The Anatomy of Resilience: A Different Kind of Post

Over the course of the past few months I have had the great pleasure of spending extensive time with my dear friend Kristin Hocker to research and write this article “The Anatomy of Resilience” (shared below). Kristin has been an important member of our Unite family over the years as she co-led our Strides for Strength walk-a-thon in 2015, which enabled the purchasing of prosthetics and medical devices for dozens of amputees and people living with disabilities in Tanzania. Kristin, after losing her leg to a necrotizing fasciitis bacteria in 2013, has launched her own social media campaign on Instagram @kristinpcan to share, motivate, inspire and encourage other amputees (and all of us humans who face unexpected hardships and setbacks) to embrace vitality, love, beauty, strength, health, friendship, faith, and community and to live their best lives. Thank you Kristin for allowing me to share your inspirational story. And a very special thanks to photographer Harriett Wells (Instagram @harriettwellsphotography) for these stunning images.

This holiday season may we celebrate strong, powerful, resilient, courageous women ALL over the world!


Photo by Harriett Wells.

Photo by Harriett Wells.

The Anatomy of Resilience

By Anne Wells

***

With just a thin pink yoga mat as a cushion from the hardwood of her front porch in Bell Island, Rowayton, Connecticut, Kristin Hocker lay on her right side with her left arm stretched up to the warm breezy October sky. The deep voice of her trainer Sean Mageau coached her through her iPhone, which was balanced on a table against an oversized orange Halloween candle. “Ok Kristin,” said Mageau, “now try to lift up into a side plank. Let me see the air between your hip and the mat.” Kneeling behind her, physical therapist Maureen Meehan supported Kristin’s pelvis. Kristin’s face winced as she strained with effort to activate her remaining muscles. “Good job,” said Meehan. “We didn’t catch any air, but I could feel muscles firing.” Kristin collapsed and pulled off her right leg whose seal had broken with the movement. “Next time let’s do this exercise without the leg on,” Kristin said, catching her breath.  

Seven years ago, Kristin Hocker, a 54-year-old, divorced, working mother of four lost her leg, and nearly her life, to a misdiagnosed Strep-A-bacterial-infection-turned-necrotizing-fasciitis (a.k.a. “flesh-eating disease”) following what doctors, friends, and family thought was merely a sprained ankle. Kristin was left with a two-and-a-half-inch-long right femur; she is what is known in the world of amputees as an above-the-knee “short.” Having such a small residual limb makes mastering the world of prosthetics and movement of any kind uniquely challenging. But, true to her nature, Kristin flashes a wide smile. “I've got this,” she says.

Kristin stands 5’7” and weighs a mere 107 pounds without her prosthetic. Her leg weighed 19 pounds before it was amputated and disposed of in an incinerator at the Connecticut Stamford Hospital; her prosthetic weighs 10 pounds. Kristin’s long, straight dark hair is densely highlighted with streaks of blonde, and chin-length wisps frame her perfectly-symmetrical cheekbones. When Kristin doesn’t need to travel far (just a few feet), she hops on her left foot. When managing any kind of distance without her prosthetic, Kristin uses crutches. With her prosthetic on, Kristin can walk unassisted with a gait that is, at least for now, uneven and compensatory. 

***

The odds of a perfectly healthy, fit woman living in one of the most affluent counties in America losing a limb from necrotizing fasciitis are less than getting struck by lightning. The Center for Disease Control estimates 700 to 1,200 cases of necrotizing fasciitis infections in the United States each year; however, nearly all serious cases afflict people living with diabetes, weakened immune systems, or other underlying health conditions. Yet Kristin doesn’t see herself as unlucky. Instead, she sees her life as full of miracles and love. And, she says, she wouldn’t change a thing. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Living with one leg keeps me grounded and present,” she says. “I have no choice but to pay close attention to the ground beneath my feet and the world around me.” Today, Kristin is determined to help others who may be labeled as disabled, disfigured, or even just unlucky, see their lives the same way.

Mirror mirror on the wall, I’ll always get up after I fall. And whether I run, walk, or have to crawl, I’ll set my goals and achieve them all.
— A quote posted on Instagram @kristinpcan, September 22, 2019.

 On September 20, 2019, six years to the day she lost her leg, Kristin launched her “Kristin P. Can” social media campaign on Instagram @kristinpcan. “I am ready to share my story,” she wrote. Over a year later, nearly 1,500 followers are tuning in. Kristin’s feed features inspirational quotes alongside photos and videos of Kristin walking up and down stairs, stretching in yoga poses, riding bikes, kayaking, shopping in stores, cooking, traveling with family, enjoying the beauty of nature with friends.

“I do what most people do; the only difference is that I do it with one leg,” says Kristin, who tattooed a wave on the inside of her left arm to remind herself to “surf and stay above the storms of life.”  Kristin’s allure to those who know her, and now to those who don’t, stems from her “extraordinary attitude” and “exceptional resilience,” says her long-time friend and former neighbor Keiley Fuller. “Nearly everything we do and take for granted is harder for Kristin, but she never says it. She never complains, ever.”

Kristin lost her leg on Friday, September 20, 2013. The week before, she went to a local restaurant to meet a friend for dinner. Kristin and Corby, her husband of 18 years, had just filed for divorce, and Kristin was looking forward to a girls’ night out. As Kristin jostled through the restaurant’s crowded bar area to reach her table, she rolled her ankle. “I didn’t think much of it,’ she remembers. Yet the next morning, Kristin was in enough pain that she went to see an orthopedic doctor who she knew through her work as the Outreach Director for Maplewood Senior Living headquartered in Westport, Connecticut. The doctor diagnosed a second-degree sprain and torn tendon. His RX? Rest, ice, and elevate. 

By Monday, Kristin could hardly move. She called her doctor and asked for pain medicine. He prescribed Vicodin. She sent him many photos of the black and purple blisters that were forming and growing over her swollen, tightened, and stretched skin. He wasn’t alarmed. When Kristin asked to return to the doctor that Wednesday for a re-check, she recalls that he “sliced the skin and casted my foot.” The doctor lanced the blisters and tightly wrapped Kristin’s foot and ankle up to her knee, assumedly to alleviate pressure and provide some kind of support. 

By Thursday morning Kristin felt her “body shutting down inside, bit by bit,” and, in a moment of lucidity, she asked her soon-to-be-ex-husband to please call 911. By the time the paramedics arrived, Kristin’s blood pressure was 74 over 50.“Somewhere during that ride to the hospital I just went away,” says Kristin. 

Inside Kristin’s body a Strep A bacteria had taken hold in her ankle and developed into necrotizing fasciitis or what is often referred to as “flesh-eating disease.” Treatment for necrotizing fasciitis requires opening muscle fascia, excising infected tissue, and removing enough surrounding tissue to ensure the infection is completely eliminated. “It was like chasing a car going 100 miles per hour up interstate I-95,” said Dr. Kevin Miller, a surgeon at Stamford Hospital who oversaw Kristin’s care. “We administered broad-range antibiotics to try and save Kristin’s ankle. Hours later the team was amputating her leg to try and save her life.” Kristin’s surgeons removed her leg six inches above the visible bacteria line. Yet by that time she was in full-blown organ failure due to widespread sepsis. Kristin’s heart stopped, twice; her kidneys lost function; and her lungs filled with fluid. The team at Stamford Hospital called Corby and told him to come in with his and Kristin’s four children, who were then ages 6, 9, 11, and 14, to say goodbye. 

