Help Us Win $1,000 With Your Click!

Your vote for our "Hearts in Unity" photo in the "Share the Love of Philanthropy" photo contest sponsored by Vivanista will help "Hearts in Unity" to win $1,000 for our mission to help feed children in Tanzania.

It costs you nothing to vote, but we can't win the $1,000 prize without your vote.

You can vote once per day, but voting is open only until February 14th.

The photo with the most votes will win the prize!

To register your vote, simply...

(1) Go to http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/91336/voteable_entries/15614851?ogn=website

(2) Click the "VOTE NOW" button.

That's it!

You can vote once per day through Monday, February 14th, so hurry and click your daily vote!

Please cast your vote and encourage your friends to vote, too. Together, with our hearts in unity, we really have a good chance to win this $1,000 prize to help feed the children in our Tanzanian villages.

Thank you for your support in this effort to help feed the children of Tanzania!

Hope in a Corn Crop

It’s early November in Tanzania, Africa – high on Mt. Meru. The annual corn crops have been planted everywhere there is available land – in large and small farm fields; in fields both on level ground and on steep hills. Corn is an important staple food in this region.

By early November, there are fields with corn plants that have grown to a height of just a few feet, and fields with plants stretching up to 5 feet into the air. The corn is planted in hand tilled and hand planted rows separated by shallow troughs to aid in irrigation when it does rain.

There is green everywhere, unlike so many of the prior years when seasonal rains never really came at all and grass and crops alike were withered and brown from the ongoing drought.

But the green on Mt. Meru this year is deceiving. Hopes were high a few weeks ago when there were several days in a row with light rains, but the rain never amounted to anything significant enough to soak deep into the soil. Scoop up a handful of the dirt in these farm fields, and it is light as dust, carried on the breeze that only gives temporary relief from the heat of the African sun.

Look closely at the corn crops and there is no real corn to harvest. By late November, the abundant rains needed to nourish these crops had not materialized. There are no tassels at the tops of so many of the corn plants, and the corn stalks that do have tassels bear only immature and underdeveloped cobs of corn.

By the end of November and the tail end of this “rainy season,” and with a resolute acceptance that is heartbreaking to watch, the villagers head out with machetes in hand, and begin to cut the drought damaged corn and clear their fields. They have given up hope for this year’s corn harvest. There will be no fruits from their months of labors. The corn crop has failed yet again.

In a sad twist of fate, the corn stalks and drought damaged corn will become a supplemental food source for the local livestock. But even for cattle, the nutrient value of the corn stalks and drought damaged corn is minimal.

As sustenance farmers living high on the slopes Mt. Meru, the people simply cannot afford to give up and become the victims of another failed crop. With their unwavering faith and simple acceptance that “God will provide” they resolutely head again to their now cleared farm fields, hoes in hand, to plant the seeds for the crop of the next growing season… potatoes.

But they are not simply planting the seeds for potatoes… they are planting seeds of hope.

As you give...

We are about to begin a food distribution to the people in the village of Seela in Tanzania, Africa. We’ve purchased at the Tengeru market 100 kg of beans and 50 kg of rice to supplement the 1,000 kg of maize which has already arrived to help alleviate hunger here.

Despite best efforts and unwavering faith, year after year much of the maize/corn crop fails due to the ongoing drought in this Mt. Meru region. To further exasperate the situation, the economies of supply and demand push food prices beyond the means of those already “living on the edge” – those struggling to survive on an income of less than $1 a day.

We know this distribution is just a “drop in the bucket” of the hunger in this third world country, but it is a start, and we know this food will save lives. And despite the silent apology in my eyes of “I know it is not enough,” there is a palpable appreciation among those who are about to receive this precious gift of food.

The distribution goes on for hours as representatives from each family come forth when called to accept their share of rice, beans and maize. There is a determined patience. When the day is done, and the last spilled grain has been swept from the floor, we at last rest.

Weeks later, I am saying my goodbyes to the people of this Tanzanian village. I love these people as much as if they were my own family. Our goodbyes are bitter sweet. But we all trust and hold the faith that I will be back the same time next year.

During the midst of the goodbyes, I am approached by a small, frail woman who greets me and timidly says, “Zawadi kwa ajili yako” – a gift for you. I recognize the small black plastic bag. It is the same type of bag in which she received beans from the food distribution earlier in the month.

She places the bag in my hands, presses my fingers around it, and gives me a motherly kiss on each of my cheeks.

The bag contains a portion of the beans she and her family received just a few weeks prior. I know I would offend if I insisted she and her young children needed the beans more than I did.

It is a selfless gift. A sacrifice, really.

Yet it is given with genuine love. And it is given with a faithfulness and trust that, “As you give, so you shall receive.”

As I reflect on this gift she has given me, I realize the actual gift is not so much the beans, as the lesson that is learned through her sharing.

“As you give…”


Sometimes Orbitz coupon codes are available for humanitarian travel for those interested in serving in person.

