News
Dear New Life Foundation board members and supporters
Greetings from NLF Tanzania. It is my pleasure to once again touch base with our friends, donors, and supporters, and give updates on various projects currently in progress here at New Life Foundation Tanzania.
Contained herein is a short annual update of various projects and activities currently ongoing at New Life Foundation Tanzania. With the grace of God, we have made some steady progress over the last year on many of our ongoing projects. We have revived our long-stagnant construction project of the story-building at the primary campus and our farms have produced consistent yield over the previous year. A lot of this is thanks to your generous donation and support which continues to touch the lives of many children here in Tanzania. Blessings,
Glorious Shoo
TANZANIA UPDATE
Condition of the children
Thanks to your kind donations and prayers our students are not only thriving academically, but they are very healthy. This is in large part due to the healthy meals provided at the school, the variety of sports activities after class hours, the restful and peaceful environment at the school, and of course, the grace of God that sustains and nourishes our spirit and body. m
Healthwise
Over the last year, students have not only enjoyed a more diversified balanced diet but have also enjoyed quite a bit of choice food as well. In addition to the regular food, our Chicken Project supplemented the children’s diet with eggs and chicken, our farms also produced sufficient quantities of food crops that added variety to the regular diet.
Spiritually
Thanks to a fruitful partnership between International Children’s minister, Lauren Wiberg, and New Life Foundation, our students’ spiritual lives are better than ever! Our students ministered in the largest children's festival of its kind in Moshi, and receive regular, interactive online lessons from the children’s minister.Academically
We had a 100% pass rate of all our students who sat for the Form 4 national examinations last year. Form 4 is the last year of Ordinary Level (O Level) secondary school education in Tanzania which roughly equates to year 11 of school for students.
The Secondary School Project
The new secondary building currently under construction sits at a spacious 8-acre piece of land owned by New Life Foundation Tanzania. The plot of land is situated about a 10 minutes drive from the Headquarters. The current progress of the construction project is as follows:The Foundation: The most expensive and laborious part of the project so far. Given the size of the building, the nature of the soil, and the uneven terrain of the area, this step posed an engineering and logistical challenge. It required a deeper-than-usual foundation depth which meant more manpower, resources, etc.
Walls: The walls were erected soon after the foundation of the building was set in place. They enclose four classrooms, two sets of toilets and bathrooms on each end, and a corridor at the center.
The Roof: The entire 52m long building is roofed with iron sheets. This involved a deep framework process which was later by iron sheets. Plastering and flooring: The entire walls and floor of the building are plastered and floored. What is left to be done
Plumbing and drainage: Due to the ongoing rainy season in the area, it is especially challenging properly install a drainage system in the building this time. The wet season not only makes it challenging to install a drainage system in the area, but it makes it unsafe for the workforce given the amount of digging that is expected to happen. This step will follow soon after the wet season has subsided enough to allow the safe installation of a plumbing system.
Painting: Like plumbing, it is best advised to paint the building in the dry season. The regular rainfalls pose a risk of washing out the new paint and may discolor some parts of the building. Final touches: Finally, the remaining part of the project would be to finalize some touches such as installing windows, doors, and the wiring system.
Prognosis The lead project manager, Eng. Maro estimates the first phase of the project is nearly 82% completed with major a major final push of the project expected to be soon after the rainy season which is expected to end in mid-June. The building is expected to host NLF’s secondary school students. It is part of a grand plan to relocate the current secondary school buildings and facilities to the new area which is also expected to host major infrastructures like sports fields and dining hall. The first phase involves the construction of four classrooms some of which may be used as dormitories during the first phase of relocation.
Painting: Like plumbing, it is best advised to paint the building in the dry season. The regular rainfalls pose a risk of washing out the new paint and may discolor some parts of the building. Final touches: Finally, the remaining part of the project would be to finalize some touches such as installing windows, doors, and the wiring system.