At some point during the time she was unconscious, Kristin experienced what is widely known as an NDE (a near-death experience). “I saw an explosion of white light that was so intensely bright it should have hurt my eyes, but it didn’t. My heart was beating strong and fast. I felt excited and full of anticipation. My senses were electric, and I was overcome by this incredible sense of love.”

What brought her back?

“The faces of my four children flashed in my mind’s eye, one by one, from oldest to youngest—Carey, Caitlyn, Ryan, Chloe—and immediately I was pulled back,” recalls Kristin.

Meanwhile, Kristin’s friends and community rallied. Phones rang, texts pinged, and the hospital’s waiting room filled. Kristin’s pastor and friend, Reverend Brandi Drake of Noroton Presbyterian Church in Darien, Connecticut, organized a last-minute community prayer vigil. “There must have been more than 150 people packed in that little sanctuary,” remembers Rev. Drake. “We held the image that we were all storming heaven with picket signs that read: ‘We want Kristin.’ And then we sang Amazing Grace.”

On Tuesday, September 24th, five days after being taken from her home by ambulance, Kristin woke up. When it became clear that Kristin would live, her friends and family sighed a breath of relief. “Their trauma was over, and mine was just beginning,” remembers Kristin. After two weeks in Stamford Hospital, Kristin was transferred to a rehab center. Friends arranged daily lunches for Kristin and her many visitors during her six-week-stay and filled her room with flowers, photos, books, and get-well cards. “My family and friends did everything for me,” remembers Kristin. “They washed my hair, dressed me in soft pajamas with matching single flip flops, fed my family, drove my children, walked my dog, made me playlists of amazing music.”

This outpouring of compassion and support is, Kristin says, what helped her through the waves of despair that came during those first few weeks. “I was grateful to be alive but not 100% sure I would ever roll over again without feeling like a knife was slicing through me, never mind be able to get up and walk again.”

A malpractice case was filed against the doctor who misdiagnosed Kristin’s ankle, and Kristin, and her lawyers, would spend the next five long years in a heated battle with that doctor’s insurance company. In September 2018, two days before the trial was set to begin, the insurance company capitulated, and Kristin was awarded an undisclosed settlement. 

Kristin with her daughter Caitlyn. Photo by Harriett Wells.

Kristin with her daughter Caitlyn. Photo by Harriett Wells.

Today, Kristin is busy balancing the demands of motherhood; her career as Director of the Maplewood Heart Foundation, a 501(c) (3) public charity organization that supports senior caregivers and related organizations; staying fit; and training to walk with a smooth and balanced gait. “Experts say it takes 10,000 hours to master a new skill, but I have the added challenge of being so short,” Kristin says. 

Since her amputation in 2013, Kristin has used three different prosthetic legs. Getting insurance to approve payment for each more technologically-advanced leg has been another ongoing battle for Kristin and her team. “Part of our job is to fight the insurance companies,” explains prosthetist Sal Martella, whose team at Progressive Orthopedics and Prosthetics in Albertson, New York, petitioned for well over a year to get Kristin the most cutting edge technologyavailable on the prosthetic market today—the Ottobock leg with the first fully waterproof X3 microprocessor knee, which was developed in collaboration with the U.S. military and is currently made in Vienna, Austria. They had to prove that Kristin was healthy enough to benefit from the bionic knee’s advanced activity settings, which can adjust the swing angle for running, biking, golfing, and driving. Dan Bastian, Sal’s partner and Progressive’s co-founder, is an above-the-knee amputee who has been using Ottobock technology for years. Both Bastian and Martella say that the X3 should enable Kristin less gait deviation and a more complete lifestyle (she can swim with the leg on and do water sports) all the while with less worry about falling (the knee senses uneven ground and adjusts accordingly). They just need to get the fit right, and this is proving challenging.

Most amputees have enough residual limb to essentially “sit” into the prosthetic. But since Kristin’s residual limb is uniquely short, the socket presses into her groin, which can cause discomfort and pain. To secure her leg for any length of time, Kristin has to do what is called a “skin fit,” which entails covering Kristin’s remaining flesh with a nylon liner that is then placed into the socket and pulled slowly through an air hole at the bottom of the carbon mold, gripping Kristin’s skin and pulling it downwards into a suction fit. It is Martella, not Kristin, who admits how painful it is. “The first few times someone tries a skin fit, at least until their skin calluses, they will see stars,” says Martella, who has worked in the field of prosthetics for 27 years. “Kristin is borderline hip disarticulation; she is one of the shortest amputees I have ever worked with. I know the physics of what she is up against, and it’s remarkable how well she is getting around.”

Bastian, who was 15 years old when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and 25 when his leg was amputated (after 18 surgeries to try and save it), regularly counsels amputees and their families. Bastiancredits Kristin’s success to her mental outlook. “It’s all in the mind,” says Bastian, a 30+-year specialist in prosthetic feet, knees, legs, liners, hands, and arms. “Learning to walk again is mostly a matter of will and desire.”

Having a positive role model like Bastian in Kristin’s life is a critical element of resilience post-trauma, according to Dennis Charney, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York. “Finding a role model who went through the same thing and knows the process of recovery both psychologically and physically is very important,” writes Charney in his article “Decades of Research Lead to ‘Prescription’ for Resilience,” which was published in Psychiatric News on June 27, 2019. On Instagram @kristinpcan, Kristin posts a photo of her standing between Martella and Bastian. She wears ashort black tube skirt, a red T-shirt, and Converse sneakers on both her foot and the prosthetic. Behind them is a wall of framed images of Bastian water-skiing, biking, hiking, golfing, and fishing. Her caption reads: “I can aspire but only to half the activities this man does.”

Photo by Harriett Wells.

Photo by Harriett Wells.

Kristin spent most of her childhood in Haddonfield, New Jersey, a 2.8-square-mile Quaker town located 15-minutes from Philadelphia, with her parents, Charlotte and Tom Price, and her two younger sisters, Heather and Laurel. Charlotte worked as a teacher at a local elementary school and Tom was a bacteriologist and Director with the Food and Drug Administration. Kristin grew up like most kids during the 70s—watching The Brady Bunch and The Bionic Woman; listening to Sonny & Cher and The Monkees; reading Nancy Drew and Judy Blume. Hers was a normal, happy family.

Or so she thought. 

In January 1977, Kristin’s father moved out, and it would be years before Kristin would learn why. Tom had presented Charlotte, his wife of 16 ½ years, with a letter confirming her nagging suspicions and deepest fears. He had been living a double life as a homosexual man actively engaging in serial out-of-wedlock relationships. “I didn’t want to get divorced,” remembers Charlotte, whose face at 82 looks decades younger with nearly-wrinkle-free skin, “so I said I would forgive him if he would give up his other life. But he said no—that he wouldn’t, he couldn’t.”

