african "safari"

Welcome, Welkom, Karibu!

Habari gani? (How are you?)

We have managed to get a blog started for our african journey ("safari") It is work in progress, please come back to visit often! We hope this blog can keep you updated on our adventures of travel and work in Africa.

tutaonana! (see you again),

Blessings,

Josiah and Lilian

A little something about us:

We have a deep and rooted love and calling for the african continent, especially East Africa. We met there and hope to be back to live, work and serve there.

Josiah was born in Kenya and grew up mostly in East Africa. He attended three years of Bible College (Elim) here in NY, for missions abroad. He graduated with his Bachelor Degree in education and recently his Masters in curriculum development and instructional technology. 

Lilian was born and raised in the Netherlands. She attended art academy there and then worked as flight attendant for several years. Today she stays home with our two children and parttime works as a portrait artist and photographer.

In 2004 Josiah was in Kigoma visiting his family while doing an internship for college. That same time the opportunity came up for Lilian to be in Tanzania. She taught english and art to orphans and streetchildren for the few months that she was there.

So we met.....It was the beginning of many travels from the Netherlands to the USA, to Tanzania and back.

We fell in love! We got married in 2007 and have been blessed to be the parents of two children; a girl named Ayanna and boy named Gabe. We currently live in the state of NY, but long for life in Africa. 

On one of our trips to Tanzania in 2006, we started a schooling project and have been able to continue this yearly. (read more here ). We managed to find sponsors and funding to have 36 children attend school in Kamale,Tanzania. This is something we felt it needed to be continued eventhough we are currently not living there. Education can play such a big role in a child's life and impact his/her future and that of their family. * A few years year later we are now supporting children in Kiziba, Tanzania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas 2011 Newsletter (for 2012 school year)

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas!

As we wrap up 2011, we would like to share our 2012 Schooling Project news with you, as well as what is happening in our lives. Josiah is currently student teaching and is only one week away from finishing his Bachelors in Elementary Education. Lilian is continuing to pursue her art work and is home with Ayanna and Gabe, who are both growing up way too fast!

Our Christmas card 2011

Six years ago, we started working with orphans/fatherless children to attend primary school. Last year we began to work in a new location called Kiziba. This is a village on the lake that is very poor and is home to about 10,000 people. Neighboring Kiziba is Kaguna and Zashe, two villages that are roughly equal in size. Part of our reason for working in this new location is because Josiah’s parents now live in Kiziba, and are able to arrange schooling supplies for the children who are in most need of the assistance. Though most children “qualify” as needy, we are targeting children who have lost their father or are simply orphan (orphan children still live with a family in the community, but often are unable to attend school). So far we have received news that there are 110 fatherless/orphan children in Kaguna, 10 in Zashe, and 17 in Kiziba. In the past, we kept our numbers to 36 children who would receive schooling assistance. We hope we can increase the number this year to 50 children. You can see a few photos from 2011 students here.

We are excited for working in this new location. Pastor Isaac, who works with Josiah’s parents, has been a great help in personally connecting us to children who are in most need. We also thank Josiah’s parents for overseeing the process and helping to distribute the funds. As always, 100% of funds go directly to the schooling project. To buy all the schooling supplies and uniforms costs about $30 a year per child. If you would like to support a child, please let us know at: [email protected]

Blessings,

Josiah and Lilian

 

If you would like to make a donation, tax-deductible, please make out a check to Elim Fellowship. In the Memo, write: Schooling Project Fund (Because this is through Josiah’s parents account, include a small separate note stating that this is for Gerald and Carol Boehlke –Schooling Project fund.) -If you choose this option, please send us a note as well so we can keep track of who/how much is given. Thanks! The address is:

Elim Fellowship

1703 Dalton Road

Lima, NY 14485-9516

Photos Tanzania 2011

Some of the orphans/fatherless in Kiziba after receiving their new school uniforms and supplies. SMILES!

