Have you ever wanted to go to Africa?

Please join us on our next trip to the Mbiriizi Primary School and you will discover another whole world of happiness and love. Fourteen of us recently went to Africa and had one of the most memorable trips of our lives! Listen to what some of them had to say …

“It was a spiritual experience, a gift that will forever have an impact on me.”

“I experienced a love and gratitude that no words can describe.”

“I have never been loved so much in my life!”

“When I heard this trip would change my life, I had no idea what that meant. I do now. I think of my ‘family’ at the Mbiriizi School every day.”

“Awesome, in the true sense of the word, and life-changing.”

All of those are beautiful words BUT … this was my favorite …

“I did not know what to expect when I signed on for this trip. I am not a ‘missionary’, I don’t do volunteer work so I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to relate to anyone or have anything to offer. When we arrived at the school that all changed. I couldn’t wait to interact with these kids! They live such a different life than we do … I can only hope they got as much out of our visit as I did. We have so many luxuries that we take for granted and we still find things to complain about. These children don’t even have the most basic of ‘luxuries’ …running water, electricity …and that are happier than anyone I know. By the end of the trip I totally understood how people could stay for 3 months, 6 months, a year – there’s so much we can offer to each other, I can’t wait to go back.”

The reason for my pride in these words? They were written by my daughter. Both my son and daughter are now involved in Sylvia’s Children so the name “Sylvia’s Children” has multiple meanings and heart.

The purpose of the trip was to review our progress and determine what needs to be done next. As mentioned earlier, we have been able to provide funds for an 80 boys dormitory, enough money to purchase two more acres so the school can expand, and purchasing a computer, with Internet access, for the school.

Here’s what we found still needs to be done:

1. We still need sponsors for 85 of the children … for only $360 ($1 a day!) you can provide education, food, clothing and lodging for a child for a year.

2. The school currently using rain run-off for its water. We need a well so these children can have safe water. Current estimates for a well are in the $7-10,000 range.

3. The school has no library! To build a library and stock it with books would be an investment of $20,000. You could even have the library named after you!

4. And, now that we have the additional two acres, we need to build eight more classrooms (two classrooms to a building ‘block’) and furnish them with desks. The classroom blocks only cost $3,000 each and the desks are only $50 each.

Long term? We want to purchase more land so we can build a health clinic and add a secondary school. Currently the children leave Mbiriizi at age 13 or 14 and have to then travel 40 minutes to a secondary school in Masaka. They don’t have the transportation or they don’t have the money so their education stops at 8th grade. We want to help them continue on.

Other needs? A raise for the teachers and staff, provide uniforms for the children so the families don’t have to buy them (average annual family income in Uganda is $1,400 and the uniforms cost $40 each), each child needs a backpack and their own textbooks (the children share one book PER CLASS), and we need computers.

As you can see, there’s a lot to do. But, we can do it! With your help, the help of your friends and family, your co-workers or even casual acquaintances we can help these children. We are so lucky in this country … we have so very much. Please help up help these children so they can enjoy a better quality of life.

2008 Uganda Trip

We are starting to plan (and take reservations for), the 2008 trip to the Mbiriizi Primary School in Uganda, Africa which will be July 5-15. The plan is, as last time, to spend four days at the school and then go on safari to see the gorillas.

The trip will be approximately $4,000 (we are still negotiating with a consolidator for a cheaper air fare but let's plan on this to start). If you have not gone before, there will be an additional $2,500 to cover shots, malaria spray, etc. I will be taking a total of 16 people of which three are Tony and Michele Costa and, of course, me.

Please let me know by November 10 if you are interested in this trip so I can get a sense of who wants to go. And, once I have a final count, each of us will have to give a $500 deposit to Sally by December 1.

If more than 16 are interested, I will plan another trip for December 5-15, 2008 and we will go over and produce a Christmas party for them plus be able to take Christmas presents for them.

We are doing our Christmas mailing in a few days and hopefully will be able to raise enough money that we can have a party and buy each child a blanket. I am currently negotiating to get some cute red Santa hats that I can carry over with me so they will have them for their party the end of December.

I will be on the road for the next two weeks but, thanks to the joys of technology, will be in constant contact through e-mail and cell phone.

Sylvia Allen
732-946-2711/cell 732-241-1144