our outreach, our website, and our landscape. Your giving generated life-changing results.
In Tanzania, we are now the proud tenants of a 5.5-acre farm that employs 11 widowed or abandoned women. They are growing Moringa saplings for distribution in pots made from banana leaves. 2650 trees were planted. These amazing women grow food to feed Save the Rain’s staff. They harvested seedlings to distribute to the 324 gardens that were planted this year and will continue to grow starts for each garden to come. They are by far some of the happiest people you will ever meet and it is an honor to share their journey.
There are now 187 Tanzanians that Save the Rain employs. Each of them was at one point a receiver of assistance. Of those 187 men and women, 1 has a secondary school education. She is a second generation recipient. This year our team served 9 new communities in the Arumeru District and gave 46,700 people access to clean water and a sustained food supply. We built 512 rainwater harvesting systems, both large and small and freed 5476 primary school students from their daily search for water.
Unfortunately, this year the rainy season shifted from its normal timetable. It came early. People had yet to prepare their farms and gardens to receive the rain. Because of that, food shortage ensued. As did hunger. We supplied 77,000 primary school students with mid-day meals during the school year.
In one of our newest programs, we evaluated the health of 2340 primary students and identified those that were in need of medical attention. For most, it was the first time they had ever seen a doctor. Our goal is to work to get students in poor health enrolled in a medical insurance plan so they continue to receive the care they need. It costs $23 per year to insure a child.
Our gratitude to you is never-ending. You are what enables our work to take flight and leave sustainable support in our wake. Happy 13th Birthday Save the Rain Family. You and your compassion are what is good in the world.