After Tom moved out, Charlotte was left alone with her three girls, who were then 4, 7, and 11, and to make ends meet, she picked up tutoring jobs in the afternoons and evenings. “I cried every day for months,” remembers Charlotte, whose dark brown eyes are mirrored in Kristin’s. “And then, as time went on, I would just cry when I cooked or vacuumed, and, of course, every time I heard the heating oil delivery truck. It was always another bill I couldn’t afford.” 

Kristin assumed more and more parenting responsibilities for her younger sisters. She would cook dinners and help her sisters with their homework. For years Kristin and her sisters visited their father every other weekend at his apartment in Philadelphia. However, their visits became less frequent after Tom met a composer and moved with him into a house in Westchester, PA, where “they had a dog, an English garden, and flamboyant pool activities,” remembers Kristin.

In 1984, Kristin graduated from Haddonfield Memorial High School with honors. She was voted homecoming queen. She went on to Clemson University to study engineering but soon switched her focus to marketing. During Kristin’s sophomore year in university, she received a letter from Tom saying “I’m HIV positive.” Knowing what that meant, Kristin transferred to the University of Delaware to be closer to home and to help care for her father. In June of 1986, Tom Price died of AIDS. He was 47 years old. In his obituary, the cause of death was cited as pneumonia. “Everyone was so afraid of HIV/AIDS,” remembers Kristin. “No one in our family ever discussed it.” It would be many years before Charlotte, Heather, Laurel, or Kristin would admit the truth.

Reverend Drake, who first started working with Kristin during her divorce counseling in 2012, credits Kristin’s optimism in the face of adversity, in part, to her childhood experiences. “Kristin has had to surrender many times throughout her life,” says Drake over a Zoom call from her book-lined home office in Darien, CT. “Many people become brittle and protected, but not Kristin. She is open to new experiences and extremely receptive to learning and growing.”

“Even in Kristin’s darkest days she never asked, ‘Why me?’” said Charlotte, who remarried in 1990, became widowed, again, in 2004, and retired in 2006 with six adult children and 15 grandchildren. “I am very proud of her for that.” Resilience expert and researcher Dr. Lucy Hone of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience reminds us in her Ted Talk “3 secrets of resilient people” given at the Tedx Christchurch August 2019 event that “adversity doesn’t discriminate,” and that resilient people “know that suffering is part of every human’s existence.” They don’t ask “Why me?’ but instead they ask “Why not me?” says Hone.

Where exactly Kristin’s resilience comes from no one will ever know for sure. It is likely a combination of her mental fortitude, her devotion to her four children and loving (albeit unconventional) family, her extremely supportive community and social network, and her feeling of living a purpose-driven life.

Photo by Harriett Wells.

Photo by Harriett Wells.

Back on the porch in Rowayton, Meehan, Kristin, and Mageau (through Zoom) start the last exercise of the day. Meehan, who has worked for more than 30 years with amputees and patients with neurological disorders, positions Kristin for a series of single-legged squats. She and Mageau, who served in the Navy for years before becoming a personal trainer for elite athletes, feel no pity for Kristin. And this is exactly what Kristin wants, and needs. “Maureen and Sean believe in me. They push me to be the best version of me that I can be. They are part of my ‘Kristin P. Can Team Vitality,’” says Kristin with a smile as Meehan hands her a long 10-pound black tool called the ViPR®, which Mageau has Kristin use to improve her balance, stability, and core strength. Meehan continues to adjust Kristin’s form as Sean commands the movements. 

Mageau and Meehan are now focused on helping Kristin reach her latest goal, which is to walk unaided, wearing her new Ottobuck X3, down the stone staircase at the end of her road to the town beach, where, weather permitting, she will take a dip in the Long Island Sound. “Kristin finally has a leg that has the mechanics and technology to do this,” says Mageau. “The challenge is,” says Meehan, “that Kristin’s brain has shifted its midline to the left, so we need to train it to adjust back to center, above the belly button, and trust that the prosthetic leg will support her.”

For Kristin, every day is a choice. “There are days that I don’t feel like ‘I’ve got this,’ and there are times when I look down at my leg—at the titanium and the computer—and am in complete disbelief. But then I hear the voice inside that says—almost like a friend would—to love myself, and it reminds me how far I’ve come, how much I’ve learned, and that really, it’s this leg’s job to keep up with me.”

For those who want to follow Kristin’s journey, every step of the way, visit Instagram @kristinpcan


Banana Blessings & The Unite Herald

International journalist, podcaster, and communications expert Engaisi Peter has joined our Unite team in Tanzania. With this article “Banana Blessings” she launches The Unite Herald with the tagline: “We are spreading smiles, and here's where you can see and read about them.” Engaisi will soon be profiling our Unite Scholars, Unite Brave Widows, and our Unite teammates, and we will share her writings with you here through our blog. Welcome to the Unite family Engaisi! We are thrilled to have you with us on this grand adventure of love and service.

THE UNITE HERALD: BANANA BLESSINGS

Unite Environmental Scientist Clara Ngowi and Unite Brave Widow Program Manager Rhoda Lugazia presenting Unite Brave Widow Lina Sikombe with the gift of bananas from our Unite garden.

Unite Environmental Scientist Clara Ngowi and Unite Brave Widow Program Manager Rhoda Lugazia presenting Unite Brave Widow Lina Sikombe with the gift of bananas from our Unite garden.

On November 23, 2020, Lina Sikombe made her way to Kunduchi, a growing neighborhood in the fast disappearing outskirts of Dar es Salaam. Waiting for her at the Unite Garden in Kunduchi were environmental scientist Clara Wilson, Unite’s Special Project and Volunteer Coordinator, and Rhoda Rugazia, Unite’s Brave Widow “Mjane Jasiri” program manager. In tow with Rhoda and Clara was a hand of bananas -- a rather versatile raw food ingredient with which one can make fried bananas for breakfast and a banana and beef stew meal for lunch or dinner.

Lina, the recipient of this “zawadi kidogo,” small gift, is a 68-year-old member of Unite’s Brave Widow “Mjane Jasiri” program who looks like she could run a marathon in a heartbeat.

Behind this little moment of exchange between Clara, Rhoda, and Lina was a satisfying fitting of puzzle pieces between the different parts of the Unite family. They say kindness begins at home and this was an instance where that rang true at Unite. Clara runs the Unite Garden, which saw its first seeds and seedlings planted last December by Unite Scholars. A year and buckets of sweat later, the Unite Garden harvested some of those delicious bananas gifted to Lina. Rhoda coordinates Unite Brave Widows programs which supports Lina and other widows with business grants, loans, and training programs. 

Lina, on the other side of the story, is a widow who has been part of Unite’s Brave Widow “Mjane Jasiri” program since August 2019. She sang in the choir in her local church and the pastor recommended her to the Unite Team, which was scouting for widows at the time. When he heard about the program, he thought Lina would be a perfect candidate because she was kind, disciplined, and hard-working. The scouting team listened to the pastor and got to know Lina more, visited her home in Mbezi, and eventually on-boarded her unto the Unite Mjane Jasiri program. The string that ties these two sides of the story together is the Unite Blessings project, which began as a response to COVID-19 challenges to members of the Unite family.

Before COVID-19, Unite Scholars and Brave widows were granted capital to start small businesses and they had their foot in the door before the COVID-19 pandemic closed it shut--throwing sales off the ledge. It became a challenge to sell stock and that was when a lightbulb went off for Unite.

