Support the Kids, 2012
Dear Friends,
Due to the support of many individuals, BooksOpen Foundation had a wonderfully successful 2011. We have four young children in great schools receiving top-quality educations, balanced meals and health care, and loving guidance from faculty and staff. We are in full fundraising mode to raise tuition and board of the four Scholars for 2012, and to expand the BooksOpen roster by at least one this year. Please consider supporting the children this year.
In 2008, BooksOpen first sent two young boys from Rufiji District, Mfaume and Shukuru, to boarding school in Himo, Tanzania. In 2009, a young orphan named Evasia joined them. All three are doing very well. Both Mfaume and Shukuru continue to finish at the top of their classes, and we have reports from our friend, Ali Msuya, that they are jabbering to him in English on their holiday breaks (something that he enthusiastically embraces, as perfecting his English is his top hobby). Evasia is making steady progress, and the teachers and headmaster assure us that she is a bright and competent young student.
Pendo, our blind student, has just transferred from the Irente School for the Blind in the mountains of Lushoto, Tanzania, to a blind school in the capital, Dar es Salaam. The Perkins School for the Blind generously donated a Perkins Brailler to Pendo in October, and so he’ll be very busy typing away over the next few years. Pendo is training to be a teacher to other blind students. He is a big fan of music and loves to play the drums and lead his fellow students in song.
The children and their teachers have voiced their appreciation to donors, and we hope that everyone will enjoy following the four young students as they put their minds to work and begin building more secure foundations for themselves. BooksOpen Foundation focuses on identifying relatively disadvantaged children—in sub-Saharan Africa, this means children who would very likely end up poorer than their neighbors and perhaps in more precarious informal occupations later in life—and, with a wire transfer, changing their lives forever. These are children who would otherwise have almost no chance of going to a decent school, receiving proper health care and nutrition or the kind of guardianship that will allow them to prosper. The simplicity of the story is why BooksOpen Foundation exists: in most contexts, well-rounded education is an unambiguous good that creates happy, confident, and driven young adults who then have the opportunity to become positive role models in their communities. $1,500 per year changes one life, and BooksOpen Foundation is proud to open this door to those who are eager to help. With minimal overhead, almost 100% of donations go directly to the students.
We hope that you will join us in supporting Mfaume, Shukuru, Evasia, and Pendo as they strive to build strong futures. With enough funding, we will be able to enroll another child this year, and build capital reserves for the future. You can make a secure donation and check up on the kids on our website. We have uploaded pictures, videos, and excerpts from the students’ workbooks, and are working hard to improve on how we report on the kids without compromising an appropriate degree of privacy. Please pass on our website to friends and family, and send us suggestions.
If you are interested in becoming a director of BooksOpen Foundation, or would like to play a more active part in helping the nonprofit grow, please contact us. Soon, we will begin periodic (virtual) meetings, and would appreciate your participation.
Thank you for considering a donation to BooksOpen Foundation. We wish you the best!
Asante sana (Thank you),
Nick & Jess
