Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Volunteers Bring Children's Books


We are so grateful for the donations and efforts made by our volunteers and their families and friends to bring down a whole suitcase full of children's books this month. The moment the books were delivered was priceless. The girls were so excited to have books of their very own for the first time. These books will help empower, educate, encourage, and teach each of them. Thank you for the fabulous books!


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Monday, July 2, 2012

Help YOUR SISTERS Reach July Goal!






A couple weeks ago our volunteers knocked down our 23-year-old mud hut that was falling apart and had become unsafe.  This left Your Sisters without a kitchen, one of the liveliest and most vital parts of any home or shelter.  Though this was the safest thing for us to do, it left Mama Sion, the orphanage Head Mother, with only a small, temporary makeshift kitchen for cooking.


Now we need your help to build a new, safe kitchen where Mama and staff can prepare meals for the girls and family at Your Sisters.  Plans have been drawn for a new Maasai roundhouse kitchen and eating hut, but no progress can be made until we receive enough funding.  Our goal is to raise $15,000, the ultimate cost for the project, by the end of July!


So here's what we need from you ... a donation! Whether it's $5 or $5,000, any amount will help Your Sisters build the replacement kitchen, program room and complete bathroom, each of which is vital to the progression and expansion of Your Sisters Orphanage!

What can your money do for us?

.      $100 can purchase around 200 bricks
.      $250 can help us buy our very first toilet ever
.      $500 can purchase supplies for the roof
.      $1,000 can get our foundation in place
.      $5,000 buys the framing cost  (Or 1/3 of our center ... woohoo!)
.      $15,000   *PURCHASES THE ENTIRE CENTER !!!!!*

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Here is What We All LOVE About AFRICA.....


The BABIES....!!!



Our First Travelers Arrive!



What a month was had! Summiting Kilimanjaro, volunteering and generously supporting the orphanage, as well as taking in the best of safari!! We had the most fun! Your Sisters thanks our first group of visitors so dearly for all they brought for the girls in the way of clothes, games, and resources.  We treasured every moment with and will miss you indeed. Here is a little of what they shared as well as some highlight pic's!












"Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Beyond the wonders of Mount Kilimanjaro and the incredible safari adventures, the girls at Your Sisters and the people of Tanzania have touched my life.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the wonderful people at Your Sisters!  For you care, thoughtfulness, and attention to the finest details.  I may have to leave, but you will be with me always."
-Todd Miller, San Francisco, CA

"Remarkable experience unmatched by any other by this 50+ country world traveler.  Personal touches abound!  Attentive + flexible at every turn.  Even four+ weeks leaves us wanting more + more.  Your Sisters travel offers every possible design to your adventure from fully managed activities to allowing us to venture out on our own.  We cannot imagine a more perfect collection of special life-changing memories.  We leave Your Sisters with heavy, heavy love-filled hearts, and we will return!"
-Kelly Weaver, Seattle, WA

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

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

Monday, June 25, 2012

A Letter From Your Little Sister


Hi, I am one of the little girls at Your Sisters Orphanage.

I am shy, but giggling with excitement to have this opportunity to meet you and to speak to you. For you to hear my voice.

They call me an orphan because I lost my parents. I don’t much prefer to be called an “orphan” because I believe that life brings family and blessings in so many ways. That is what my Bibi Grandma always said. I couldn’t believe how blessed I was to come here to this place they call Your Sisters.

We have a secret here amongst us girls…that blessings will find their way to you each day…IF ALL YOU DO IS SMILE. But you can’t just smile with your face…the secret part is…you have to smile with your heart. My grandma also taught me that you have to give thanks each and every day for what you do have. That is all.
So everyday when I get nice food to eat and I have warm clothes now and this loving family, I can’t believe it. I’m even learning to read and write. I can’t explain how happy it makes me…and my sisters, too.

The part I like most is being around these people who care so much. I also love bread with Blue Band butter and writing new words with colored pencils.

I am so lucky to have been brought here to this special place.

Me and my sisters are so happy to be in class together everyday. We’ve been learning simple exercises, reading, writing in our own lesson books and learning to speak two languages!

We know that you are the ones helping us. We know that it is because of YOU that we have beds to sleep in and even a net to protect us from mosquitoes and horrible malaria. It is because of you and your help that soon we will have our own clean running water at the orphanage for washing ourselves and drinking. That way Mama doesn’t have to break her back carrying all the extra water so far for us in buckets each day.

We know that plans are being made for this whole center and very soon I will have many more little sisters in my family.

I say prayers every night at bedtime. I say prayers giving thanks for you and all of your help. For helping this place to be and for helping me to be here.