Primary School
New Life Foundation owns a total of 43 acres, including a newly purchased piece of land adjacent to the Primary Campus. Construction at the Primary School Campus Following the successful completion of the ground floor of the projected multi-story building at NLF’s primary school in 2018, the second phase of the project continued earlier this year. The second phase of the project involves building two floors on top of the current ground floor building. The multi-story building is expected to house classrooms, a computer laboratory, a dining hall, and teachers’ offices. The project is currently on hold pending statutory paperwork from the local government. This paperwork and permit approvals are typical of multi-story building projects and it is expected to continue once the approval is confirmed. The Library building Last year marked the successful completion of a library building at New Life Foundation primary school. The modern library was designed and constructed from empty freight containers that had once transported and stored food for the students. The newly innovative library is now a colorful resource of educational material for both teachers and students. The project was sponsored by supporters from the USA and is equipped with modern facilities like Air Conditioning, glass windows, and wood flooring making it a popular spot on campus.
The farm Project
New Life Foundation Tanzania is blessed to have over 25 acres of arable purchased by our supporters around the world. Over the last year, the farms have been a constant source of fresh, nutritious food for the school. This includes a variety of crops such as maize and beans, popular stable foods in Tanzania. Other crops harvested from the farms over the last year include tomatoes, vegetables, and pawpaw fruit. It is currently the rainy season in Tanzania and maize crops and beans are sprouting from the farms. Our farm manager, Frank Ng’oo estimates it will be a successful harvest!
Newly paved Primary School Campus
In a major step to promote a clean and safe environment at our Primary School Campus, all the walkways and open area was neatly paved. This project was 100% funded by our supporters. This upgrade eliminates the persistent dust problems during summer and sticky mud problems during the rainy season.
Professional Development for NLF staff
This year the administrator at New Life Foundation Head Quarters in Moshi, Mrs. Irene Kivuyo, went for a professional development program in the USA. The program was brought about through a partnership between NLF and Cincinnati Christian Schools (CCS) in the USA where Mr. Ray Kochis, serves as the Superintendent of the schools. In previous years, NLF ran a similar exchange program with Hebron Christian College in New Zealand where staff would go to New Zealand for a professional development program.
University Land 20 Bomang'omb e 9 Secondary School Land 8 Primary School Campus 4.5 Fountain of Zoe Campus 1.5 The Prognosis The lead project manager, Eng. Maro estimates the first phase of the project is nearly 82% completed with major a major final push of the project expected to be soon after the rainy season which is expected to end in mid-June. The building is expected to host NLF’s secondary school students. It is part of a grand plan to relocate the current secondary school buildings and facilities to the new area which is also expected to host major infrastructures like sports fields and dining hall. The first phase involves the construction of four classrooms some of which may be used as dormitories during the first phase of relocation.
September - October Newsletter
Introduction
Dear friends and family of New Life Foundation all over the world. It is a pleasure to bring you once again our monthly newsletter. Our biggest story in this issue is the Graduation of our Grade 7 and Form 4 students.
As usual, we have other interesting content in here as well ranging from news, updates, and stories from our staff, students, and supporters. We have really seen the favor of God upon us these last two months; He has come through for us in mighty ways.
Regular, timely updates can be found on our Facebook and now, Instagram page, please check those from time to time.
A word from the President
It is a common sight, especially during winter in the Northern Hemisphere to see a flock of geese flying due south in a characteristic “V” formation. It is also quite interesting to learn that the “V” formation in which they usually fly is not arbitrary.
According to research, flying in a “V” formation helps geese conserve their energy. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of them and as it flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately behind it; making it easier for them to fly. The birds take turns being in the front and fall back when they get tired. In this way, they can fly for a long time before they must stop for rest.
Whenever a bird falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone. In fact, the authors of a 2001 Nature article found that birds that fly alone beat their wings more frequently and have higher heart rates than those that fly in formation.
This interesting behavior reminds me of a popular saying here in Africa, “It takes a whole village to raise a child”.
This is especially true for what we are doing here at New Life Foundation. When God told my wife Josephine and me to raise Him a generation of transformational leaders 20 years ago, the task seemed daunting and definitely beyond our capacity. We were confused: why would God call us to raise Him an army of transformers when we ourselves were struggling to raise our own children? Little did we know that God hadn’t planned that we do it alone. Over the years of carrying out the work of God at New Life Foundation, He has proven, time and time again, that He gives vision and provision for the vision.