Our overseas donors pulled together to raise funds to support these small businesses by purchasing stock and choosing to give it as a “blessing” to those who need it. We did not have to go far to find them because right within our community were people in need. In response to the gift Lina says:

“God bless you abundantly. The bananas will feed my whole family for weeks. I cannot believe I get to take them all. Thank you!”


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About Engaisi Peter:

Engaisi is a huge fan and proponent of questions and curiosity in the process of learning; strongly believing that any meaningful progress or change begins with asking questions to unearth insights. 

For that reason, she’s the number one fan of the Unite Passion Project and she works with the Unite Family to tell the stories of those who have felt the warmth of the Unite mission in communities Unite works with.

Engaisi is also the host of the @Work with Engaisi Podcast where she speaks with East African professionals about how we work, how we can do it better, and uncover insights that allow us to shape the future of our careers, businesses, and workplaces.

Her motto is "stay curious."


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About Lina Sikombe:

Lina, 68, is from Mbezi Mpiji Magohe, Dar es Salaam. Her husband died and left her with retail shops that she rented to business owners. She was well cared for with this income. However, a few years later, the houses were demolished following an order from the government, and Lina received no compensation. Lina became fully dependent on her oldest daughter, who sadly died shortly thereafter. As a Unite Brave Widow, Lina has launched a vitenge and batik business and plans to start a chicken farm. She is also an active participant in the Unite Mjane Jasiri (Brave Widow) brick and mortar storefront in Dar where the women are making and selling their products to the public. Additionally, Lina has been making (with the entire widow group) face masks and handbags for Unite The World With Africa Foundation.


To make a tax-deductible gift in support of Unite’s work,
please click HERE.

The Unite Passion Project, Why it Matters

Today on #GivingTuesday, The Unite Passion Project is featured on the international podcast @WORK WITH ENGAISI. Please CLICK HERE to listen to the interview between Unite Passion Project Founder Lila Wells and Tanzanian journalist Engaisi Peter. Read below the introduction by Engaisi:

***

“Who do you want to be when you grow up?” This was the cute little question adults in our lives asked us when we had no idea that bills existed and that who we wanted to be would essentially mean where we would spend 40+ hours a week to earn an income to pay those bills.

Fast forward to the high school years and the question became “What do you want to do with your life?” If you grew up in East Africa you probably learned pretty quickly that the good answers were generally a pilot or a doctor or a nurse or an engineer, and, more recently, a computer specialist or a computer scientist.

So then came high school, a time to make one of the biggest decisions of our lives, and we still thought that these were the careers that we were limited to pursuing. And let’s just take a moment to think about the fact that we were seriously considering choosing these majors without having any real idea of what the careers entailed.

How limiting is this for a youngster who is full of energy and curiosity to be limited to a few career options simply because they have been seen as historically safe or and to have a high financial reward?

In today’s episode we talk about a project that is aiming straight at those preconceived notions of what a successful career is and exposing Tanzanian youths to careers beyond those few… a project that seeks to present as many career options as possible to high school students as well as providing insider perspectives on what those careers look like.

Lila Wells speaks about finding inspiration in her own process of choosing a major (at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, USA) and in establishing The Unite Passion Project, a project that is empowering high school students to take charge and determine their own career paths that are more oriented to the 21st century landscape where CHANGE IS QUEEN and THE ABILITY TO PIVOT ITS RIGHT HAND WOMAN.

Here’s Lila Wells… CLICK TO LISTEN.

AMAZON SMILE - You shop, Amazon gives... Will you give to Unite, for FREE?

Dear friends,

Did you know that when you purchase an item on Amazon.com, Amazon will make a small contribution to Unite The World With Africa Foundation IF you link to our 501(c)(3) non-profit to your account through Amazon Smile? It’s quick and easy (see tutorial video and outline below) and it’s 100% free.

So, please consider taking a few moments to link your Amazon account to Unite The World With Africa Foundation, Inc. We are all shopping more online now (due to COVID-19), and this is a way to give without actually being out of pocket even $1! Isn’t that fantastic!

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR OUR VIDEO TUTORIAL AS TO HOW TO LINK YOUR AMAZON ACCOUNT TO UNITE.

Here below please find a step-by-step guide to linking your Amazon.com account to Unite for charitable contributions.

1)    Open a browser on your device 

2)    Type smile.amazon.com in the search bar on top

3)    Click “get started”

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4)    Sign into your Amazon Account

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5)    After logging in, select the” pancake stack” on top left

6)    Scroll down until you see “your account” and select it

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7)    Scroll down until you find “Other Programs” and select “change your Amazon Smile charity”

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8)    Type” Unite the World with Africa Foundation” in the lower search bar

9)    Select our foundation

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10) Wait for the confirmation pop up message

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11) Once you have set up Unite as your charity of choice, it is important to remember to shop on smile.amazon.com in the future if you are using a browser. We recommend bookmarking the site. Please keep in mind shopping on Amazon Smile won’t affect your Prime/Amazon membership benefits. 

12)  Once you have done all the steps, log into your mobile app then open the app and find ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone. 

***

Thank you so much for taking the time to link your Amazon shopping to Amazon Smile to benefit Unite. During this time of COVID-19 fundraising is extremely challenged, as you can imagine, and we know that the need everywhere is dire. We are grateful for your support of Unite in this way. May you be forever blessed.

Asante sana! Thank you for our Unite team in America and in Africa.

Pictured above (top left to bottom right):  Gracia, Neema, Loyce, Aneth, Pili, and Ashura. These girls are all Form 5 Unite Scholars in Tanzania. Funds raised will help support them, the rest of our 42 Unite Scholars, and more than 1,000 other stude…

Pictured above (top left to bottom right): Gracia, Neema, Loyce, Aneth, Pili, and Ashura. These girls are all Form 5 Unite Scholars in Tanzania. Funds raised will help support them, the rest of our 42 Unite Scholars, and more than 1,000 other students in need through the growth and expansion of our Unite Club program.

What would love do?

On the eve of this historic election, I wanted to share an op-ed I wrote recently in the hopes that it may help promote peace.

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Six years ago Unite The World With Africa Foundation was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) public charity to create “a world in which people unite in service, crossing borders seen and unseen, so that every human may live with health, hope, opportunity, and dignity.”[1] What seemed as a lofty vision at the time could now become a reality, thanks to COVID-19.

Why? Today, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, nearly all 7.82 billion[2] of us living on Planet Earth find ourselves facing a common enemy—an invisible-yet-potentially-deadly-airborne pathogen—and we are experiencing first-hand how the actions of a few can affect the lives of many, even from thousands of miles away. No amount of wealth, influence, or resources has proven, yet, to render anyone immune.

“So many people who live a comfortable, easy, safe life in the western world, who have never had to deal with malaria, typhoid, dengue fever, cholera, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and all the other deadly diseases that so many less privileged countries deal with on a daily basis, are now saying ‘one life lost to COVID-19 is one too many,” writes conservationist Stephanie Fuchs, a German-born woman now living with the Maasai tribespeople in Tanzania, on her Instagram @masai_story. She goes on to ask, “Where have they been?!”[3]

Like it or not, Ms. Fuchs has a point. Here in Fairfield County, Connecticut, people lament their kids having to take classes from home via zoom, understocked markets, extended wait times, and being stuck at home. Elsewhere (and here at home), millions have no access to quality education, safe housing, medical care, clean water, or adequate nutrition. In October 2020 my town’s printed glossy magazine ran a feature article about the importance of cloth napkins. It’s time for the privileged to shift focus.

