Yes, We Could And We Did!

What has happened in the past four months (September-December 2014) since I came back from my extended holidays-medical checkup, borders on a genuine miracle category. Yes, putting aside apparent God's Providence and blessings, it is an outcome of joined efforts of so many friends of Kiabakari and of our development push for the betterment of the education of our little ones in Kiabakari.

Firstly - all those who presented me with various gifts during my silver jubilee of priesthood celebrations in 2013 - both in Europe and in Tanzania. These gifts helped me to buy three plots and offer compensation for three families adjacent to our primary school for the purpose of the construction of the new wing. The cost of this exercise was 6,000 Euros.

Secondly - my relatives and personal friends in Poland, Austria and Ireland, parochial communities where I was invited for mission awareness Sundays and fundraisers (Chochołów, Puławy, Krowodrza, Św. Szczepan, Św. Kazimierz, Św. Karol Boromeusz, NSPJ os. Teatralne in Nowa Huta, Siepraw, Ogrodzieniec, Św. Jan Kanty - os. Widok, Biały Prądnik), bank donations from many known and unknown to me persons, Foundation Kiabakari online fundraisers for the construction of the new wing and for the textbooks for standard five students, Makulatura na Misje team at St. Kazimierz home parish in Krakow and the last but not least corporate donor - Murapol S.A. from Bielsko-Biała, Poland, school construction fund of parents of our students in Kiabakari (they donated altogether 200$) - we were able to reach the goal for the end of 2014 - the construction of the new wing for standard 5,6,7 classrooms and computer lab, the finishing and furnishing of standard 5 and six classrooms (the standard six finishing is underway at the moment) and the textbooks for standard 5 students. The total value of the entire project so far exceeds 75,000$.

Yes, we could and we did!

I am so proud and grateful to all of you who helped us in small and big ways. Here are some images of this story:

Germany Appreciation Day and The Fifth Graduation in Our Pre-School - Images

Selected images in random order from a special day at our pre- and primary school in Kiabakari on Wednesday December 3, 2014, as we - firstly - honored and showed our gratitude to German people who helped us in the span of past five years with two development project and by sending four teachers-volunteers to Kiabakari. And secondly - celebrated the fifth graduation in our pre-school. We were very happy to welcome our special guests of the day - German volunteers from Internazionaler Bund organization - Hanna and Nele who work as teachers-volunteers at Kigori Primary School since August this year. I leave captions and explanations of images to you, viewers. Link to the full photo album on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152841962026912.1073741853.649361911&type=1&l=f227eec667. Enjoy!

Touchdown

Finally, after a couple of months of communication, paperwork and pushing through bureaucracy and unexpected twists and turns on the way, the first container with donated goods for our health center, pre and primary schools and for our neighbors - Resurrection Sisters at Chief Wanzagi Girls' Secondary School - has touched down in Kiabakari this morning. The offloading work went smoothly and things are securely stored for the time being as we finalize the development projects and make space for the equipment to be placed where it should be.

Gratitude to God Almighty for His blessing and Providence, thanks to Resurrection Sisters in Melbourne, Australia, in particular, Sister Hermina, and to all people of good will involved in the whole process in Australia, my friends in Dar es Salaam who helped with clearing process and finding the solid transporter, my classmate in Austria who donated two thirds of the money needed for the payments in clearing and forwarding process and to all who prayed for the safe journey and arrival of the container to Kiabakari. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart! Certainly, the donated items will help us immensely in providing better healthcare and education at grassroots level in rural Tanzania. 

Cards On The Table

Time for chats, emails, communications of all sorts has come to an end. The preparatory period of development project is more or less over. Things are now ready on the operational and organizational end. Time to lay down all cards on the table, roll up sleeves and get down to work. Although I get ready to fly to Poland at the beginning of May for my jubilee celebrations and other responsibilities, this does not mean that the work will have to wait. Quite to the contrary. My task force will get fully involved in the first stage of the construction works, so not to waste any minute while I am away. We have done everything that is humanely possible to make sure everything will go as smoothly as it can be here. I pray for God's blessings for us, and ask you all, my esteemed readers, to support us with your positive thoughts and prayers. Especially I ask you for prayers for those benefactors who pledged their support in Dar es Salaam during the fundraiser on March 9 and have not fulfilled their promises yet.  Nothing is impossible to God.

Full Steam Ahead

Back in Kiabakari, after the first weekend, which was marked by the browsing through a pile of documents, letters and things to take care of in the first hand after my comeback from Europe, today is the day to blow a whistle and press the lever to the position - 'full steam ahead'. Sitting in Musoma, sipping a cold soft drink in a short break between tackling of the long to-do list for today, and writing these few words. It may take a long time and will involve a lot of skills, convincing powers and struggle to gather some funds to push our development ahead. But believe, when it comes to spending that hard-earned nickels, it goes just in one flash. Especially when the construction works are concerned - purchasing materials, payments of workers, transportation charges etc. Although it happens all the time, it startles me always whenever this moment comes, when I go to town or Mwanza to place orders or pay for delivered goods. Everything is so expensive here, in particular - construction materials. We are doubly handicapped here in Mara Region. Firstly, Tanzania is in East Africa, and many goods have to be shipped from elsewhere. Secondly, we are in the north-western corner of Tanzania, some 1500 km from Dar es Salaam port, so extra charges for haulage of goods up to Musoma make these, already expensive things, even more expensive still! But, I guess, it makes for a double satisfaction as well. When one can achieve something in these circumstances, it tastes doubly sweet, because one knows what it took to secure the funding and help of donors. And what it takes to make the project a success here. Thanks be to God for all my fantastic friends, sponsors and benefactors, together with my local task force, who make all this happen in Kiabakari. God bless you much! Please, keep your fingers crossed and pray much for the success of the current projects and undertakings. Thanks in advance for your kindness!

The House of God

The time has come for the House of God to move ahead in its construction process. Started years back, corner stone laid by the late Bishop Justin Samba back in 2006, shortly before his sudden death, it waited for this moment for some six long years...

School Books

It's been a good first day of the new month. Drove to Musoma, collected school books for standard three and four future students (we have only standard one and two classes so far), drove back home and put them to store to wait for the next year and the next. All this due to the generosity of our sponsors of educational adoption program of Foundation Kiabakari. Well, not everybody fulfills his or her obligation, that is why I told the bookstore owner that I will pay in full by the end of this month. I simply have not enough money to pay for the books. The money flows slowly into the foundation account. I do hope by the end of the month we will have enough to pay for the books... Thanks be to all who pay in time and allow us to move ahead! Here are some pictures of the books I brought home today.

Momentary Bucket List

Inspired by one of my favorite movies - "The Bucket List", I drew up my own momentary bucket list as I was getting ready to head down to Dar es Salaam for my business trip...