I believe that God touched each and every one of you in a unique way to support New Life Foundation. God brought all of you from all corners of the Earth to form part of the global “village” that helps to raise children here at New Life Foundation.
As you will find out in this newsletter (and perhaps other newsletters of the past), our local community here in Moshi, Tanzania is also pulling together to support our cause. Parents, neighbors, and well-wishers have been donating several items ranging from clothes, soaps, vegetables, sugarcanes, etc. We also have our alumni giving back to New Life Foundation. The most recent example is Baraka Nicodemus, a former student at New Life Foundation for 13 years, who volunteered as a maths and science teacher for 4 months ahead of starting his college degree this October.
One of our newest sponsors is Victor Francis, who spent over 10 years at New Life Foundation as a student. He is now residing in the United States where he serves as a board member of the New Life International Foundation for Children – our counterpart in the United States.
We are therefore continually grateful to our local and international community who continue to support us relentlessly. Thank you for being part of our “village” that has come together to raise the future leaders of tomorrow here at New Life Foundation.
Mungu awabariki sana
Glorious Shoo - New Life Foundation President
Graduation
On the 25th of September 2021, we hosted joint graduation of our Grade 7 and Form 4 students. Grade 7 students are graduating from Primary School Education whilst Form four are graduating from what is known as the Ordinary Level Education (O-level), the first stage of the secondary education system in Tanzania.
Primary Education – the first level of education given to students usually starting at age 7. Students go through standard one to standard seven (also known as class 1 – 7) usually completing their primary school education between ages 12 and 14.
Secondary Education – picks up where the primary school ends. There are two levels of Secondary School Education: Ordinary Level (O-level) and Advanced level (A-level) secondary education. The Ordinary level (also called junior secondary) lasts 4 years and comprises Forms 1 – 4. This would be equivalent to the American 8th grade to junior year of High School.
At Fountain of Hope, we have the primary level and the O-level secondary school education.
This was the 15th grade 7 graduation and 11th Form 4 graduation since the start of Fountain of Hope Christian School in 2001.
Graduation: Highlights
One of the most spectacular things that have now become a tradition at New Life Foundation is the outfits. Our graduates caught everyone’s attention in their military-ish attire complemented by their elegant dance moves. The outfit is inspired by the commission that God handed down to Glorious and Josephine over 20 years ago when He called them to “raise Him an army of transformational leaders”.
Looking at our graduates, they really looked like an army out to change the world!
Student Stories
About 70% of students at Fountain of Hope Primary & Secondary school are either needy or orphaned in some way. We have a special outreach program for children coming from extremely remote areas or communities that have been left behind by the general population and mainstream development initiatives. These include primitive communities of the Maasai, Hadzabe, and Sonjo, most of whom traditionally reside in north-eastern Tanzania where the plains of Serengeti perfectly suit their nomadic way of life.
A good number of our graduates this year came from these communities, and have very inspiring stories of transformation. Most of these students arrived at New Life Foundation speaking their traditional mother-tongue language, and couldn’t interact with other students. Some hadn’t ever slept on a bed before, or worn clothes and shoes. Through donations, sponsorships, and other forms of support: we were able to provide food, shelter, clothes, education, 24-hour care, and so much more until they are now graduating as young men and women.
Mathayo
Mathayo (right) was one of our top-performing students in grade 7; he has been racking up academic awards since fourth grade. He dreams big and talks of revolutionizing the present design of machines and technology as a Mechanical Engineer. Talking to Mathayo, you will never guess that as a kid, he never dreamt past raising cattle and goats; perhaps getting a wive of his own as every other young man in his community as that will be it.
He was raised by a single mother in a small remote village of Mas, Loliondo. Mathayo’s life took a dramatic turn for the better when New Life Foundation reached out and offered to help. Mathayo was brought in as a 6-year-old boy back in 2013 through a special outreach program at New Life Foundation to support children from unprivileged backgrounds where his school fees and other school requirements were met through a sponsor. Mathayo says had New Life Foundation not intervened, his dreams of becoming an engineer would seem like a fantasy.
