By Charlotte S. Hunter
05-13-2009
This beautiful poem was written and performed by a talented young woman named Alicia at a recent Pocketful of Joy fundraiser.
Thank you Alicia!
Would it Be Cliché to Say
Do you have a pocketful of joy?
If you did would you give it away
If you had what it took to help a broken home become complete would you
Would you let what you have be what helps build a house up
If somewhere down by the lint you could reach and help teach that little girl her ABC’s would you, give it out
Could someone who doesn’t know a number past their left and right thumb or their right and left pinky count on you to make amends
To help them know when it’s time to celebrate their 13th, 17th, or 21st year
If you had what it took to give them a full smile
Enough to fill a gap or two
Would you?
Educate yourself beyond the books in what gives those less endowed hope?
Would you?
Be willing to walk a mile in the shoes of a person who couldn’t afford them?
Couldn’t ask you how to tie laces because they don’t have ‘em
But if I asked you to help them tie up loose ends will you
Not asking for much
As you sit with the liberty to your picks of food
They’re waiting to go to school and have another course of porridge day in and day out they walk an hour to get what some of us would call scraps
And still they smile
Uniforms we get to buy they find pride in making during school
Crayons we get and break up, neglect after the box is somewhat less than sharp
They are just seeing for the first time and using till they are no more
If their happiness was a color you could paint with would you?
I know what I am saying may sound a bit cliché
But sometimes simplicity is the best way to attract one’s mind
And this is why I am laying it all out on what I seem to think is a very straight line
Starting with A for Action and ending at Z for Zucchini because I know if I make it that far then those things in between will be fulfilled
And if you stopped at the midpoint of money and thought that was all I was talking about than you have to back it up further to the letter H so I could say Honey it’s much more than the green that’s in your pocket
If you reached in your pocket I’d want you to start
With a real Affection Because if you were to reach a little further you’d touch upon Compassion
Dig a little Deeper and come upon a Eagerness to Fill Great Little Hands in Tanzania with Intelligence than in your pocket Joy shall be found
I say if you have a passion to see children succeed in life
Than there is nothing too great or too small that I can have you take from your pocket
I just ask would it be cliché if I let you know that you hold on to a Pocketful of Joy
05-12-09
Hello! It is interesting to be back in the US after being in Tanzania for two months.
Our children are wonderful and full of life. They send you greetings and hope one day to meet you.
A lot has happened since my last visit to Tanzania. We completed our third water cistern this year and now the students at Nyatataare Primary School no longer have to bring water to school for the porridge. We gave out 93 pair of eyeglasses as well as medication for the children who had eye infections. There were also a few children that we took to the hospital for medical care. Later this year the dental team will return to treat the students. The gardens are getting huge and the crops are doing very well despite the monkey problem.
I love being in Tanzania and miss the children a great deal. We are in the process of scheduling speaking engagements here in the US and are hoping to be able to communicate the incredible amount of work that has been done in this very small corner of Tanzania.
There are now 48 students assisting the community elders as part of the work study program, school uniforms continue to be made, the healthcare and meal programs are well and buildings continue to be repaired. We are always working to create an environment that supports our students and their well-being.
The care and love that our Tanzanian directors are giving to the programs is both heartwarming and inspiring.
Happy spring!!
-Charlotte
01-19-2009
I arrived in raining Amsterdam safely and am celebrating my 60th birthday with my dear friends Lynn and Eddie who have prepared a fabulous meal. Before I depart for Tanzania tomorrow we will have another one to celebrate the inauguration of our 44th President.
Preparing for this journey is always a miracle. There is a feeling that comes deep in the pit of my stomach as I try my best to answer all the phone calls and close my business for the coming months. My plate is very full this year because I’ve decided to attend college while running a non-profit organization, as well as my business. It is a busy but exciting time.
To be continued…
12-12-08
It has taken me time to do this, but here it goes. I have exactly one month and six days before I return to Africa. Transition is happening in my heart all the time. It is exciting to think of reuniting with the children and the co-directors. Exciting to see the new water cistern (Mrs. Temu is quite proud of it) and excited to smell, taste and hear the sounds of Africa. There is nothing like Africa and I have done some traveling in my life.
The children are incredible and yes, a lot more cash is needed, but the love that we share cannot be measured in things. The joy we share, the dancing and the screams of delight from them and from me. Last year a group of first graders did their best to take me to their homes - I would have gone, but the rest of the children in Nyakataare were putting on a relay race for me.
As much as I love having guests, we are not equipped for visitors. In time perhaps we can and will be more available to receive visitors, but right now we need to continue focusing on the needs of the children and do all that we can to assure that our programs continue. There is just so much more that I would love to do and we are only five years old. However, we have accomplished a lot, built two libraries, three water cisterns (which hold 48,000 liters of rain water) and implemented an agricultural program – just to name a few.
The exciting thing about the agricultural projects is that we started them at Byeya Primary School and then Ntoma. To my delight this year when I return to Tanzania, Nyakataare will have begun their own garden with minimal funding from us. To me it is exciting because they have created it themselves. They only requested for us to provide funding for manure and barb wire.
A nearby school heard of our meal program and they were inspired to begin a meal program of their own. These are small steps towards self sufficiency but very large steps I believe for the communities. Our sewing program encouraged a young woman to begin a small tailoring business in her community.
We continue to provide eye care and dental care as well as information about malaria prevention through the usage of bed-nets which we will distribute. The work-study program continues to be successful. The cementing of floors and the planting of 5,000 trees is well under way. A carpentry program that provides instruction to anyone in the community interested in learning the trade is now offered by a master carpenter. The tools were donated by some friends from Vermont.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I will continue to keep you updated as I prepare myself for the journey to Tanzania….
Bye for now,
Charlotte