A Black Plastic Bag

As we get closer to the Tengeru market in Tanzania, our senses are increasingly bombarded. The sights, sounds and smells vividly announce to us that we have arrived. Vibrant color is everywhere – in the clothes worn by the people, and in the fresh produce for sale. In the food stalls, vendors announce their prices and encourage potential buyers to purchase from them instead of from the 20 people near them selling the same produce at the exact same price. There are street vendors frying fish and roasting corn to buy for a tasty snack. Even the sense of touch is not spared as we navigate shoulder against shoulder, pushing through the crowds.

As we pass stall after stall displaying huge bags of beans and grains, women busily sift beans and kernels of corn over a wood-framed screen to remove stones and other debris. Heaping buckets of beans and grain are measured out for buyers, and then poured into baskets, buckets and those black plastic bags seen everywhere at Tanzanian markets.

Young boys, trying to earn an income to help support their families, walk among the potential customers with the handles of empty, black plastic bags draped over their forearms. These boys are alert and street smart. They instinctively know when a purchase is about to be made, and are standing close by ready to sell to you a black plastic bag at the exact moment that you need to buy a black plastic bag for your purchase.

Unlike the proliferation of plastic bags available at stores here in the USA, plastic bags are not free with your purchase in Tanzania. If you need a plastic bag, it will cost you 100-shillings (about 7-cents). Yet, for the Tanzanian family struggling to survive on an average annual income of less than $400 a year (about $1 a day), even the purchase of a 7-cent bag is financially difficult.

Shopping at market without buying a black plastic bag from one of the boys is certainly possible if you’ve brought your own basket or bucket with you (which is at the same time an unfortunate “catch 22” for the boys trying to earn an income selling 7-cent bags).

But sometimes the purchase of one of those black plastic bags becomes a necessity. If you are fortunate enough to have money to purchase a piece of beef or goat meat from the butcher, the meat is unceremoniously hacked off of the hanging animal carcass, tightly wrapped in layers of old newspaper and handed directly to you. Suffice to say, at this point, with blood from the meat beginning to seep through the newspaper, a black plastic bag passes beyond luxury to necessity.

When I go to the Tengeru Market, I look for the boys from our village. They aren’t too hard to find once I am near the entrance to the busiest area of the marketplace. Or rather, maybe it is I, the lone white woman in a sea of Africans who is not hard to spot, and one of the boys from our village usually finds me before I find one of them.

Greetings are exchanged, and one of the young boys follows me as I walk through the marketplace. Even as he watches for other potential customers in our vicinity while I am shopping, he doesn’t stray far from me. He is always ready with a black plastic bag whenever I purchase something, and then insists on carrying all of my purchases, too.

When we are done, I press several shilling coins into the palm of his hand. He looks and sees an amount more than the cost of the few black plastic bags I needed. As he reaches in his pocket to give me change, I smile at him with a small shake of my head, and I close his hand tightly around the coins and motion for him to put them safely in his pocket. He understands. There is a shy smile on his lips, but his dark eyes reflect a solemn appreciation.

In that simple, silent exchange, he knows that I understand the struggles of his family to survive in this 3rd world country.

Random Acts of Kindness

Simple random acts of kindness are especially contagious – you do something nice for someone, and it sets the mood for that person to carry that kindness forward to another person. And so on… And so on... And so on…

I was in the store about a couple months ago, and grocery bill for the gentleman in front of me came to $20.03. He had a $20 bill in his hand, and started to fumble in his pocket for an additional 3-cents, only to find that all he had was another $20 bill. The cashier looked at him with a look of “don’t you have a smaller bill?” and he looked back apologetically.

Without much thought, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a nickel and handed it to the cashier. The gentleman seemed almost embarrassed, and kindly insisted that I didn’t need to do that. I told him with a warm smile “It’s ok – just pass it on next time you see someone who needs 3-cents.” We both chuckled and he went on his way. Just a simple act of kindness. Nothing big.

A couple of weeks after that, I took my daughter to her friend’s farm where she helps care for the horses for her friend’s family. She was brushing one of the horses, and I was standing nearby watching. Her friend’s father came into the barn. When he saw us, he smiled and said hello. I had met him only once before, but never really had a chance to sit and chat. We got to talking, and at one point, he laughed and with a smile, he remarked, “Hey, by the way, thanks for the 3-cents at the store. I really wasn’t looking forward to getting $19.97 in change.” Ahhh – that’s why he looked familiar! But when I was in the store, I couldn’t place where I had seen or met him before.

I told him, ”No problem” -- a bit embarrassed myself that I hadn’t recognized him earlier when we were in line in the store. When I asked him kiddingly if he had found someone else along the way who had needed 3-cents, his face lit up and he proceeded to tell me a story of how he was at the gas station a few days after that, and had done the same thing to help another customer in line -- with a dollar-bill. He said he remembered that I mentioned to “pay it forward”.

Just a simple act of kindness.

Amazing… The ripple of kindness spreading as with a drop of water into a pond.

You may never know the full impact that your simple act of kindness will have as it gets carried forward to others. But isn’t enough to know that you have the power, with one simple act of kindness, to make a difference in the lives of others?

You can truly be an inspiration to others. What simple act of kindness have you shared?

"Messages from the Heart"

Thousands of cards and letters containing greetings and notes of friendship and encouragement have been distributed to the children of Tanzania, Africa within the last month.

