Stories are written by themselves...

We can call it whatever we want—God, the Universe, Fate. It doesn't matter what one believes in. Every trip, every season, basically plans itself somehow. People and their stories come to us on their own. It's not hard to find those we can help. The hard part is deciding whom to turn away—assessing which of those who cross our path and ask for support deserve our attention the most. And that's a difficult task.

Ma Rosie

She is a brave woman. She has a physical disability and cannot walk. But that doesn't stop her from taking care of her three children and making sure they can go to school. Finding a job is very difficult in these local conditions even for an healthy woman, let alone a woman with any kind of disability. But Ma Rosie has no intention of giving in to fate and becoming a burden to others. Every morning, someone takes her into the city center, where she tries to save money for her children—even if it means begging. She literally crawls through the city all day long. When we met Ma Rosie, she was moving through the streets with her youngest daughter, Rosie, who isn't even three years old yet. She had to tie her to herself with a knot so she wouldn't wander off and get lost in town. We've offered our help to her several times, we wanted at least try to improve her living situation. We don't know why she's holding back—whether she's afraid or simply doesn't want to depend on anyone—but aside from a little food assistance from us, she asks for nothing. This time, however, she reached out to us with a request to pay for her bus ticket to Mwanza. She was planning to take Rosie to her mother, who already takes care of her first two children. She wants her daughter to have a better life—to be able to play, go to preschool, and not have to wander the streets of the city. Paying for the ticket was the absolute least we could do for her family. Rosie is now with her grandmother, along with her other two siblings, and according to her mother, she's doing well.

Mariamu

And her children, you already know well. This is one of the families we've been working with for a long time—one of those in the greatest need. Every season, we try to help them and provide the children with additional nutrients in their diet. All year round, they eat only ugali—corn porridge—and majani—something like spinach. So, at least three times a year, we try to buy them rice, beans, vegetables, fruit, small fish, and other foods that will enrich their very modest diet and strengthen and nourish the children. This season, Mariamu and Amrani helped us a little with preparing Lishe, a porridge for the youngest children. Amrani asked us for a bicycle so he could ride to school and take care of activities related to supporting his family, which relies on him to a large extent. But I didn't want to just give it to him for free. I suggested that he "earn" the bicycle. We brought him over 200 kg of corn, which he had to sort through and clean, and then we headed into town to buy the promised bike. Mariamu helped him with the work, so we bought her a cheap push-button phone in town. She lives in a remote area, and it's important for her to be able to stay in touch with others and call for help if necessary. She wouldn't be able to run anywhere on her own. And the good news is, the chickens are doing well :). New chicks have been born. We bought the necessary medications to protect the poultry from diseases that occasionally spread through the area and cause devastating damage. So hopefully Amrani's mini chicken farm will continue to grow :).

Nairat

You surely remember this little fighter as well. She was born with spina bifida. We gave her a walker that literally helped her get on her feet. We tried very hard to find some high-quality orthotics for her here in the Czech Republic that would provide her with support and make it easier for her to walk with the walker. However, we were unsuccessful. These devices must be custom-made for each child. A plaster cast must be taken, which is then used to manufacture the orthoses. Furthermore, their production is very expensive. This time, we were unable to help. After consulting with several experts, we agreed that the most important thing is for Nairat to exercise every day, focusing primarily on strengthening her core so she can move more easily in her walker. We donated a large exercise ball to her, which will help strengthen her core and make her workouts a little more fun. Shortly after I returned home, however, I received a photo of Nairat wearing "braces" that they managed to have made in Tanzania. She continues to work diligently and tirelessly toward her goal of walking and participating fully in life.