 

Tanzania 2011

 Since our involvement in starting the Kamala Schooling Project, we have had the privilege of working with 36 children, as well as Pastor Gerald, who brought to our attention the great need to provide school funding for orphan and needy children in his community. Though primary (elementary) school is mandatory in Tanzania, children can only attend if they buy the school uniform, shoes, and come with their own school supplies. For most Tanzanians, purchasing these items is achievable, but for a growing population (orphans and street children especially), even this is too much. For five years now we have raised the support to make it possible to send these children to school. Since we have begun our work in Kamala, a NGO has stepped in to bring a lot of aid to this community. Also, a lot of children who were originally in the project have completed primary school. Since we are not there to help select new children, it is difficult to make sure orphan children are the ones receiving the school funding. With this news, we feel some of the funds should help children in communities not currently receiving assistance. Some of you might know that Josiah’s parents moved up the lake to a village called Kiziba. There is a lot of need for school assistance here, and with Josiah’s parents there, they can carefully select children who they know are in greatest need. Like we mentioned before, it only costs about $30 to send a child to school for a year. This money will provide their school uniforms, shoes, socks, notebooks, pens and money for common diseases (malaria and worms).

Thankfully, the years we were unable to physically be there to help orchestrate buying all the supplies, Josiah’s parents were there to oversee buying and distributing all the school supplies. Again this year, they agreed to help. We would like to send all the funds by mid-December. If you would like to give to help a child go to school, please let us know. We will put the money directly into my parent’s local back account, which they will receive in Tanzania. Also, you can send a check through Elim Fellowship, if you wish to make it tax deductable. Please let us know if you prefer this method and we can send you further details.

We want to thank you for taking the time to read this letter and also want to send a big thanks from us and the children at Kamala for those who donated in the past.

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!

With love,

Josiah, Lilian

Tanzania 2010 photos

Photos received from Carol Boehlke (josiah's mom), who helped with organizing and distributing everything in Kamala this year.

Tanzania 2009 photos

These are some of the photos we received from Carol Boehlke (Josiah's mom "mama Jona"). Look at their faces, so happy with their school uniform and bags, so grateful for the chance to go attend school!!
 

Tanzania 2009

Though we could not physically be in Tanzania this year for the start of the school year, we were there in heart.

  

It was a busy year here with Josiah’s studies, Lilian starting a website, our work, enjoying time with Ayanna and fixing up our new home. 

  

It is often difficult to communicate with Pastor Gerald about the children’s needs, due to lack of sources for him to use internet or have access to a phone. So we often use Josiah’s parents to do help communicate for us. This year, we sent the funding through them, where they assisted Pastor Gerald to buy all the school supplies.

 

We were especially grateful for a Canadian couple who generously gave to support much of the amount needed to continue to send the children to school.

 

It was succesful again and all the children have attended school. This is a reply we got from Pastor Gerald afterwards: “I want to let you know that we are well keeping with the orphan children. When we met with them on Saturday they conveying their greetings abundantly and they said that they are missing you, and also they love you… we are thankful for all you do for the children. May God bless you so much.”

 

THANKS!

 

Josiah and Lilian

 

 

 

 

     

Tanzania 2008

 

    2008 was an exciting year for us!

We first went to Holland to spend Christmas with Lilian’s family, surprising them with the news that Lilian was pregnant!

 

After a couple of wonderful wintery weeks there, we continued to warm Tanzania to be with Josiah’s family and help with the preparations for the 2008 school year at Kamala. It was not until we bought our tickets that we found out Lilian was pregnant. This news brought lots of joy and happiness, but also concerned us since malaria is common in Tanzania and could potentially be harmful to the baby. We went well prepared and felt peace to go.

 

Though we arrived in Kigoma after New Years, we celebrated Christmas with Josiah’s family. It did have the Christmas spirit, but sure not the weather.

 It was wonderful to be in Africa again and to reconnect with the children at Sanganigwa and Kamala. Being away two years brought some changes. There were new children who came and some who had left, but overall, the atmosphere was the same. School would soon begin in the middle of January, so we worked hard and fast to get all of their supplies. As it was a lot of walking to the market and very hot days, Lilian had to often stay home and rest. Josiah walked to the dukas, (mini shops) followed by many of the orphan children, ordering thirty-six school bags, thirty-six pairs of shoes and so on until we had a truck full of school supplies, mosquito nets, medicine and lots of food for a Christmas meal for the children in the community. That became a memorable feast for the children and us.

 

Josiah’s mom helped with much of the needed funding this year by selling music cd’s she made. All of her proceeds go to help children in need in Africa.

 

 There was more family in Kigoma! Josiah’s sister and her family were also visiting! It was her dream to have her third child born in Africa. With just her husbands help, they delivered a healthy baby, followed by African dancing and songs of celebration.

 

    Around the middle of our stay Josiah had the opportunity to accompany his dad on a 4-hour boat ride up Lake Tanganyika, for an overnight trip tp the small town of Kiziba. He wanted to show Josiah the location where they were building a church and possible see if this was a place where they could move to in the future. (They are currently completing the building of a house there and plan to build a nursery school and possibly a clinic in the future!). It is a beautiful town with the mountains in the background and a spectacular view of the lake and the Congo Mountains in the distance.