Each child receiving a "Message from the Heart" from someone elsewhere in the world.

Each child knowing that someone cares, and that they are loved.

Click on the following link: "Messages from the Heart" to see our latest video clip of the Tanzanian children receiving their cards and letters.

Social Networking Sabatical

This summer I took a one-month sabatical from all marketing and electronic social networking. No Twitter tweets. No Facebook updates. No blog writing. No updates to the Hearts in Unity website. No newsletters. No video productions. No presentations at schools, churches and to other organizations.

I wanted to prepare my heart and mind for my upcoming return to Tanzania. I wanted to take time to think about the beginning of Hearts in Unity years ago, and where we have come so far in this mission. I wanted quiet time to contemplate the future of the Tanzanian children we support, and to consider how we might best be a part of their future.

I wasn't sure how the sabatical month would play out. Those of us who have delved into the social networking realm find it a natural and rewarding part of our daily lives. It's a wonderful way for an organization like Hearts in Unity to keep all of our supporters apprised of the wonderful progress we are making in our mission to help feed, clothe and educate the children of Tanzania, Africa. It is exciting to talk about this mission and to watch as more and more people open their hearts to the precious children of Tanzania.

It is also exhausting. Mission work is not for the weak.

During this self-imposed social networking sabatical, the world didn't come to an end. There was really no "hole" in my life. It was in fact, one of the best things I have done (or haven't done, in this case) for a long time. I feel rested and rejuvinated and ready for the return to Tanzania, Africa to continue this work.

And while I worried about the mission slipping into obscurity without these regular networking updates to our friends around the world following and supporting this mission, my worries were in vain.

Once I dipped my toe into the familiar waters of marketing and social networking for the mission of Hearts in Unity, I found that our Tanzanian children were still in the hearts of our Hearts in Unity family.

People continued to inquire about how they could help. Our mailbox continued to be filled with letters and postcards for our Tanzanian children. People continued to sew and send us the simple fabric school bags they were making for the children. Our knitters continued to knit warm hats for our kids living high on Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Pen pal letters continued back and forth to kids in our villages.

It's amazing and I am encouraged.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook as we travel back "home" to Tanzania. Our children our waiting with anticipation. Welcome to Tanzania!

www.heartsinunity.org
www.twitter.com/heartsinunity
www.facebook.com/heartsinunity

Receive a Postcard from a Tanzanian Child

Hearts in Unity is offering a unique opportunity for you to help in the education support of an orphan or at-risk child in Tanzania, Africa, and in return receive a postcard of thanks directly from that Tanzanian child.

Hearts in Unity representatives will be returning to Tanzania again in November 2010. For each $5 donation you make to Hearts in Unity before October 15, 2010, we will purchase -- on your behalf -- a postcard, postage stamp and school supplies (pens, pencils, paper/notebook) when we arrive in Tanzania.

We will present your gift of school supplies to a child in one of our Tanzanian villages. The child will then write a thank you note to you on the postcard, and we’ll mail the postcard to you directly from Tanzania, Africa.

To learn more information and to participate in this special project, please visit the Postcards from Tanzania page of our website.

Do you have room in your heart to reach out to a child in Tanzania?

An Encouraging Word

It's amazing!

In just 3 short weeks since we announced our partnership with Postcrossing.com, we have already received over 100 postcards with wonderful, heartfelt messages of encouragement and friendship for the orphan and at-risk children in our Tanzanian villages!

Our grateful thanks for the postcards we have already received from those in:

Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, England, Finland, Germany, Helvetia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, and the USA

We at Hearts in Unity are sincerely humbled by the outpouring of love that has been shown towards these precious third-world children who have so little.

The postcards that have already been delivered were placed in the hands of Tanzanian children looking up with huge smiles of anticipation on their faces. Imagine the delight as they looked at the pictures on the postcards and listened as the written greetings were read to them. Their eyes lighting up in wonder as they saw phrases in their native language of Swahili written by someone in another country so far away.

Postcrossers are truly a special group of people who have hearts of gold! On behalf of the children, ASANTE SANA -- THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

To learn more about how you can send postcards with notes of encouragement to the orphan and at-risk children of Tanzania, check out the blog on Postcrossing.com

To learn more about how you can become part of the Postcrossing community, so that you, too can send and receive postcards from wonderful people like these all over the world, visit www.postcrossing.com.

Postcards from the World

We are pleased to announce our newest partner in our mission to help the orphan and at-risk children in Tanzania Africa. Karibu! Welcome to all of our new friends at:

www.postcrossing.com

Through this new partnership, people around the world will be able to send words of encouragement and friendship on postcards that will be hand-delivered to the children in our Tanzanian villages.

It's a wonderfully heartwarming way to show these children that they are loved and that people care about them.

Read all about the project and learn how you, too, can send a postcard to one of these precious children...

"At Postcrossing HQ we are always looking for ways to do good through postcards. Today we are happy to share with you a simple but very powerful way to ignite big smiles..." (read more...)

For more information about Hearts in Unity, and our "Messages from the Heart" project, please visit us at Hearts in Unity