Ndaskoi
To get to school, Ndaskoi (pictured), a boy of only 6 years old had to get up as early as 4 am and walk for four hours straight to get there on time. On the way were all kinds of terrifying sounds of howling and growling that dominated the early hours of the remote Loliondo area in northern Tanzania where he lived. He had to carry his own food and water to school every day, as there were no free meals for students available. Ndaskoi, a boy once fascinated by the school had now developed a deep sense of disdain and regret toward school that he wished he hadn’t enrolled in the first place.
It was a blessing then when New Life Foundation reached out to his family and offered to support Ndaskoi’s full education requirements and additional supplements at an English medium school. So in early 2008, Ndaskoi made the 8-hour bus ride to Fountain of Hope Christian School in Moshi town and was enrolled in nursey class that same year.
It has been a blessing to witness his growth academically, spiritually, and socially from a young boy of only 6 to an amazing young man of 18 years old! During his time at Fountain of Hope, he has demonstrated exceptional qualities in leadership and a selfless attitude in the service of others.
He leaves as a young man with a strong foundation in the word of God ready to transform the world for the glory of God. We are very proud of our graduating class and all the inspirational stories of transformation that come along with each one of them. You can read more stories like these by following our hashtag #NewLifeFoundationClassOf2021 on Facebook and Instagram. Ndaskoi was under sponsorship from our supporters in Norway.
Grade 7: Class of 2021
Over the course of about 20 years of New Life Foundation, we have had 15 classes of grade 7 graduate from Fountain of Hope Primary School. Every single one of those classes was special and unique in its own way. This year’s class was no different.
As a whole, this particular class is down-to-earth humble, and hardworking. Some of our top-performing students from primary school came from this class.
The diversity of this class is also noteworthy as it featured students from unreached areas, those raised by our Fountain of Zoe orphanage, and students from former workers of the organization.
Nehemiah’s parents are former staff of New Life Foundation. His mother, Evelyn Mpinda (now Mrs. Maturo) served 13 years at New Life Foundation, mostly as our Chief Coordinator.
Anita
Anitha was just a few days old when her mother passed away, leaving the little infant at the hands of her maternal grandmother, who, unfortunately, also died shortly afterward. She was then raised from infantry at our Fountain of Zoe orphanage facility until when she was old enough to start school. Anitha started nursery school at age five whilst receiving full financial support through the sponsorship program for needy children at New Life Foundation. It has been an absolute joy seeing her grow physically, mentally, and spiritually into the amazing young woman she is today! Anitha loves dancing and playing with little children.
Anitha will continue with her secondary school education at our secondary school in January next year. We are very grateful to her sponsors in the US for their continued support.
Form 4: Class of 2021
Our form 4 graduates are also one of their kind. Their class teacher described the class as being calm, cooperative, and hardworking. This particular class is also well-off academically, getting exceptional results in national and zonal examinations. During a national examination two years ago, the class won first place against 35 schools in the district. And won second place in the region against some 200 schools.
We have 23 students in Form 4, 11 of which are girls
It's safari time!
Fountain of Hope students gets at least a once-a-year school trip to any one of the five national parks within a day’s drive from the school. In the past, our students have enjoyed hiking Mt Kilimanjaro, safari drives to wildlife parks, and cultural trips to museums and historical sites. This year, our candidate classes, grade 7 and Form 4 got a first-hand wildlife experience as they made a drive through the rainforest reserve of Mt Meru in Arusha National Park. It was a very good experience with plenty of wonderful memories on the road; you can read about the experience in this article.
Both Form 4 and Grade 7 have completed their national examinations and are now at home. Grade 7 students went home immediately after the graduation on the 25th of September, Form 4 sat for the national examinations on the 15th of November, after which they also went home.
“Quick feet for a reason” (Sponsorship programs)
Hasani is that boy who walks around the school in short quick steps with a clear sense of urgency in mind. He is the boy who, while everyone is still busy writing their lines, his hand is shot up indicating he’s already finished. He is the first one to walk out of an exam or collect an assignment. If you want something done quickly and urgently, he’s the guy.
