Journal Entry by Rick Morro

This year has been flying by and there are so many things to catch up on. Here’s what’s been happening the last 4 months.

Community celebration

At the very end of December, we held our annual community celebration. It was a wonderful time to share with the girls’ families, as well as our local community. We bused in family members and they stayed overnight at the hotel where we used to live. We shared meals and celebrated birthdays. The girls were proud to help serve the food and to show their loved ones our new facilities. They sang Maasai songs and told stories about their lives and education. It was a happy time for everyone.

School update

The girls began a new school year in January. We are so proud of how well they are doing in their classes. The class seven girls just had exams and MGRC girls were the top 8 in their class! This allowed them to take part in a competition with students from other schools in the district.

Recently we shared that the school’s construction project was stalled, leaving classrooms overcrowded and students without working bathrooms. Thanks to our generous supporters, including a matching donation, we were able to raise all of the money needed. Construction has restarted and we are looking forward to sharing pictures of the progress.

Easter

Easter was a time of celebration at MGRC. We decorated the Center and the girls colored eggs. On Easter Sunday we took the girls to church where they happily sang songs to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After the service we went back to the center for a delicious meal. We then had an Easter egg hunt with the eggs we colored the day before. Every girl found her egg and one lucky girl found the special egg and was declared the winner.

Record rainfall

Tanzania has been experiencing weeks of heavy rainfall which has led to widespread flooding and at least 155 deaths reported by Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). We are blessed that our Center is located at the top of the hill, but we haven’t come through unscathed. Our well and water pump are at the bottom of said hill and was underwater. The pump’s located under ground to protect it from theft and vandalism. We will have to repair and relocate it above ground, as well as come up with a way to keep it secure. Until the waters recede, we won’t know the extent of the damage or how much this unplanned expense will be.

We were rationing water for weeks. The government turned on the water for us for a couple of hours each night which allows us to get a little water in our tanks. Fortunately, the rain means that the farm is thriving, so we just need water for the care of the girls. With this many teenagers, we look forward to returning to daily showers! We are grateful for our location and praying for our neighbors who have been displaced by the flooding.

ecoFarm

As mentioned, the farm is doing well in the rain. Last year we planted lots of fruit trees and we are starting to reap the benefits. We just had our first crop of oranges and avocados, and not long ago our banana trees started producing. Having access to all of this fresh fruit is such a blessing for the girls. They love having even more variety in their meals. Unfortunately, Freddy the farm dog has also discovered a penchant for avocados, so we have to keep an eye on him!

Birthday celebrations

At MGRC it is important to us that each girl knows that she is loved and known by God, and by us. So at the end of each month we celebrate birthdays. Each girl has her own cake with her name on it. The birthday girls dress up and take turns leading songs and feeding bites of cake to their house mothers and friends in the Tanzanian tradition. And what makes it even more special is that we now have girls who have learned how to bake and decorate cakes, as well as make ice cream! They are proud of their creations and love getting to share them with their friends.

Day-to-day life

During the week the girls spend the majority of their time at school. But on the weekends we have created a chore rotation. On Saturdays the girls do small chores such as helping in the kitchen, baking, and pulling weeds at the farm and around the center. We believe this is an important part of their development, and they enjoy being helpful.

The new facilities have added so much joy to the girls’ free time. They love the playground and sports fields. We have divided them into two teams for football (soccer) games. We are planning on having more competitions with other children from the local community.

MGRC continues to grow with the addition of several new girls and staff members. And we look forward to continued growth as we work towards building the ecoLodge. We are grateful for our faithful supporters who continue to help us change the lives of so many Maasai girls.