Life in Tanzania is never dull, but some times are harder than others. Currently Northern Tanzania is in a serious drought. Our electricity comes from a hydro dam and the water level has been very low this year. In response to this the government is regulating electricity and our power is cut for 8-10 hours a day for at least 4 days a week.
In addition, water is being rationed which means we have to purchase trucked water for cooking and drinking needs. We have cut back on laundry and other water usage to help get us through this emergency. We have also had to purchase water for the livestock and throttle water to the vegetation to conserve our resources.
Trucking in water is costly ($60-90 a day) and sometimes takes several days due to the demand. Once we are settled in our permanent location, we plan to drill a bore hole to have our own source of water. While this will be an expensive undertaking, it is necessary to provide the girls with a consistent supply of clean, safe water regardless of government rationing.
But even in difficult seasons we have so much to be thankful for! We are a month away from moving to our permanent home. The girls visit on weekends and are very excited, though a bit anxious, to be moving to their new homes and starting at their new school.
The first two houses will be complete by the middle of December, and a third house will be done some time in January. We have decided to house the girls as originally intended, with 12 in each home. The remainder of the girls will be temporarily housed in the multi-purpose building until we raise the funds for two more homes.
In the midst of all this excitement, our mission continues. Social Welfare contacted us and asked that we take in a group four siblings who were found abandoned. We are happy to have them with us until a place is found that takes boys and girls, as the goal is to keep families together whenever possible.
As always, I am grateful for your support of the girls and of the work we are doing to give them the best lives possible. If you would like to be a sponsor, we have a number of girls still waiting.
Blessings,
Rick
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