For nearly 30 years I have studied, worked, and traveled in and out of East Africa. In response to the extreme poverty and human suffering I witnessed, I found an amazing team (bless them!) and together we launched Unite with the mission of “providing opportunities for impoverished youth and women to thrive and prosper by investing in and developing quality education, health, and business development programs.”[4] This work has taken me to the side of a Hadza hunter-gatherer woman and her two-hour-old daughter as they lay in dirt in their upside down, hand-built bird’s nest of a home; a 28-week-old newborn who was being kept alive by a heated water-balloon-style baby-warmer donated by an international charity; an 18-year-old girl who, after her baby died during childbirth, lay leaking feces and urine while waiting for an international doctor to perform her fistula surgery. I have met families who lost children and loved ones to all kinds of preventable and treatable diseases (from diarrhea and pneumonia to respiratory illness and untreated infections); diabetics with no access to insulin or glucose monitoring devices; early-stage cancer patients who go on to die because they could not afford, or access, proper treatment; men and women who lost legs to road accidents (in places where there are no orthopedic specialists, broken limbs are often amputated). And the list goes on.

Last summer when most of the world shut down to curb the spread of COVID-19, Tanzania’s President John Magufuli declared Tanzania covid-free. Within two months of the virus officially arriving in the country on March 16, 2020,[5] Magufuli called upon the Tanzanian people to engage in three days of prayer to destroy the coronavirus. “God will do a miracle in our country,” he said.[6] Soon thereafter Covid testing centers closed; the reporting of cases, and deaths, stopped; students returned to school; sporting events resumed; and the small businesses that had popped up to manufacture and provide face-masks and hand-sanitizers shut down. Coronavirus in Tanzania was over.

While Tanzania’s course of action may be questionable, I do wonder what viable choices are available in one of the world’s least developed countries where approximately 70 percent of the population (~60 million people) live on less than $2 a day[7] and where there are no safety nets, beyond extended family. In such an environment, quarantine and lock down would result in economic catastrophe and mass hunger. And while it appears that COVID-19 is not, in fact, ravaging Tanzania, as widely predicted (experts speculate this may be in part because of the young population—nearly half are under 16[8]—and the predominantly outdoor lifestyle), what the future holds, no one knows. However, what we do know, is that the Tanzanian people are intimately familiar with vulnerability and uncertainty. They live with the same diseases that Ms. Fuchs cites – everyday. So, coronavirus or no coronavirus, life goes on. 

I am a natural optimist and believe the day will come that COVID-19 is behind us all. And I am hopeful that this experience will influence, positively, the decisions we choose to make over coming days, months, and years. According to a study published in Lancet, COVID-19 has “triggered enormous displays of pro-social behavior with neighbors coming to the aid of (the) isolated…”  Let’s hope that this compassion; desire to use one’s time, talent, and treasure in service to those in need; and humility that comes from knowing “it could be me” will continue long after the pandemic is history.

 COVID-19 has made what has always been a stark reality impossible to ignore:
Ours is one world; our lives interconnected, our health interlinked.

***

When faced with the challenges of the day, we must ask ourselves…
“What would love do?” And then, we must act.

~Anne Wells, Founder & Director, Unite The World With Africa Foundation

***

[1] Vision Statement. Unite The World With Africa Foundation. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from https://www.uniteafricafoundation.org/our-mission-and-goals

[2] Worldometer. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

[3] Stephanie Fuchs, Instagram @Masai_story. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from https://www.instagram.com/masai_story/

[4] Mission Statement. Unite The World With Africa Foundation. Retrieved October 29, 2020https://www.uniteafricafoundation.org/our-mission-and-goals

[5] COVID-19 Pandemic in Tanzania. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 29, 2020 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Tanzania

[6] Nyaguthie, Racheal (March 23, 2020). “President Magufuli says coronavirus cannot survive the body of Christ.” MSN.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020 from https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/president-magufuli-says-coronavirus-cannot-survive-in-body-of-christ-it-will-burn/ar-BB11Aa80

[7] “Tanzania Mainland Poverty Assessment: A New Picture of Growth for Tanzania Emerges.” The World Bank. Retrieved October 29, 2020 from https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/tanzania/publication/tanzania-mainland-poverty-assessment-a-new-picture-of-growth-for-tanzania-emerges

[8] World Fact Book. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved October 30, 2020, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tz.html

Introducing the Unite Passion Project

As part of Unite’s commitment to educating and empowering marginalized, at-risk youth, we recently launched a guest-speaker platform called The Unite Passion Project. The goals of the project are to expose our Unite Scholars and young people across East Africa to a wide array of perspectives and activities and to showcase ways that various ideas and talents can be translated into meaningful, impactful, and rewarding work and careers.

To date we have received more than 50 video submissions (and are awaiting dozens more) from professionals, students, and change makers around the world covering a wide range of topics from medicine, music, education, leadership, finance and the arts to acting, branding, business, science, entrepreneurship, and more. To watch any one of these passion videos and learn more about what makes these extraordinary people tick, visit Unitepassionproject.org and subscribe to our Unite Passion Project Youtube channel.

Above, a few of our recent Passion Project contributors who include ambassadors, doctors, artists, heads of school, teachers and professors, scientists, film makers, writers, editors, entrepreneurs, and others from around the world who have personal…

Above, a few of our recent Passion Project contributors who include ambassadors, doctors, artists, heads of school, teachers and professors, scientists, film makers, writers, editors, entrepreneurs, and others from around the world who have personal passions to discuss and share. We are most grateful for their participation and support.

Why?

Oftentimes when you ask Unite Scholars or teenagers in rural under-resourced towns or villages what they would like to do with their lives, their response will be the same: “To become a doctor, pilot, or engineer.”  This may be, in part, because they are driven by a love of medicine, aviation, and science. However, oftentimes, it is because they know of nothing else to dream.

THIS IS WHERE THE UNITE PASSION PROJECT COMES IN.

***

Unite is now partnering with a number of higher secondary schools across Tanzania to launch Unite Student Clubs, which are focusing, in part, on watching and discussing our Unite Passion Project videos. Each club will watch one to three videos per week and then spend time in break-out group sharing insights and ideas.

We will reach more than 1,000 students through our Unite Clubs by the end of 2020.

Students in our Unite Club at Same Boys School gather for the club’s kick-off event on September 1, 2020.

Students in our Unite Club at Same Boys School gather for the club’s kick-off event on September 1, 2020.

Unite Club students at Same Boys watch a passion video by Dr. Morton Shapiro, President of Northwestern University, on September 1, 2020.

Unite Club students at Same Boys watch a passion video by Dr. Morton Shapiro, President of Northwestern University, on September 1, 2020.

To learn more or to contribute a passion video, email Lila@unitepssionproject.org.

