Newsletters: Volume 10 - Spring 2003
From the President
The following is a thank you letter from one of our students in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was copied exactly as written. What a wonderful example of how effectively the writer has used her education to acquire an eloquent power to communicate and a real sense of self-worth. The letter is addressed to me personally as I have met Imelda on previous visits to East Africa. Yet, what Imelda is really doing is thanking all of you, our concerned contributors who have generously made her education possible.
She signs her letter, "Your Lovely daughter." I'm sure she means, "Your Loving daughter." Does it matter? Not to me! She clearly is both a lovely person and a loving daughter - not just mine but ours, all of us who are contributing and working for her benefit and welfare.
During the past fiscal year (July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2002) we sent 104 "lovely" daughters to school. I have met most of them, and I can assure you that they are absolutely thrilled to be in school. Most of our girls are orphans. Without our concern and help in paying their school fees they would be left in very dire straits. I know from personal experience that we are doing the right thing.
Can we save all of the kids in East Africa? Clearly the answer is no! We have no endowment, fund raising is down for us as it is for most charitable organizations. The world is living in troubled times. But please take a moment to consider all of the Imeldas that we are helping. These are beautiful, beautiful girls and young women. Their gratitude tells us so. They deserve an opportunity to advance themselves and to enhance the lives of those around them. By keeping these girls in school we are accomplishing a great deal. If we can keep these kids in school their potential future is much brighter. Hopefully they will have the ability to become self-supporting if necessary; they will have the knowledge required to teach their own children; they will have the knowledge to prevent deadly diseases, and they will have a greater social and political input.
Please help the "Imeldas" of East Africa. Those kids are our daughters. I never had a daughter myself, but I now know that all of us have over 100! They are both lovely and loving, and they deserve our support.
Imelda Leonidas Writes
Dear Mr. Roger L. Whiting, I'm very glad to have this opportunity to write to you. Hoping that you're fine proceeding well with your day to day undertakings. I'm fine too.
I would like to say excuse me for keeping quiet for a long time. Also I would like to say thank you very much for your caring during the whole period I was taking my A-level studies. I promise not to forget your kindness to me and all the girls under your scholarship. I have taken a long time to think of how I could thank you but I have found it difficult to get the best way of conveying my feelings to you. I have left the whole thing to our almighty God because I do believe that He will pay you on my behalf. I keep praying for you so that your days in this earth are lengthened till you see the fruits of your daughters.
I'm now a first year student at the University of Dar-es-Salaam, in the faculty of Law aiming to get the Bachelor of Laws (Degree). I want to know the Laws of the Land, their applications and their technicalities so that I can be a Legal Advisor in the NGOS dealing with Human Rights, the most target being on the women's rights.
I'm really studying hard and learning to my best ability though the studies are very tough. We have got the discussion groups where we try to teach each other and discuss the difficult issues concerning our course material. I use to encourage my fellow students to study hard and keep praying because there is nothing impossible to God and thus he will help us to succeed.
Lastly receive a lot of thanks from my family members for your kindness to me. They wish you a long life and all the blessings from our Lord God. If possible I will be glad to be informed that this letter was received when it reaches you. Convey my warm regards to your family.
Your lovely daughter, Immelda.
Rachel Nanteza Writes
With all of your efforts I am studying hard for a better future. Without your support I think I would have already been married like other children who do not have the chance to go to school. I don't have the words other than to say thank you for your support. Without you I would not have the chance to attend school.
My granny is also grateful for your work though she's a bit sickly. (All of Rachel's parents, aunts, and uncles have died of AIDS, and Rachel lives with her grandmother when not in school.) Greetings to the board of directors and your family members. I hope to see you early this year.
Lots of gratitude, Rachel
Sr. Immaculate Nassuuna Visits GTL
This past October we were most fortunate to host Sr. Immaculate Nassuuna, our Ugandan Scholarship Coordinator, so that she could meet our board members and attend GTL's annual meeting. This melding of cultures went a long way toward furthering the second part of our mission - "To encourage a cross-cultural exchange of information and ideas between countries."
What a wonderful opportunity to introduce her to America, and to simultaneously provide us with further perspective of her life in East Africa. In addition, Sr. Immaculate was most helpful in aiding us to further refine our policies and procedures. Clearly this is a cooperative effort that is working well.
Friends of Tanzanian Schools
Another sign of true progress is the willingness of Friends of Tanzanian Schools to help build a new classroom at the Sangiti Secondary School near Arusha. Clyde Pax, Roger Whiting, and Jeanne Lynch recently attended one of their board meetings in Boston and presented a proposal submitted by the school headmistress. Sangiti needs to expand their physical plant considerably, and that's what FOTS does - "bricks and mortar." At the same time, GTL is providing 19 scholarships to girls enrolled there. We welcome this initial step to work with Friends of Tanzanian Schools as a cooperative partner in order to improve the educational opportunities in Tanzania.
Facts About the World's Women
- Women are paid 30-40% less than men for comparable work
- As primary caretakers of children, the elderly and the sick, women are responsible for meeting the basic needs of the majority of the world's population.
- Up to 50% of women worldwide experience some degree of domestic violence during marriage.
- Two-thirds of the world's one billion illiterate adults are women.
- Girls account for two-thirds of the 130 million children absent from school worldwide.
- Indigenous women have the world's lowest rates of education and life expectancy and the highest rates of illiteracy, infant and maternal mortality, and death from preventable diseases.
- 49% of estimated cases of HIV worldwide are women.
(Reprinted from A Bright Spot in the City - Vol.21 Issue 1)
Options for Charitable Giving
As you know, there are multiple options for charitable giving, including your time, effort, and money. Many of us give all three through volunteerism and contributions. However, there is an additional way to support the charity of your choice - creating a legacy through your will. Our deaths are inevitable, but that doesn't necessarily mean that our concerns are any less diminished. One of the definitions of legacy is, "a gift of property, as money, by will." Perhaps leaving a legacy in your will would be a gratifying supplement to your charitable efforts.
Here's how to do it. First, you should consult with your attorney, accountant, or financial advisor in order to determine your financial position and the eventual financial needs of you and your family. Then, you should prepare a will so that the disposition of your estate will be divided according to your wishes. By naming a non-profit charity in your will, for a specific dollar amount, you will have created a legacy that could last forever. This can be done by assigning cash, stocks, pension plan, life insurance policies, or even non-cash assets. Almost everyone has the capacity to leave a legacy. Please consider this as an option and additional supplement to your charitable giving program. It is our dream that Growth Through Learning lasts forever. A legacy from you could make that possible.
Last modified: Nov 03, 2004, 19:39 EST