A Few Snap Shots!

Every night after a 13 hour school day the kids come home and we help them with their homework before they go to bed!

The kids get all dressed for school every morning then have breakfast and tea before they head off to the bus!

This is the water well they are digging! This man, who isn't so young himself, crawls down 80 feet everyday using just his hands and feet! They have hit water but not enough so they just keep digging!

Here is Mom and the little cutie Ibra! He is three and he understands English very well and has a smile and laugh that will melt your heart! He isn't in school yet so he follows us all around all day!

Putting the finishing touches on the Rafiki house! Hoping to get to move in soon! Still waiting for the water tower to be finished so we have water!

The Neighbour Ernest!

Prior to leaving I had a few people approach me and ask me to observe not only the orphanage but also the community to see where they could help from Canada. At that time I thought their donations toward the water project were more than enough, but after getting here I can see and understand much more.  All the children at Karim have a sponsor in order to go to school, It’s sad to see that there is a child coming up that doesn’t have a sponsor. In order for a child to go to school here it is approximately $900 a year. This educates, dresses and feeds one child for a year. You will see a little boy named Ibra (red shirt) here at Karim that is in many of my photos that will need a sponsor so he can go to school; he is cute as a button!

There is one family that has captured my heart, with a little boy that is should be in school right now. Ernest (Dad), Moma Ellie (Mom), and Ellie(little boy) are neighbours to Karim. Ernest is always smiling and despite only knowing a little English he is the most appreciative man always showing his thankfulness with hugs and smiles. Before Karim came along Ernest’s family lived only in a hut made of cow dung and sticks.  But through the kindness of Linda occasionally providing him with jobs to help maintain and improve Karim he is has been able to purchase one cinder block at a time to slowly build a small cement home.  At this time his house is only half done so he still lives in his old home as well. Ernest is THE HARDEST WORKING MAN I have ever met! 

 His son Ellie is very cute and comes to play with the kids here lots! He is the most content and loving little boy, always happy with a bottle cap or a shoe as a toy! This little boy has no chance at this time to go to school despite Ernest trying to save what he can. Besides working here at Karim from time to time Ernest doesn’t have any other source of income.  If there is anyone that may be interested in helping to sponsor a child I would love to help these little boys get an education!

Rehema

This is a picture of the amazing lady that started and runs Karim! Today she told us the story of why she started Karim. She had a little boy who was hospitalized when he was little and while she was in the hospital she saw many parents leave their sick or disabled children to die at the hospital. She promised herself from that moment on that she would help other children that were in need. This young woman has truly dedicated her life to care for and love these 16 children.  She named the orphanage in honour of her son who passed away. She not only looks after the children but is now attending college. Every morning she is up at 5 a.m. getting the kids all ready for school and then she gets on the bus and heads off to school herself. All these kids are so lucky to have her in their lives!



Hair Cuts!

Today we talked down the road to get the kids hair cuts! It took two hours for all the kids to get their hair shaved. Everyone that passed as we were waiting would always look at us mzungus and some of the younger guys would hang around and just stare at me but we had Juma with us for protection! LOL  We are going to have lunch and then off to do homework with the kids for school tomorrow! Yesterday we just played with the kids and watched movies with popcorn and pop! Yummy! It is very hot but it isn’t bothering me as much as it is Mom! She sleeps with a wet cloth on her head because she gets too hot and flustered. LOL

Hair cuts!

We brought punching bag balloons for the kids and they had a blast singing and dancing with them! We got video of them with the balloons, so cute! It is crazy how hard everyone works here! Back home we work hard but its nothing compared to this. They are digging the well for the water tank and building the cement tower for the tank to sit on and its 36 plus here! The hole for the well is so deep that when you look down you can’t see him down there digging, all you here is him singing! Mom and I are enjoying ourselves and all the kids! It feels like I have been here much longer then two days! The kids make it feel like home! I am trying to learn some more Swahili but most of the kids can understand some English.

Balloons!