In this time of widespread turmoil, fear, and suffering, we can—and must—focus on what brings joy. By sharing what feeds our spirits and ignites our minds, bodies, and souls, we can authentically connect with one another — across borders seen and unseen. And when we can unite as human beings on Planet Earth, we can and will create a more compassionate, equitable, just, and balanced world. 

LEARN MORE AT Unitepassionproject.org.

Subscribe to our Unite Passion Project Youtube Channel HERE.

The Unite Youth Ambassador Program was a huge success!

Cultivating connection, camaraderie, and compassion in the time of COVID-19

We are thrilled to report that our pilot Unite Youth Ambassador Program, which ran from mid-May through early July 2020, was a huge success. Led by Lila Wells, 12 American ambassadors from colleges and universities across America were paired with 23 Unite A-Level Scholars in Tanzania, and together they forged deep and lasting friendships and explored academic, cross-cultural, and creative topics of shared interest.

Click here to see the Unite Ambassador-Scholar “RAP,” an original song by Stella Calista Mosha.

Below, a few highlights, video links & testimonials:

Maria John with her Unite Ambassador Lila Wells.

Maria John with her Unite Ambassador Lila Wells.

From my ambassador Lila I learned the importance of respect, empathy, curiosity, and always being charming and friendly. She has taught me about time management and how to improve my self confidence and accountability. I loved making our group videos about BLACK LIVES MATTER and for INTERNATIONAL ALBINISM AWARENESS DAY. May the good Lord find the best way to bless Unite.

~Unite Scholar Maria John Kwanga

Click here to see a short video of Maria John, Lila, and fellow scholars Zainabu Seiph and Furaha Ngowi.

Click HERE to see their self-created PLAY performed from America all across Tanzania!

Zaituni with her twin sister (and fellow Unite Scholar) Zainabu Ally and their Unite Ambassador Maddie Banish.

Zaituni with her twin sister (and fellow Unite Scholar) Zainabu Ally and their Unite Ambassador Maddie Banish.

From my ambassador Maddie, I learned about confidence. She always made me feel very comfortable and I was able to ask her many questions. I also grew my talents in dancing, since my ambassador loves to dance. I also learned a lot about leadership, time management, and how to earn and save money.

~Unite Scholar Zaituni Ally Mjanja

Click here to see Zaituni and her twin sister Zainabu dance a tic tok video with Maddie, Tanzania to America!

Loveness with fellow Unite Scholar Winson Mahenge and their Unite Ambassador CJ Johnson.

Loveness with fellow Unite Scholar Winson Mahenge and their Unite Ambassador CJ Johnson.

“My ambassador CJ studies very hard and takes excellent care of his health. He taught me about engineering and how to keep my body fit by doing push-ups and running. He showed me the importance of having a courageous heart, always encouraging me with my dreams and pursuits. Also he made us so happy by sharing so many funny stories and even dancing. He showed me that happiness is key to success.”

~Unite Scholar Loveness Apaeli

Click here to see a short video of Loveness and CJ.

Lazaro with fellow Unite Scholar Andia Rubai and their Unite Ambassador Mahfouz Soumare.

Lazaro with fellow Unite Scholar Andia Rubai and their Unite Ambassador Mahfouz Soumare.

From my ambassador Mahfouz I learned the importance of working hard, believing in myself, and always aiming higher. I am empowered now to speak up and contribute my opinions. I also learned that Americans are hospitable people who have a culture of cooperation.

~Unite Scholar Lazaro Frederick

Click here to see a video of Lazaro, Mahfouz & Andia.

Michael with fellow Unite Scholar Neema Paul and their Unite Ambassador Jake Turner.

Michael with fellow Unite Scholar Neema Paul and their Unite Ambassador Jake Turner.

My ambassador Jake is a very kind and charming person. He taught me a lot about self determination and self awareness. He also showed me ways to apply what I study in school to “real life.” I learned that in America people are encouraged to love to other people — even total strangers — and that in America gender inequality is not like it is in Africa.

~Unite Scholar Michael Charles

Click here to see a video of Michael, Jake, and Neema.

John John with his Unite Ambassador Quinn Boyd and Unite Program Leader Lila Wells.

John John with his Unite Ambassador Quinn Boyd and Unite Program Leader Lila Wells.

From my ambassador Quinn, I learned the importance of sharing ideas openly and being honest and creative. We discussed a lot about beekeeping and raising goats. My favorite part of the program was our video calls.

~Unite Scholar John John Mashimba

Click here to see a video of John John & Quinn on their farms.

Imani with fellow Unite Scholar Loyce Cheja and their Unite Ambassador Danny Mares.

Imani with fellow Unite Scholar Loyce Cheja and their Unite Ambassador Danny Mares.

I learned from my ambassador Danny to believe in myself and be confident when sharing my opinions. He has taught be about the importance of hospitality, cooperation, and being on time. I especially liked discussing leadership, how to empower women in our societies, and how we must fulfill our responsibility to help people in need and change our communities for the better.

-Unite Scholar Imani Faustine

Click here to see a short video clip of Danny & Imani’s conversations.

Stella with fellow Unite Scholar Luther Kavishe and their Unite Ambassador Celine Bitegeko.

Stella with fellow Unite Scholar Luther Kavishe and their Unite Ambassador Celine Bitegeko.

My ambassador Celine taught me to compose poems, and I have since written dozens. Since she is an American citizen with Tanzanian parents living in the USA, she has also taught me a lot about the differences between cultures, specifically that Americans like to express emotions and listen to other perspectives. I have been empowered through this program to assist my fellow scholars in many ways, like giving them advice, hope, and encouragement.

~Unite Scholar Stella Calista Mosha

Click here to see a video of Stella, Luther, and Celine.

David with his Unite Ambassador Ramzy Issa.

David with his Unite Ambassador Ramzy Issa.

From my ambassador Ramzy, I have learned many things… three of the best are: faithfulness, responsibility, and humility. Ramzy has a clean heart. I also liked learning about American culture. It is so pleasant. American people are kind, and they like to be healthy and follow routines. They also like to do what is right, like uniting to fight oppression against the black race in the Black Lives Matter movement.

~Unite Scholar David Sichone

Click here to see a video “day in the life” for Ramzy and David.

Elina with fellow Unite Scholar Khadija Mkopi and their Unite Ambassador Caroline Crosby.

Elina with fellow Unite Scholar Khadija Mkopi and their Unite Ambassador Caroline Crosby.

My ambassador Caroline is a caring and a very kind girl, even to people she has never met before. She has a commitment to service, which means she is passionate about helping society. Through this program I have learned how to develop friendships and build healthy relationships. Moreover, I have learned that I too am able to explore to the world and share my experiences with others.

~Unite Scholar Elina Green

Click here for a short video highlighting Caroline and Elina.

Ephraim with fellow Unite Scholar Witness Mbise and their Unite Ambassador Nathan Lopinto.

Ephraim with fellow Unite Scholar Witness Mbise and their Unite Ambassador Nathan Lopinto.

From my ambassador Nathan I learned about time managementmaking time for school, business, chores, and doing my favorite things. Americans make time for all kinds of things that are important to them. I also learned that Americans like to have pets. Nathan even has a snake that he lives with, and he even gave it a name.

~Unite Scholar Ephraim Thomas

Click here to see a video of Ephraim, Nathan, and Unite Scholar Witness.