 

    As our time in Tanzania came to an end, we spent a few days in Zanzibar, a small Island off Tanzania. This historic Island is known for the slaves who passed through and the variety of spices, known as Spice Island. Josiah managed to step on another sea creature, a Sea Urchin this time. It brought us back to the same dive school where they treated his foot before.

 

Time went by too fast and we would have loved to stay and help out more. After a quick sweet stop back in Amsterdam, we landed in the snow in Rochester. What a change!

Tanzania 2008 photos

 

packing and planning for 2007

It was hard to return back home, Josiah in NY and me in the Netherlands. Far apart and not in Africa. I was still pretty convinced at that moment that I would be living in Tanzania very soon. Josiah had finished his three years for "missions abroad" at a bible college in NY. I started sorting out all my things, sold belongings on fleamarkets to get funds for the schooling project. With much help of my parents. I also started packing up, knowing I would not be living in the Netherlands for much longer.

At the same time we were working hard and planning for our wedding. Which took much document legalization, paperwork, phonecalls, money and headache (besides all the fun ofcourse).

Josiah at that time had decided to get enrolled for more education before going to Africa. We therefor would start of living in Rochester NY. So my emigration process to the USA started instead of a move to Tanzania. Another set of paperwork and documents.

Our hearts were going out for "our kids" in Tanzania. We were able to get enough money together for our schooling project in Kamale for the orphans of "Farajah yetu", but were not able to go back to Kigoma ourselves that year. As Josiah's parents live in Kigoma, we had much help from Josiah's mother and local friends to get everything arranged for the school year starting january 2007. The same children were able to attend school for the second year now. What a JOY!

THANK YOU to all who helped us that year, it was much needed and very appreciated!

Some photos we received from Tanzania (with help of Josiah's mom, Carol.) Showing the group in their uniforms with pastor Gerald and his wife as well. Also showing preparation and celebrating of the meal they received!

Tanzania 2006

 

In 2006, Josiah and I met up in London to travel together to Tanzania. It was wonderful to see each other again and to travel back together to the continent we so much love and to see the children we got so attached to. In addition to our own belongings, we took ten pieces of luggage with donated goods for the children: books, toys, clothes and beads! The real adventure started once we had to drag all the luggage on a nonstop, 40 hour train ride across Tanzania.

We went to work again for Watoto Tanzania, helping with a project to build a girl's orphanage. In addition to this, we assisted in the preparations for the new school year, checked if cost of materials went up (as they seem to every year), organized sporting events, a beach day and creative days. It was wonderful to spend time with the children again.

While there we also met a local pastor, Gerald Nuhu, in another part of Kigoma, called Kamale. By himself he had started taking care of many orphans and street children. Some he took into his home and tried to provide some food and education when funds permitted. It just made our hearts warm seeing a local, with hardly any money, doing all he can to help out these children. He had dreams for "his" children. "Farajah Yetu" is the name he chose for his future orphanage, which means "our comfort." After spending more time with the children there and talking with Pastor Gerald, we felt this was a cause that needed help. We asked him to choose some of the orphans in the community, who were in most need of help and unable to afford school. The money raised from my mom's 60th birthday was enough to supply forty children with shoes, school supplies, uniforms, mosquito nets and medicine. A special Christmas meal was served for all the streetchildren in that community. 

We were very impressed and delighted to see that pastor Gerald kept track of everything in his note book and had exact names and ages of all the children. He is a very organized man. We decided to give him a calculator, bag and supplies to make his "office work" somewhat easier. We also had a blackboard made for the church on which pastor Gerald now teaches the children on saturdays. View it here in the photo collage. 

Pastor Gerald gave the initiative to have the uniforms made locally in the Kamale area. Not only was this cheaper than buying the already made ones, it also gave jobs to some of the women there, which is one thing we were very pleased about. We find it important to get as much of the community involved in the project as possible and believe that is the right way of "helping" and reaching out to the people, to rather assist them than to take over.

With hearts full of joy and much gratitude to everyone that helped us reach out to the children, we left Kigoma in february.  Josiah's parents live here and we now have this commitment to this project, we knew we would be back again.

But before each going our separate ways again, sadly, we had some days on the beautiful island of Zanzibar. And I left there with a beautiful ring, Josiah had proposed to me!