The First Night

Mamma Linda had told us to hurry off the plane and gave us instruction for getting our visas. I didn’t exactly expect MY mother to break into a full sprint as soon as her feet hit the pavement though! She assumed I would just catch up but I was laughing to myself too hard.  Thankfully I eventually caught her which turned out to not be a very hard task after all! Haha! Finding Mamma Linda and Rehema wasn’t very hard as Linda was the only mzungu (white person)! Driving to Karim was interesting! Here they drive on the other side of the road typically but really just drive where ever they want! LOL Too bad it was dark when we got here, the villages and shops just off the road would have been cool to see in the light. At times during the drive we could smell food and Linda told us that they were making fires on the road to cook supper. Interesting! The road to Karim was in rough shape to say the least but when we arrived the kids greeted us with hugs and smiles! We stayed up late dancing and singing and getting to know the kids.

The Flight

The flight was actually quite enjoyable for me. I won’t speak for Mom though! LOL But she seemed to handle them. Our first flight left Calgary at 3:30 and when we arrived in Amsterdam we had just over an hour until our next flight. Both of our flights were 8 hours long which was nice as we thought our second flight was 10 hours itself! I only watched 1 of the 7 movies I bought for the flight as I was very happy just to sit down and read for the first time in a long time! Mom on the other hand had issues reading! Every time she started reading she wouldn’t get through more then a page before she fell asleep! So by the time we got to Tanzania she only had 8 pages done when I had read over 300 pages! LOL Mom and I were sure glad we had upgraded our seats for the second flight! More leg room and close to the front of the plane, which came in handy to get off fast! Then we were off to Karim!

Waiting for Our First Flight!

Today I am starting my journey across the world to Africa to fulfill my dream with Mom and Granny! Through our preparations this past year i realized I can’t change the world but I can understand it better. This experience may happen in Africa but I know it will help me in my personal life here in Canada with the understanding of others. I will take with me all of your love and kindness that you have all given and improve the Karim Care Centre for those amazing children. When I sit back and look at where all my donations came from it amazes me. From every area of my life came a donation; from family, friends, school, 4H, and hockey teams. Thanks to all of you! We will be doing a water project while there that is from all of you. I will work hard on your behalf. Well, off we go on the road to Africa! Thanks again! Take care, love you all!  Cianna

Bulldog Girls

As some of you may know I was/am one of the assistant coaches for a girl’s PeeWee hockey team this year! Yes the girls are the same size or bigger then me and they love to bug me about it! Lol But I must say this group of girls as been an amazing team and has brought a lot of laughs to my life! I was hoping I would be able to sneak away at our last practice without anyone saying anything to me about it being my last for awhile, but that didn’t happen! I must say I was touched by the girl’s warm goodbye! You sure made it a lot harder to leave the rink! As a little something to take with me the team signed and decorated pillow cases for all the kids at Karim! To all the girls and parents who helped thank you! It is something that will be very useful and the girls touch just made them more special! Thanks for all the support and great memories! I look forward to seeing everyone when I get back! Coach C

"Makes My Heart Smile"

Can’t believe that tomorrow we will just be one week away from hopping on the plane to Africa! It is really starting to feel real! I am so excited! I talk about it more and more as the days get closer!

To add to the excitement we hit $9000 today and people are still donating! I would like to put out a big thanks to the kids at the Coalhurst Elementary school! The Grade 5/6 Kids of Karim option class are working everyday on projects! They raised $127 in their hot chocolate fundraiser and have a junk sale as well as an ice-cream sale planned! Thank you all so much for being apart of the Karim journey from here at home! I cannot wait to meet your class, It really is a special one!


I now understand why Linda Kinnell says the whole experience “makes her heart smile”! Because my heart is smiling brighter with everyday! I still can not believe the response I have gotten from everyone about my trip! It has been overwhelming in the best way possible and truly “makes my heart smile”!

Scene and Heard

Mark Campbell from Global Lethbridge interviewed Linda on January 10th.  Check it out about two minutes in to the video embedded below!  She mentions me!

Coalhurst Elementary Kids for Karim

A group of eager grade five/six students at Coalhurst Elementary have taken on the challenge of raising money for the kids of Karim! These students are busy writing letters to each of the kids and planning fundraising events. First up is a mini ice cream cone sale planned for next week. The students will also be creating a banner recognizing all of those who generously donated through me to Karim! Watch here for details!