Ashura with her Unite Ambassador Shaunmei.

Ashura with her Unite Ambassador Shaunmei.

My ambassador Shaunmei taught me the importance of time management, listening to and respecting other people’s opinions, and being committed to my goals, no matter what. Through this program, I increased my confidence and can now speak in public without being afraid. I really like how the American culture values peace, love, and joy for all people.

~Unite Scholar Ashura Amiri

INTRODUCING THE UNITE YOUTH AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

CULTIVATING CONNECTION, CAMARADERIE AND COMPASSION IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

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Unite’s Vision: A world in which people UNITE in service, crossing borders seen and unseen, so that every human may live with health, hope, opportunity and dignity.

Last week we launched a new 6-week-long pilot “Unite Youth Ambassador Program” connecting college student Ambassadors across America to our Unite Scholars in Tanzania to promote friendship, connection and collaboration, creativity and imagination, camaraderie and compassion, and academic and professional success. Click HERE to meet our Ambassadors. Click HERE to meet our Unite Scholars enrolled in this program. Click HERE to meet our leadership team.

As I am included in every Ambassador-Scholar What’s App group, I can report that the program is off to an awesome and enthusiastic start… Why? My phone is blowing up! “Ping,” “ping,” “ping ping ping” all day every day. In fact as I write this I am listening to Lila, Quinn and John John on a Zoom call behind me sharing stories and discussing John’s John’s rabbit keeping business. This extraordinary group of college students (who come from Northwestern University, UC San Diego, University of Michigan and Fairfield University) are busy texting and video-chatting every day with their paired scholars, introducing themselves and their families; sharing their dreams, challenges and passions; discussing such topics as the impact of the coronavirus; leadership and the power of mindset; astrophysics, black holes and space programs; livestock keeping, best organic farming techniques and food insecurity; chemical kinetics and engineering; pop culture and their favorite music; and so much more.

Each of our Ambassador/Scholar teams is engaging in academic challenges and preparing creative final projects. Some teams are working on writing new music to perform and rap videos, some are preparing group speeches and poetry, some are even doing side-by-side workout challenges (sit ups, push ups, sprints). While they may be 7,000 to 10,000 miles apart, they are together through technology and in heart and spirit… For me (note Unite’s vision statement above) this program is A DREAM COME TRUE.

In July, after our Unite Scholars head back to school in Tanzania for their A-Levels, we will compile all of their creative projects and present them to you, our extended Unite family, for your enjoyment. For now, please click on the links below for some video insights to this program:

  • Click HERE for a 60-second video capturing highlights from this first week of connection.

  • Click HERE for a short video higlighting a recent conversation between Loveness and CJ.

  • Click HERE for a short video of Danny and Imani discussing their love of music.

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WANT TO GET INVOLVED?

Contact Program Youth Director Lila Wells at lilawells2023@u.northwestern.edu.

To date, Lila and her teammates have enrolled a number of “Guest Speakers” from such academic institutions as Northwestern University and Greens Farms Academy and such businesses as EY and MILK who have kindly and generously agreed to submit five to 10-minute videos of themselves speaking about a topic of their choice (topics currently range from economics and globalization, business development, stress management and essay writing to organic chemistry, leadership and public speaking techniques). These speakers and their presentations will soon be featured on our Uniteafricafoundation.org website for your review.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at @unitetnz. We are posting regularly and the excitement and creative vision of these Ambassador-Scholar teams is thrilling to see and be part of. Follow our hashtags: #unitetnz, #unite_scholars, #unitehummingbirds.

“It has been so delightful and fruitful to connect with David who is such a bright student living a daily life that is so different than my own but with whom I share so many similarities and interests. I’ve been learning more about the education sys…

“It has been so delightful and fruitful to connect with David who is such a bright student living a daily life that is so different than my own but with whom I share so many similarities and interests. I’ve been learning more about the education system outside the U.S., and I’ve been learning some Swahili as well as a bit about Tanzanian culture. So far we have discussed our goals, leadership, science, and current events. For our creative project, we will do a skit where we both act as news channel hosts/ reporters, and we’ll be informing the public about the impact of this amazing program. We plan to have some guest interviews in our skit as well.” ~Ramzy Issa, rising Sophomore at Northwestern University.

Screenshots from some of the many videos being sent back and forth, ambassador to scholar, scholar to ambassador. So much LOVE, HOPE & JOY is being spread around the world!

Screenshots from some of the many videos being sent back and forth, ambassador to scholar, scholar to ambassador. So much LOVE, HOPE & JOY is being spread around the world!

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“I'm glad to have this opportunity to connect with unique and interesting people around the world. John John (my paired scholar) is a great partner for me with his entrepreneurial disposition, skill and ability in raising animals, and with his curiosity and kindness. And, as an engineer, I am learning to be more conscious of other ways of problem solving.”

- Quinn Boyd, rising Sophomore at University of California San Diego.

Unite Scholars Extend their Blessings

As the assault of COVID-19 continues and the wildfire of infections, fear, sickness and death penetrates the remotest corners of Planet Earth, many of us wonder: What can we do? How can we help?

Like countless others, our Unite Scholars face an extremely challenging time rife with hardship and worry. Unite has provided each of our 70+ teammates and scholars everything from food relief, sanitizers, gloves and face masks to interest-free small business loans, and we continue to seek more ways to be of service. Last week our Program Director Anty Marche told me that she sent one of our scholars, Loyce Cheja, just $20 to purchase some food items from Loyce’s small business that Loyce could then give to others in need. I thought it was a great idea and did the same for a few other scholars. The results have been astounding. Our hearts are overflowing. If you want to know how $20 can transform lives in Tanzania…. read on.

LOYCE CHEJA

“By blessing others I have experienced the great joy of giving. I am now more connected to my community as I have earned a sense of cooperation and trust with people I did not know before. I want to work harder than ever so that I may have something to give. And even if I do not have money, I can share my time, ideas and energy.”

Loyce Lucas Cheja and her auntie with whom she is running her small store business. CLICK HERE to see Loyce’s roadside stand where she sells her wares.

Loyce Lucas Cheja and her auntie with whom she is running her small store business. CLICK HERE to see Loyce’s roadside stand where she sells her wares.

Loyce, 20, lost both of her parents in a motorcycle accident when she was just 11 years old. Following the accident Loyce and her five brothers and sisters lived with their grandmother in the Tabora region of Western Tanzania. Her grandmother wanted to sell Loyce off for brideprice into marriage to avoid having the burden of caring for her. To escape early marriage Loyce ran away to town to work as a housegirl. Four years later, after her grandmother passed away, Loyce returned home to live with her older sister, who was married by then, and four younger siblings. Her older sister was able to help Loyce complete primary school, but she died when Loyce was 16 years old. At that time Loyce was left alone to care for her four younger siblings. To earn money to pay for their basic needs, Loyce sang gospel songs with a singing group, taught singing lessons, and sold fried groundnuts. She then went to her primary-level teachers and begged for them to help her continue her education. They were able to pool together enough small funds for Loyce to attend the Tabora Girls Government Secondary School, even though she often did not have books, school supplies or the appropriate uniforms. While at school Loyce was elected to serve as Class Monitor, Head Prefect and Choir Master. In October 2019, Loyce graduated Form 4 (10th grade) top of her class. We chose Loyce to be one of our new Unite A-Level Scholars in early 2020, and she is now an active and beloved member of our Unite family. During this time of coronavirus when all the schools are closed, Loyce has used her small business interest-free loan from Unite to start a small food market. With each $20 installment, Loyce is able to gift food packages, which include highly nutritious baobob fruits, rice, sugar, beans, cooking oil, matches and more (enough to feed a family of four for one week)… to at least three people in need.

