​  Mama Faraji started the home in 2001 with nine children. Today, the orphanage has grown to 3 homes in the neighborhood with nearly 50 children of all ages, with the youngest being just a year and half old.  
 
  Children at the orphanage come from all over Tanzania and are often left in Mama Faraji’s care due to the loss of parents to accidents, cancer, HIV, or more unfortunate circumstances. In some cases, parents have made the heartbreaking choice to leave their children in the orphanage as they cannot afford to take care of the family, as their meagre resources are drained by much needed family medical expenses.
 
  I am grateful to Aviation for Humanity for arranging this visit and providing the little goody bags. The children absolutely enjoyed receiving them, opening them, and exploring their contents. The goody bags contained pencils, pens, color pencils, crayons, erasers, and glider planes. The emphasis at Tuleeni is education and vocational training – those that are supported by sponsors go to private schools and others go to government schools. After high school, students attend college if they can obtain scholarships or sponsors. Young adults also have the opportunity for vocational training such as tailoring, handicrafts making, and other trades.
 
  I am honored to have had the opportunity to visit Tuleeni and spend some time with the children here. The smiles, laughter, energy, and positivity of the children here is both humbling and inspiring, I am looking forward to returning to Tuleeni in 2019.
 
  The students here are much in need of sponsors to continue their education and make their own way in life (http://www.tuleenihome.org).
 
  Many thanks to Wendy van de Loo for helping coordinate the visit.”

Aviation for Humanity would like to thank Paddy!

Aviation for Humanity received an email from volunteers, Loknath and Naresh, who graciously donated their time to bring Aviation for Humanity supplies to several shelters around Kathmandu and neighboring villages. 

Here is their story:

"Recently, we had wonderful privilege to visit three of the several children home supported by Kidstown Intl. We had with us special surprise gifts for children. This was an evening time of their study and homework, we promised them we will not stay but we had something to give each one of them so we had the personal privilege to handover a special gift of little cute writing pencil, and color pencils along with a special bag to put those materials. Kids were so delighted that they were happy to lift up the bag for us with a big smile. The homes we visited were (A) Ashish home (20 kids), (B) Betheden. (10 kids) and (C) Praise home (13 kids).

Ashish Home: The kids come from backgrounds of terrible poverty in their rural villages.  Often the father has gone away with another partner or there is death of a parent and the other parent has abandoned the kids.  Poverty and backward economic situation of those villages contribute to the misfortune of these kids.  And when they come to the Homes supported by Kidstown, they blossom and flourish because of regular food and good education friendship among kids of tremendous differences of caste and creed.  

BethEden: We were so blessed to see the children in their study at night when we went to visit them. These children have come from unbelievable diversity of backgrounds.

Praise Home: This home is so well known for great singing, dancing and love for music.  We had the pleasure of sharing the surprise gifts from AFH that evening.  And it was memorable for us to visit them during their study period.  All welcomed the gifts and we were blessed so much to see the smile in their faces.