Nathan's Tanzania Trip

Dear Friends and Family,
 
Along with other students and staff from my boarding school, I have decided to take a trip to Moshi, Tanzania. I will be going from February 21 – March 11, 2018.  While in Tanzania, our group will be learning about the culture and environment of the local area and the region. We will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and observing wildlife at the Ngorongoro Crater. Over half of our trip will be committed to service work at the Longuo Primary School, as well as an orphanage in Moshi.

When I asked my parents to support me in this trip to Tanzania, I had several reasons why I wanted to go on this trip.  Why this trip?  I feel like God is leading me that this is an opportunity I need to take advantage of in 2018.  My Mom would often talk to me about mission trips with our church, and while they sounded interesting, it was never something I was passionate about.  When I heard about the trip to Tanzania here, I started to think about it a lot and pray about where God is leading me.  I met with my parents over Thanksgiving and explained why I wanted their support for this trip (I even dressed up and wrote out my list and why I am thankful), and thankfully they offered their prayers and support.  I feel like this trip will help me be more grateful for what I have, and give me a different persective about the world.  There is so much that we will do to help the communty and help children in the orphanage.  Most people know that I am adopted from the Marshall Islands, and I really feel that working with the children in Moshi and at the orphanage will be an invaluable experience for me.  My parents have done so much for my safety and my health and future.  This trip is a wonderful opportunity for me, one that will offer some incredible life-changing experiences, education opportunities, physical challenges in hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro, and a way to really give back and appreciate everything that I have in my life.  If you would like to support me in prayer, I would greatly appreciate it.  I could also use some financial support for travel costs and for the projects that I describe below.  My goal is to remove as much as possible the financial burden for this trip off of my parents.   You can donate using the information below, or through this Go Fund Me site.  Any amount and every prayer will be appreciated.  

This year our project at the primary school is going to be to finish the local community center, which is located on the school grounds. It needs electricity, water, windows, and flooring. The community center will create economic opportunities for the town and the school by allowing them to host events and rent the space. They will also gain a cleaner, more efficient and
practical area to prepare and cook meals for the students. Currently, they are preparing all of the school lunches outside in a fire pit and bringing water from the local well. We hope that our fundraising will enable us to provide everything needed to complete this project.
 
Two years ago we helped repair classrooms that had been damaged by fire and left in ruins. Last year we helped to get more classrooms up and running and added a computer lab, which we furnished with desks and all the computers. Our funding also provided computer training for all the teaching staff.  We created a library in a classroom, including the shelving for all the books. Along with this, we added electricity to the whole building and brought water closer to the school.
 
At each visit to Tanzania, we volunteer at the local orphanage, which is severely understaffed and underfunded, where we help care for and play
with the children. I'm excited to be part of this work, and I believe this trip will be a life-changing experience for children in need in Moshi, and for me.

Tanzania has a population of 38 million people; of that, approximately 4 million children under the age of 14 living on the streets or in orphanages. In Moshi, the town where we will be volunteering, there are approximately 6,000 kids living on the street without assistance of any kind. My boarding school has partnered with Rustic Volunteer and Travel, an organization dedicated to helping those in need. They own or sustain orphanages on three continents around the world, providing children with basic needs, such
as food, water, shelter, immunizations, and education. Poverty, abuse, AIDs, and alcoholism have left many children in Tanzania without families, depriving them of the parental love, support, and care they need. Rustic Volunteer projects aspire to change the situation of these children by providing caring and nurturing volunteers to work and play with them. Our
work with these children and your assistance can help keep these children off the street and help provide them with safe, healthy, happy and productive childhoods. Our love and support as volunteers is the most important element for these disadvantaged children.
 
We are raising funds for the school and orphanage and would appreciate your help.  I am also raising funds to assist with the travel costs for this trip through this Go Fund Me site. If you would like additional information about this foundation, you can visit the Rustic Volunteers website at http://www.rusticvolunteers.org/.
 
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this and for helping me in any way that you can.
 
Sincerely,

Nathan Almquist