Hi everyone! It’s been a while since my last update, but not too much has changed. Things have settled down at Hill Crest as new teachers have been hired to replace those we had last year. I’ve been hard at work with a handful of things for the school which will be revealed soon, and my mom and friends have been working hard for another fundraiser at home! The past couple months have been filled with computer work and building relationships with people I’ve met here who will be very, very valuable to both my current project and my future plans.
There is one cafe I frequent to do my work and by going there, I met a man in his 50s who is also from North Carolina. His name is Bernard and he has been coming to Arusha for 8 years now and knows so many people. He has been looking for a project to get involved in, so Hope for Hill Crest will welcome him! A handful of conversations with Bernard have ended with him getting me in contact with Nick Cannon (Mariah Carey’s husband), and eventually the owner of Starbucks. He’s very enthusiastic about my project and has already spoken to Nick about me, as Nick has been asking him to find a project to fund. So, Hope for Hill Crest will be getting support from Nick Cannon!!! Once I’m home, I’ll have to go to San Diego to meet with Nick and his dad about the project- oh darn! ;-) Bernard’s involvement in Hope for Hill Crest will be minimal but very important. He knows people who will give me discounts on desks, doors and windows which will be a huge help. Later this week he will introduce me to a man named Mosses, who works with the President of Tanzania. Mosses’ status with the government will make changing our registration from a Nursery school to a Pre-Primary school much easier once the new campus is done. Everyone Bernard has introduced me to thus far has shown great interest in the project and appreciation towards me and I’m thrilled to know him.
At another cafe, I met a man who is an engineer in Kenya designing sustainable water pumping and warming systems. He asked what I was doing here, and I told him about the project. He came to my table and started explaining all these ways we can heat water cheaply and a couple of ways we can save some money on the design. He works with SIMTANK also, which is a water tank company and he said he can provide us with our water tanks when it’s time. I believe we will ask him to come down to install the water pump system when we are at that step as he’s very enthusiastic about young people coming here to make a difference.
A whole world of opportunity has been opened up to the project over the last month and I’ve worked hard to build these relationships so that when I leave and come back, these people will remember me and want to continue working with me. When it comes to Nick Cannon, that makes me very excited for both Hope for Hill Crest and my future plans to do community projects in Africa. I’m really missing home, but this last month has opened a whole world of opportunity!
I’ll do an update after I meet with Mosses and get in contact myself with Nick. I can’t wait to see what this will bring to the project and fundraiser!
xoxox
