Road To Tanzania (previously Kenya)
Dear Friends and Family,
We are asking for your help in achieving our goal to journey to Tanzania to make a positive difference in the lives of people who suffer great daily hardship and illness. Please help us help them.
As you may know, Saidee has long been passionate about volunteering her time to help others. Her volunteer career began in elementary school when she worked hard over the course of three years raising funds to build houses and buy supplies for the poor and destitute in Nicaragua. Saidee has also volunteered with the West Vancouver Police Christmas Toy Drives and North Shore First Nations Community Clean-up days. At age 14 she became interested the Union Gospel Mission, which does worldwide good works to end homelessness, poverty and addiction. Saidee required an adult to accompany her. I had also done volunteer work through church and on my own as a teen visiting/entertaining the elderly in nursing homes and cutting hair for the disabled as well as fundraising for the United Way. And since I had hoped to do more in future I jumped at the chance. We applied, interviewed, were accepted and we have continued to work in the UGM soup kitchen on a bi-weekly basis over the past 2 years. We always look forward to going to work there.
Laycee unfortunately will not be joining us after all due to personal reasons. Laycee has also volunteered with the West Vancouver Police Toy Drives. Her charity of choice is the Whole Planet Foundation to whom she makes monthly donations. These donations are used, in part, to give micro loans to people in third world countries to enable them to build their own business' and become self supporting.
While we feel it is so important to help out in within the gates of our own community, there is also much to be done beyond our community. And so, after much research, WE HAVE CHOSEN TO VOLUNTEER IN KENYA MARCH 10 - APRIL 10, 2013.
We leave Vancouver on March 10, 2013, traveling to Tanzania to volunteer with International Volunteer Headquarters. There are layovers in Amsterdam and Paris on the flight over which will be exciting too. We will arrive in Nairobi on March 13th.
In Nairobi, we will travel 6 hours by bus to reach Arusha where we will be escorted to our host family's home, where we will stay for the duration of our volunteer mission.
Although we will ultimately be placed where the need is the greatest, we will be in an orphanage. Children are brought to The orphanage from the community by parents who suffer from HIV/AIDS, others by parents who cannot afford to take care of their children and other children who are orphaned. We will help to feed, wash, dress and care for the children as well as teaching English.
We will also be doing outreach home visits to HIV/AIDS affected men and women, giving help and support thrugh food and aid distribution, educating on diet, health, growing vegetables, and counselling to increase awareness and help the country continue to reduce transmission of HIV.
In preparation, we will be taking courses in Vancouver over the next few months.
I have included a cost breakdown of our necessary per person expenses for the mission below.
$243.00 - Registration Fee
24/7 Support for IVHQ Staff program.
Marketing costs
Information package
Administration
Travel costs to inspect programs
Communications with Volunteers.
$490.00 - Program Fee
Airport pick-up
Orientation Program & Supervision
Accomodation & Meals during placement
In Country Support
In Country Administration
$300.00 - Vaccinations
$275.00 - Mandatory Travel / Health Insurance
$100.00 - Canadian Passports
$2000.00 - Round trip tickets to Nairobi
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We don't expect to be able to raise all funds required, but are hoping to raise money toward Registration Fees, Program Fees, Vaccination, Insurance and Passport costs. Which will come to approx. $1,408.00 per person.
We greatly appreciate any donation you are able to give. No amount is too small. We will be working hard raising funds in a variety of ways and will keep you posted.
If you know of anyonewho would be interested in helping to sponsor this kind of trip please share this page.
Thanks again and love to you all,
Melodee and Saidee
If you have any questions please contact us at:
5109 Francisco Drive, North Vancouver, BC V7R 3K4
