When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:3-4
August 2022
Dear Friends,
We learned only a few days ago that Tumaini Jipya (New Hope) has been officially registered with the Tanzanian government! Praise God! This is a huge hurdle. A local government official had to check the property to ensure we have all the required buildings and that we seem to be on track to being able to welcome the first cohort in January and add another grade the following year. They allow some of the buildings to be under construction (like our next set of classrooms), but they need to have a projected end date that won’t inhibit us from adding the next group of students. The government official then traveled to Dodoma (Tanzania’s capital) to formally register the school (which is quite a bureaucratic process involving levels of signatures).
We are at a pivotal moment where the next few months will determine whether we actually can open this coming January – hinging on whether we can get supplies and hire the right people.
Key supplies we need include:
- Science lab apparatus (such as beakers, etc.) for biology, chemistry, and physics labs
- Bunk beds and mattresses
- Dining room tables, chairs, and cabinets
- Textbooks
- Chaplaincy books (Bibles and hymn/praise books)
- Incinerator
The cost for all these supplies adds up to about $30,000. Please watch for our launch of a couple of exciting fundraising campaigns coming soon!
Above: A young avocado tree. Hundreds of fruit trees have been planted on the property to provide both food and a source of income for the school in just a few years!
Finally, we will need to hire a headmistress and teachers. We are relying on our local partners to manage the recruitment and hiring process. If we can get most of these supplies, we will start the hiring process for the headmistress in October. School registration does not mean that we MUST open in January. If we don’t have high-quality staff hired who are invested in the mission of the school, we will wait until we can get the right people.
For those of you who have committed to praying with us, thank you!
- Praise God for favor with government officials. We are THRILLED we have made it through the most difficult part of school registration.
- Please pray the Lord will be preparing the future headmistress, teachers, staff, and students to be part of this school.
- Please pray we will continue to make connections with people who are passionate about intervening on behalf of adolescent girls so that they can live fully transformed lives, free of abuse and injustice in an atmosphere where they can flourish.
Other ways you can help support this project:
- Connect us with others: Help us link up with others who care deeply about the many issues this school is meant to address. Feel free to forward this email to others you think might be interested in partnering, especially as we are in the midst of gathering funds for supplies.
- Consider becoming a monthly partner: We are grateful for each and every donation, but those that come monthly (both small and large) help us to plan with a little more accuracy. Please prayerfully consider if you might become a sustaining partner.
With very great joy,
The ROCKids Tanzania Team
For more information, feel free to email rachjoy@gmail.com