Milestones, achievements and records -- Newsletter December 2016

Three Amani Achievers

Kelvin, Leloo and Getruda were the three proud winners of the kids run in the Kiliradio Marathon 2016! They won some cool medals and a cash prize that they generously donated to share with the other children at Amani.

They are making you proud. Not only because they are good runners, but because they are such great role models, inspiring so many other children to believe that success is possible.

Our youngest supporter - Meet Dany

Dany is a six-year-old boy from Dubai blessed with a generous heart.He doesn’t like to know that other children in the world are suffering, and when he heard about Amani he decided to do his bit to help.

Dany saved all his small weekly allowances for months to send a donation to Amani Children’s Home, to help children who needed that money more than him. We were really moved when we received Dany’s donation and a letter for one of the Amani Children.

And then he did it again!! He worked many paid chores through the summer to send another donation to Tanzania. We are sure that Dany, over the years, will make a difference in the lives of many people in need.

From Tanzania, we send a very special THANK YOU to our good friend Dany for his amazing generosity, and to Mina, who visited Amani in 2014 and ever since has been a great Ambassador for the Amani children, and who introduced Dany and his parents to our work.

Inspired by Dany's Story?

You can also do your part! This holiday season, will you raise funds to build a new center for street children in Arusha?

We are looking for generous people - like you - to make sure that, in 2017, homeless children in Arusha can always find a safe place to sleep at night.

Will you pledge your Christmas presents to help homeless children? You can start your own fundraising campaign through the page of Friends of Amani UK or Friends of Amani US ; Or send an email to Ana (ana@amanikids.org) if you have questions or need any help.

33 Primary Graduates - Amani's Record!

At the end of this 2016 you have 33 reasons to celebrate; 33 former homeless children - including 9 girls - proved to you that your support makes a difference. In September 2016, all these children graduated from primary school successfully and there was a big party to show them how proud we are of them.

The results of the examinations were out in November; 32 of the students have passed the exams (almost 100%). On average in Tanzania only 60% of the students pass. We feel. so great! Even more so because ALL 20 students from our in-house fast-track school passed their exams – one hundred percent success for the sixth year in a row!

“We grew up in difficult circumstances and never thought we would graduate from school. We want to say thank you to Amani and all the donors who have given us the opportunity to get an education and have a better future.”

This is an important milestone that opens the doors to many possible futures. With your support, these children can reach for the stars! Thank you for believing in them.

Focus On A Child: Isaac

It was the worst night of his life and Isaac was in despair. He just couldn’t believe it! He was rounded up from the streets by the police and now his life was destroyed. And why? He hadn’t done anything wrong. He just wanted to earn some money to go to school. Now, he would be sent to a correctional center, or to jail and - at only 13 - that would be the end.

Since he left home everything had gone wrong. Isaac's dream was to finish school and have a “normal life”. But his family was in a tough situation and he had to drop from school. He decided to go to Arusha - “the big city” - to try to earn some money. But after reaching there and becoming homeless, he realized it all had just been a dream; his life would not change for the better and he would be on the streets forever.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to go to school and plan for my future like other children, but I would remain on the streets."

Fortunately, Isaac's luck was to turn that night. The police decided to give Isaac a chance and the next morning they put him on a bus to Moshi. They told him to go to Amani Children’s Home where he would get help.

Isaac was one of this year's 33 primary school graduates. Do you want to hear him telling his story? Watch this video!

On behalf of Isaac, and for many other children like him, we want to send a special thank you to all the members of our Monthly Giving Club; because you are there – day in day out – to help these children grow up and achieve success in their lives. Would you like to join these monthly supporters? Learn more here!

Christmas ya Watoto

The Christmas party is - without a doubt - the children's favorite Amani day. We celebrate Christmas in November because some of the children who study in our special school will go home to spend the holidays with their families. It is a children's day and everyone is welcome: the Amani kids, the neighbors' kids, and the caregivers' kids. And they all get their special Christmas gift!

From Tanzania we wish you a great time with your loved ones during the holiday season. Merry Christmas!!