Of course, it makes sense when you realize that he is the only boy in a family of four children. His father left the family when Hasani (now 9) was only 4 years old. Since then, he’s had to step up and fill the role left by his father. His mother, not having any formal education, picks up day jobs around the village to support her family, and Hasani is her right-hand man. Hasani’s quick feet and sense of urgency came in handy running errands around the village on behalf of his mother.
Hasani comes from one of the villages around the Monduli area in northern Tanzania, a popular settlement of the Maasai tribe. He was sought out and brought in early this year through an outreach program for children coming from unprivileged backgrounds. He now lives full-time as a boarding school student here at New Life Foundation. He shows aptitude in his classes and aspires to become a doctor in the future and help his family.
Hasani is one of our students still pending sponsorship, meaning the organization is obliged to support his basic needs at school and academic requirements. If you would like to partner with us to sponsor children in need or learn about our sponsorship programs; we would very much like to link up with you. Kindly follow this link: Sponsor A Child, or contact your regional New Life Foundation office.
Who said Ideal students don’t exist?
Margreth is a sweet little girl in the second grade here at Fountain of Hope Primary School. When asked to describe Margeth, her class teacher exclaimed, “Ooh she’s such a darling”! Then added, “She’s almost an ideal student. Setting an example to her in friends in character, devotion, responsibility, and attitude”.
Now that is an interesting assessment given that Margeth comes from a family of abusive and alcoholic parents who hardly provided basic needs for their 6 children. Coming from a remote Maasai settlement area in northern Tanzania, Margeth’s future looked quite bleak with the chances of getting a quality education seemingly unlikely given her gender, state of the family, and the lifestyle of her parents. Luckily, New Life Foundation in collaboration with local institutions intervened brought her through an outreach program for children coming from unprivileged backgrounds. It has been an absolute joy having her around, and we wait in awe to see the full potential that God has placed within her.
She likes reading and counting numbers; her favorite color is yellow. You can find her playing “Mdako” (a game involving pebbles, similar to juggling) with her friends after class; usually emerging the winner thanks to her nifty hands.
Like Hasani and (plenty others), Margreth is still pending sponsorship. You can offer sponsor Margreth (or other children in need) in just a few clicks by visiting our Sponsor A Child page.
If you reside in the United States, you may visit New Life International for Children page or send an email to info@newlifeif.org
Introducing our new Fountain of Love coordinator
We are happy to announce Mr. Gerald Simon as our new Fountain of Love coordinator. Mr. Simon is a young man full of love and commitment to the Lord. He joined New Life Foundation 3 years ago, and it has been a blessing having him with us.
Fountain of Love is the spiritual and outreach organ of New Life Foundation. It is involved with children’s ministry including training, devotions, and outreach – involving both children and staff.
Concluding Remarks: Grateful
Reflecting on these past two months, we have plenty to thank the Lord for his goodness to us. In the midst of an ongoing pandemic and worldwide panic, He has shielded us from it all. Not a single staff, parent, student, or any of their close families have succumbed to Covid-19.
Our grade 7 students who had just recently graduated Primary school education got their back their results – and they all passed! We have an impressive class average of a B, with an excellent performance in the English language (which is interesting since some of our students couldn’t even speak Swahili when they first started). They are now eligible to continue with their secondary school education; we are praying for all of them to return for their secondary school education at Fountain of Hope seminary.
Two of our teachers will be heading off to the United States next year for an exchange program with Cincinnati Christian Schools. And to cap it off, we received over 1000kg of a nutritious Fortified Lentil Rice donated by Food Serv International in conjunction with our partners in the USA. This food greatly eased the financial burden on us as especially as we headed towards the end of the year.
We have plenty of things that we are thankful for but as we conclude this newsletter, we want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support. Thank you for believing in our divine mission to transform the lives of children and partnering with us on various projects. Feel free to navigate our website to learn more about our work with children and in the ministry. If you would like to learn more about our sponsorship programs, you can reach out to us with the following addresses:
sponsorship@newlifetz.org or
info@newlifeif.org (For USA residents)
Please pass our greetings to your family and loved ones! Happy holidays to you and your family.
