--Article from the Amani Children's Home March newsletter --

 Amani is making it possible for families to live together.

March brings heavy rains in Tanzania. Many families rely on these rains for their livelihood. Without them, crops wouldn’t grow and animals and people would go thirsty. But the rains also present a significant challenge for many families. The heavy rains can jeopardize the structural integrity of family homes, which are traditionally made from mud and wood. When the season ends, many families’ homes are in disrepair. Families living in poverty are often unable to make the repairs necessary to live in a home that is safe, dry, and clean.

At Amani, our goal is to find a safe and healthy home in the community for all of the children we work with.

Finding a relative who is willing to care for a child is just one part of making a successful reunification. We must also ensure that the child has the opportunity to continue their education, enough food to eat, and a safe place to live. This year Amani will be repairing 7 family homes by patching leaky roofs, replacing rotted wood, and repairing damaged walls.

One of these families is the Severins. Cornell, Emmanuel, and Theresia Severin were abandoned by both their mother and father in 2004. A village elder, desperate to help the young siblings, brought them to Amani for help. The Severin children lived at Amani for 3 years while our social workers searched for their relatives. In 2007 their aunt was located and agreed to care for the children. The kids began school and began a new life with their aunt. However, the aunt’s neighbors produced homemade alcohol and it became apparent that the environment was unsafe for children.

The aunt suggested the children move to their grandmother’s house in a nearby village. The grandmother was happy to have the children live with her, but when Amani’s social workers visited her home they realized that this wouldn’t be possible. Her tiny one room house made of mud and sticks was unsuitable for the three school-age children.

“The children were so eager to live with their grandmother that they began collecting stones from the river,” says Amani’s Social Work Coordinator Japhary Salum. “When I asked them what they were doing, they told me they were going to build a new house to live in.”

Japhary discussed the Severin’s situation with Amani’s Director and Board of Trustees and it was agreed that a second room should be built for Cornell and Emmanuel, the two young boys. Construction is now underway on the room. Amani is committed to giving children the opportunity to grow up as part of a loving family whenever possible, and in the case of the Severin children and many others, this goal will soon become a happy reality.