PAST NEWS

February 2003

Wednesday morning the 5th Feb: Dave Shore, Peter Gardner and Graham Pountain return to the UK from Bethany safe and well.

NEW ADMISSIONS: Since our last news update in January we have three new children joining the Bethany family: They are Bahati aged 6 (DOB 16/10/97 estimate) who joined Bethany on 16th January 2003. Yohanna Kusekwa aged 9 (DOB 02/04/95 estimate) who joined on 24th January 2003. Yohanna was living with the social welfare officer in Magu since there was no one else to look after him. The following week we went to pick up his sister Shida (translates as trouble/problem) aged 5 (DOB 12/11/97 estimate). On the first visit the neighbour who was temporarily looking after Shida was reluctant to let her go with the social welfare Officer as she had been told by neighbours that the government came and took little girls to skin them alive to make shoes from their skins. However, on the second visit the village leaders accompanied the social welfare officer who assured the neighbours that this was not the case and that they should come and visit Shida anytime at Bethany to check she was OK. She left the care of neighbours with the dress she had on and one other (see photo).  We would very much like her to have stayed with the dead parents neighbours if they would have her but they were keen for her to come to Bethany - and strangely Shida was also keen to join her brother Yohanna and live at Bethany.

Nuriyati and Jamari: At a meeting on Thursday 28th Nov. at the District Commissioners Office Fares undertook to adopt both Jamari and Nuriyati (former Bethany Children) who were allowed to stay with him until the adoption was complete. However, as far as we are aware no progress has been made with the adoption procedure of either. All we know is that Fares has taken Jamari to the ‘Tanzanian Children’s Rescue Centre’ on the outskirts of Mwanza. We visited Jamari there twice during our visit and he tells us that he has been told by Fares to wait there until Fares’s new home is ready. We have told Jamari that it is possible for him to return to Bethany whenever he is ready. We did not see Nuriyati on our visit.

Team News: The Tanzanian team members: Onesmo (leader). Paulo, Daniel and Jane have been joined by another young man by the name of Feleshi. He has been helping Bethany over the last few months since Fares and Grace left. We now believe we have a very strong team in place and we are looking at developing the work and accepting more children. During our visit Jane went on a week long government training course concerning children’s homes held in Dodoma. As we left Jane was enthusing the rest of the team with the information she had learnt.
Gill Luck has been back at Bethany since the beginning of January and is helping the team with the accounts etc. She hopes eventually to return to the UK mid June.

Staff News: Sadly, Salome is no longer an employee of Bethany - she has been replaced by Martha. Another of our employees has admitted to conspiring with others to spread malicious rumours about the management of Bethany and is now on a final warning.

Development work:
Shambas: Brian will be pleased when next he visits as the team have been busy planting and cultivating the land around the Bethany site. Maize can be seen growing vigorously. As well as a communal large growing area each child has there own small area where they are growing a variety of crops including sugar cane, onions, tomatoes as well as Maize.
Road: The team are organising the building of a more substantial roadway down to Bethany as at the moment the track becomes almost unpassable when the rains come. They intend to employ the local villagers and do a small section at a time as funds become available.

RAF Trip: Keith Pittson from the RAF has contacted us concerning plans to build a new kitchen and dining room at Bethany during August this year. So far he tells us of plans to bring a team of 24 to help with the project. More details to follow as plans take shape.

Future Trips: This year will be very busy, as we have several people showing an interest in visiting the project with a view to being longer term volunteers.

Investigation by the Trust (NET): Dave Shore has interviewed all the staff on site. He has visited Fares Mussa and his wife Grace, John Katinde, the Social Welfare Officers at Magu, the District Commissioner and personnel at Nassa Theological College etc. etc. His report should be available by the end of February. The Social Welfare department at Magu have also carried out there own investigation after certain accusations were made by Fares Mussa concerning the management of the project.  This report should also be available shortly. A letter has also been sent to Fares Mussa by the social welfare department at Magu (with copies to the DC and Bethany).

Shida

Shida with extra dress leaving neighbours who were looking after her

Yohanna

Bahati

Peter Gardner
+helpers

Dave & Marjorie

Gillian Luck

Dave, pete + kids