Hussein

Hussein may not be a child, but he is the father of two children whom he takes care of on his own. Or rather, they're the ones taking care of him now. After finishing primary school, his son had to start working at an car repair garage to earn at least a little money for food. Hawa is still in primary school, but she's in charge of the entire household and taking care of her father. She has to get up at five in the morning, light the fire, make tea and ugali, take care of her father, and only then can she head off to school. Likewise, work awaits her when she returns home. The family truly prayed for our help. We came across them while buying corn from local farmers to make porridge. Hawa came to us and asked if we could visit her father. A year ago, Hussein suffered a severe fracture of his calf and shin bones in a motorcycle accident. At the hospital, he was told he would need to undergo surgery costing 1 million Tanzanian shillings. That's the equivalent of about 10,000 CZK. For us, that's a fairly manageable amount; for an ordinary local resident, it's a huge sum. Hussein was unable to raise such a large sum of money and did not undergo the surgery. After some time, however, a severe infection developed in his bones and on his skin, and his leg didn't look good at all. I think we arrived just in the nick of time. We couldn't just turn around and leave them behind. Two days later, we headed to the hospital. We made the trip every week for two months for wound cleaning, dressing changes, checkups, and to pick up medication. Due to the infection, it wasn't possible to perform the surgery. Even after I returned to the Czech Republic, they continued to visit the hospital with Chale. During that time, Hussein must have eaten kilos of antibiotics, but the doctors still didn't dare to go ahead with the surgery. They gave us the contact information for a specialist in Dodoma. With God's help, we managed to raise a considerable sum from our own resources, from family, friends, and the local community, and Hussein finally underwent surgery. His bone was in terrible condition, and a part of it had to be removed. The rest was filled with bone cement. A strong, effective medication was injected into the bone to stop and cure the infection and stimulate the growth of the missing bone. Six weeks after the surgery, we'll travel to Dodoma, where he'll undergo the second part of his treatment. One might say this is a difficult task, but who among us would leave a person in difficulty without trying to do everything possible to help him? Losing a leg under the conditions here is the beginning of the end. It's a sentence to total poverty. What's more, both the children and their father were full of faith, gratitude, and hope that tomorrow would be better. So let's keep our fingers crossed that he recovers soon and can get back to work. Maybe then Juma will be able to start school and become a mechanic, which is what he really wishes for.

We are very grateful to all of you, because thanks to your support, we were able to cover the costs of Hussein's hospital checkups, treatment, wound dressings, medications, and the custom-made brace that stabilized his leg, relieved his pain, and made it easier for him to move around. With your help, we were able to buy them a supply of corn, rice, oil, sugar, beans, and other necessary food items. Hawa received a new school uniform, and to ease her distress and worry about her dad a little, we had a beautiful new dress made for her :).

Ma Grace and Neema

You're probably wondering, what does "Ma" mean? Here, no one addresses local mothers by their first names. They're usually referred to by the name of one of their children, often the firstborn. Ma Grace is the mother of young twins who are participating in our Lishe project. She found a job at a factory, but while working there, she inhaled harmful substances and developed a severe lung disease, accompanied by extreme fatigue and exhaustion. For several months, she was unable to do anything. Her doctor recommended that, as part of her treatment, she nourish both herself and the twins—whom she was still breastfeeding—with high-quality milk, at least 1.5 liters per day for everyone. So we paid for 30-day supply of milk for them, and when we later returned with a food and porridge package for the twins, she was already in much better condition. The milk worked wonders :).

Selela

It's almost like the end of the world. Tanzania is a huge, vast country. If you venture deeper into the wilderness, you can easily get the feeling that you've reached the end of the world. During a visit to a high school student, we ended up in just such a place. We came across a community of people living a very simple life, far from villages and cities, without water or electricity. A terrifying thought for some of us, right? :D We decided to help them out a little and bought them some basic food supplies and 200 kg of corn. And of course, we had to promise the kids that we'd bring them lots of candy.

Ugali

In Tanzania, they say "Maji ni uhai"—Water is life. I say, "Ugali ni uhai"—Ugali is life :D. But seriously. Almost everyone here literally depends on corn. Ugali is the number one food—the most accessible and the most important. In total, we distributed about 370 kg of corn this time.

Zacydo and Zanzibar

Once again, we supported our friends from the land of azure waters and snow-white beaches. We helped Mundhir, who has been in a wheelchair since childhood, cover the costs of necessary medications and rehabilitation care for a certain period. He recently suffered from muscle inflammation, and his condition deteriorated significantly. Although he's doing better today, he urgently needs regular physical therapy to help his condition return to "normal." We also paid for Omar's medications and necessary care, thereby easing the strain on his family's budget.

We've accomplished quite a lot together, haven't we? :)