New Focus New Targets for Mtwara Volunteering Crew 2012

Fundraising efforts so far!!!

Due to the community getting a second hand ambulance through different means our annual target and sustainable project had to change. 

Amin and Maria went again to Mtwara last summer 2012, the purpose being continuing their cooperation projects in Amin's birthplace. In this occasion, Berta Alonso Alonso joined them in their endeavor to help.

   

This expedition followed last expedition MVC Volunteers did in 2009 when they visited Mtwara with Elisa Scarato. Last July 2012 Amin and Maria managed to put all the monies fundraised by Mtwara Volunteering Crew (a small NGO group formed by friends and family) up until 2 years ago, towards the following charity work:

• MVC have managed to help the orphan student Yusuf Said again. MVC volunteers interviewed him and he told MVC volunteers about the significance change in his life after MVC members helped him to go finish his secondary education by paying towards his fees in 2007 and then again to apply for a university place in 2008. Fortunately thanks to MVC paying to his university fees for this academic year, he will complete his last year at university and he will become a teacher (he is an ambassador to the orphanage where we first met him in 2008. He now studies and works at the same time to further help paying his fees and living).

    

• This time we have also paid for 39 school uniforms and equipment as a priority for the other orphans from Rahaleo EAGT.Likewise we paid for a sewing machine for a housewife that is maintaining the family and his recently gone blind husband, she is a tailor, so she suggested to us that a new sewing machine would help her family's maintenance and life as a whole.

    

• Furthermore, MVC bought a recording device (Dictaphone) for the radio presenter at Pride FM, Mtwara that helped out advertising on the radio station what MVC did, since 2008 onwards he has followed us (Elisa, Amin and I) and advertised on radio all the activities MVC have done to help the community and to raise awareness of our group. Then MVC has helped one of the people from Mtwara who has lived infected of AIDS by his dead later wife for a few years now, His son has helped MVC crew a lot in our two previous fieldworks so we thought of helping him with some nourishing food worth £100 as a way of thanking Mohammed for helping us to do our volunteering job.

• Moreover, MVC has used up the rest of the money towards rewards for the best 5 students at the orphanage Rahaleo EAGT to encourage them to continue studying and succeeding like Yusuf Said in their future lives and careers.

• Last but not least, MVC visited a group of unemployed men carpenters, have recently joined as a cooperative and needed tools. MVC volunteers were happy to distribute to them some electric carpentry machines worth £600. These were donated by AECOM branch in St. Albans, UK.

• Mtwara has changed slightly from the first time we went in 2008, the gas company is building housing for some expats that are going to be working there for a while. The cashew nuts company is employing now 4000 people from Mtwara, which is helping out a lot in terms of employment numbers. So now, our main focus is helping underprivileged students like the orphans and some casual cases of people living with aids or other diseases. MVC lives have moved on different ways since our group started due to all the NGO members living in different countries, Nonetheless, MVC Crew active members would like to continue inviting new members to join our course and endeavor even if it is by running little sustainable projects one month long. We can delegate on people from Mtwara to continue running them once we are gone. Maria found out that the community that needed an ambulance already got one so things are improving. Unfortunately, members from Spain due to the financial situation in the world have had to prioritize and change their focus and objectives in life for the time being. Nonetheless, they all encouraged Amin and Maria to continue if so they could and wanted. Elisa and Maria still want to climb Kilimanjaro and a new member, Kimberly Shamey will join them soon. They are determined to do Kili, one way, or the other.

MVC Volunteers hope all their present and potential supporters are doing well.

Please do not hesitate contacting Amin or Maria if you want to join their course. Every little helps and means the world to them.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon

Mtwara Volunteers