Marys House
a day care centre for children with intellectual disabilities, BUILT 2015
With the story of Mary in mind, the plan for a new project in Moshi, Tanziania, began in 2013.
Finding a project that is well run to start with, and can ensure that both the funds are used correct and wisely, and also ensures the future of the project is not that easy to come by.
But by chance, I saw one of my friends post something about his niece, Marit Haugland, that had been volunteering at a day care centre for intellectual disabled children in Moshi, the same place I’d visited earlier.
A big problem in Africa is the conditions for children with disabilities. Thought of as a curse, often hidden away, or worse. The day care centre Marit had worked at was well run, but desperately needing new facilities.
The centre was run by BCC and Mosaic, not only a solid organization with strong local bonds, they had the perfect project that needed funding; a day care centre for intellectual disabled children. The name gave itself – Mary’s House.
The goal of raising $15.000 was reached before our visit in September 2014. But it didn’t stop there. While climbing Kilimanjaro I met Joern Hagenguth from Berlin, who rescheduled the rest of his trip, and stayed in Moshi visiting the centres.
Being there. Meeting the children. Meeting the parents. Meeting Shaeli who runs the centre. Meeting the staff that works so hard to create a better future for those you needs it the most. That’s something you don’t forget easily.
And neither did Joern. He engaged his network to raise almost $6000, almost half of my original goal. In total we raised over twice our goal, and the money went to building the day care centre, a community farm, and now also cars for the centres to pick up the kids with during the rainy season.
Experiencing and meeting them made a strong impression. But the thought of the lack of opportunities these children have, where they come from and where the children had been if it had not been for Barb, Rich, Megan, Kelly and the rest of Mosaic, is difficult to be able to imagine. Holding a smiling child who had not been alive if Mosaic had not found him - it cannot be described. This is not just a day care center and an organization that takes care of children during the day. It is a centre that provides children and young people hope, a better life, a life of dignity - and in several cases - saves lives.
This center changes the quality of life of the children who are there radically, giving children a care they deserve. All thanks to all of you who have contributed, I am forever grateful of your help and support making the build of Marys House a reality!
Marys House being built, opened in April 2015
Visiting the old centre
IN SEPTEMBER 2014
Visiting the old centre and meeting the kids and experiencing the mix of joy and suffering was very emotional. I am so proud of Shaeli and the rest of the team that run the centre, who are there every day.
Sliding through the pictures you’ll see all the wonderful kids who get nursing and care during the day, so that their parents can go to work. This centre is one out of ten centres that BCC and Mosaic runs in Moshi, and in some of them they also offer work to the parents. They make batique, bags and produce, and sometimes the kids are also involved in the running of this.
Primus, was taken into the centre when she was 1, malnourished and disabled. She now have a much better life and get proper care from physiotherapists and doctors, as well as excellent care at the centre every day.
The planning
IT ALL STARTED ON A RESTAURANT NAPKIN
The fundraising started early 2014, and I set off for Tanzania in September the same year. With me was my mom, who just turned 70 and got the trip as a present. While we were in Tanzania, we knew we had the sufficient funds to initiate the build, so we could start to plan out the new building for the centre while we were there.
In Moshi we were introduced to everyone who were involved in BCC and the centre. Lucky for us, Rich and Barb Carman was also in Moshi at the time. Rich is the former director the foreign projects at Mosaic, an organization serving people with intellectual disabilities, mainly in the US, but also projects in Romania, Bulgaria and Tanzania.
The first drawings of the house and the layout was made late at night in a local restaurant - on a napkin. Rich and I loved the idea of using the roof style as the tourist lodges, both because of cost but also that it would be a good fit for the centre. To save cost on the windows, we also came up with a blind they could close the window with. Looking back, these ideas weren’t the best, and now new roof and windows is installed.
The building process
EARLY 2015
Marys House today
After the new centre was opened in April 2015, we’ve made some changes. The windows didn’t work as planned, so new windows were fitted about a year later. The windows was paid for after donations at the UN day at Nymansveien Barnehage (kindergarten). The roof is also new, as the idea that I and Rich had also didn’t plan out too well..
Shaeli is still running the centre, and the children are thriving. All news from Moshi isn’t always good, and in 2017 one of the oldest boys died from malaria. Most of the kids are now also going to special schools, while others are at the centre. They have their own vegetable garden where the kids that manage helps out.
