Rotary Happenings: Rotarians learn about Amani Children’s Home in Tanzania
Around the world, it is often the children who suffer from choices made by adults. The Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club recently heard from Chris Hamilton, a member of the Damariscotta Newcastle Rotary in Maine, who spoke about the inspiring story of a charity in Tanzania that is caring for children who have been forced to live on the streets.
Since 2001, Amani Children’s Home has been a haven of peace and safety for Tanzania’s most vulnerable who, because of poverty, neglect, family breakdown, losing one or both parents, and verbal, physical and sexual abuse, have been left homeless. The charity is committed to reducing the number of children living on the streets by providing a nurturing place for them to heal, grow and learn. Once children are identified as being in need, they are given the option to live at the home. They are given medical care, since many arrive malnourished and in poor health, three meals a day and education, including life skills to restore hope in their lives.
Amani Children’s Home is committed to providing educational opportunities for each child it works with to develop responsible and self-reliant young adults. Many did not complete primary school because of the expense of schooling and the families need for their children to tend their farms and livestock. The charity supports children in the local primary and secondary schools. It also supports older children in vocational training programs so that they may study carpentry, electrical repair and mechanics.
A main goal of the Amani Children’s Home is to reunite the children with extended family members who can take them in. However, it can be a difficult task when many families live on unnamed, rough-terrain roads with no access to telephones or electricity. Often a child’s relative, once located, is able to provide a safe and loving home, but they cannot afford to feed and educate them. In this case, it will assist the family with the child’s food and education expenses allowing the child to live with the family. To date, the Amani Children’s Home has brought more than 1,000 formerly homeless children into the care of loving families.
The Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club holds a meeting on Fridays at 8 a.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, and via Zoom; doors open at 7:30 a.m. To attend in person, email William.Harkey@gmail.com before the meeting. For more information, visit sanibelrotary.org or www.facebook.com/sancaprotary.