HELP Teams Up with Your Sisters!

Jambo from the Wazungu!

We and other HELP-International volunteers arrived in the lovely country of Tanzania on June 14th to meet the rest of our team.  We were full of enthusiasm and ready for the adventures to come.  We were lucky to meet Libby while pulling out our first Tanzanian shillings at the ATM.  She told us about Your Sisters, their plans for the future and the many volunteer opportunities available.  We were excited to hear about the home and education she and the organization provide for orphan girls as well as the opportunities for women in the community.  

A couple days later Libby invited us to the center to meet the girls.  Mama Sion opened her home to us and immediately made us feel like family.  We met the girls, who each have unique personalities and endless energy.  They were quick to find a spot in our hearts.  Expecting only a short meeting, we were surprised when Mama Sion cooked us an amazing, traditional African meal.  After we finished stuffing our faces with her delicious cooking, the neighborhood kids and the orphan girls couldn’t wait to play.  They taught us a game similar to one-sided dodgeball, we had a blast.  We were then given a quick tour of the grounds and finished an incredible evening with a song the girls had written about being orphans; even with the language barrier, it touched our hearts.  After only one night, it was hard for us to leave Your Sisters. 

Libby told us that the Maasai hut they use as their kitchen was no longer safe and needed to be knocked down and replaced.  We were eager to provide our new African family with what they needed.  We showed up bright and early the next morning with axes, hammers, rakes and shovels!  We worked long and hard all day, and by four p.m. we were filthy with dust, and there was a large pile of dirt and wood where the structure had once stood.  


Even though Mama Sion and staff had been given a temporary kitchen to work in, she still wouldn’t let us leave with empty stomachs.  We can’t wait to finish getting the fundamentals in place to start working on a more permanent building for the orphanage.

We have been so blessed to have the opportunity to work with Your Sisters and are excited for the next few weeks that we will spend with this wonderful organization! 

~HELP-International Team of Volunteers