THREE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY LOYCE: Naomi Makoye, 12, who has never been to school and spends her days working the fields as a day laborer and her evenings smashing rocks for people in need of stones for building projects — all to he…

THREE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY LOYCE: Naomi Makoye, 12, who has never been to school and spends her days working the fields as a day laborer and her evenings smashing rocks for people in need of stones for building projects — all to help pay the rent for the single room in which she lives in with her mother and six “irresponsible”brothers; Elizabeth Lameck, an orphan for whom Loyce is caring along with Loyce’s four younger brothers and sisters; and Esther Ntimba, a single mother of four children who was abandoned by her husband.


JOHN JOHN MASHIMBA

“Blessing others with rabbits has filled my heart with the joy of charity. Many elders now see me as a good example — responsible and determined — and they are instructing other youths to pay attention and learn from me.”

John John,17, is from the Mwanza District of northwestern Tanzania. His father died in a road accident when John John was just a baby leaving his mother to care for him and his four older siblings. His mother has no education or job so she sent John John to live with his grandfather who was able to get him through primary school using his pension. John John finished primary school with all As and was accepted to attend the top government lower-secondary (7th - 10th grades) school for boys, Kibaha Boys School. At Kibaha, John John was elected to serve as Class Monitor and Health Secretary. While at Kibaha, John John started a weekend jogging club to support the students’ health. He also started a club to prevent and combat“the killing disease of we Africans—corruption.” His anti-corruption club is now successfully rolled out in 12 schools. John John also started a campaign to cut back the bush around his school to help prevent the spread of malaria, and he served as a member of the school’s United Nations Youth Club. John John graduated Form 4 (10th grade) from Kibaha in October 2019. However, his grandfather has since passed and his mother is too poor to help him with his education, so we have accepted John John into our Unite Scholar Program. Now, as a Unite Scholar, John John is thriving and participating in our many online study groups. He is also using this time at home during coronavirus to grow his rabbit business. Click HERE to learn more.

Above: John John sits with Edgar Gervas and his family. Edgar’s father died years ago in a road accident leaving him as the “man of the house” to take care of his mother and two younger sisters (right). Edgar’s mother sells fruits to try to earn mon…

Above: John John sits with Edgar Gervas and his family. Edgar’s father died years ago in a road accident leaving him as the “man of the house” to take care of his mother and two younger sisters (right). Edgar’s mother sells fruits to try to earn money for her family. However, she was born with one leg shorter than the other, which often causes her too much pain to walk. When this happens, Edgar must drop from school and do his best to provide for the family. John John blessed Edgar with two rabbits and is visiting Edgar weekly to make sure he cares for the rabbits properly.


Lazaro Frederick Lazaro

Lazaro, 19, is the first of four children born to peasant farmers in the coastal region of Tanzania. Lazaro’s father is an alcoholic and physically abusive to the family. He has always tried to make Lazaro drop from school, drink alcohol with him, give up on his dreams and just work in the fields. Yet Lazaro has remained steadfast in his commitment to education and learning. Lazaro attended lower secondary school (7th - 10th grades) at a government school. During those years, Lazaro lacked the most basic supplies (books, uniforms, stationaries) and had to walk more than an hour to and from school each day. Lazaro faced extreme hunger and exhaustion, and with no electricity at home, he was never able to study after dark. Yet somehow Lazaro managed to perform extremely well, and he was elected to such leadership positions as Class Monitor, Academic Prefect and the Discipline Master of the Tanzania Youth Catholic Student Group. Lazaro also received certificates of “Best Student”in Chemistry and Mathematics. Lazaro graduated Form 4 in October 2019 with As in all his subjects, and he earned the extremely-difficult-to-achieve Division 1 on his Form 4 National Leaving Exam. Lazaro was then chosen to join our Unite A-Levels Scholars Program and will begin school again with the rest of our scholars once this coronavirus pandemic has passed. Lazaro used his interest-free loan from Unite to start a small business selling corn flour (maize). Last month he traveled to the nearest large town to buy maize in bulk a wholesaler, and he is now selling the maize in smaller quantities to local people in his village who cannot travel during this pandemic. With each $20 purchase from Unite, Lazaro is able to bless three people with enough maize to feed their families of four for a week. About this opportunity to “extend his blessings,” Lazaro writes: I would like to dedicate my sincere thanks for your support and more lovable heart that you have given to me and my community. May God bless all you are doing.

THREE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY LAZARO: Thomas Kamgusha, who suffers from leprosy; Christina Peter, a disabled mother of three young children who was abandoned by her husband; and Emmanuel Mandago, who was left permanently disabled afte…

THREE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY LAZARO: Thomas Kamgusha, who suffers from leprosy; Christina Peter, a disabled mother of three young children who was abandoned by her husband; and Emmanuel Mandago, who was left permanently disabled after a motorcycle accident and is now struggling to provide for his five young children.

TO SEND $20 (OR MORE) TO ANY OF OUR 40+ UNITE SCHOLARS TO HELP THEM SUCCEED IN THEIR SMALL BUSINESS VENTURES AND BE ABLE TO EXTEND THEIR BLESSINGS TO THOSE IN EVEN GREATER NEED, DONATE HERE.

Our Unite Scholars WON the Planet 911 Youth Earth Video Competition

We are thrilled to announce that our Unite Scholars’ video, featuring our scholar, actor & environmental activist Luther Kavishe, WON the social media prize in the Planet 911 film challenge for Earth Day 2020.

Planet 911, a Global Initiative of Creative Visions and EarthXfilms, is an international call to action to youth across the world using film, arts, music and media as a way to protect the future of the planet. Planet 991engages over 20 million youth globally in creative activism. This year, our Unite Scholars’ film won one of three grand prize awards that includes a $1,000 cash prize that will be used to grow our tree planting campaign to reforest and replenish degraded lands in Tanzania. Our deep and heartfelt gratitude to all those who voted in support of our campaign!

Our deep and heartfelt gratitude to all those who voted in support of our campaign!

Something quick, easy and FREE that YOU can do to make a difference: VOTE to help us plant trees

There is a magic machine that sucks carbon out of the air, costs very little and builds itself. It’s called a tree. It is a tool we can use to repair our broken planet.

~Greta Thunberg 

Unite Founder & Director Anne Wells planting trees in Tanzania

Unite Founder & Director Anne Wells planting trees in Tanzania

As we “shelter in place,” thank God for the ability to breathe deeply, and do all we can to help minimize the devastation of this Covid19 pandemic, many of us are feeling helpless to really make a difference in the lives of those in greatest need. ONE THING we can do, EVERY DAY THROUGH APRIL 8th (Planet911’s judgement day) is to support our Unite Hummingbird Campaign in Tanzania through which our scholars and teammates are PLANTING TREES to COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE. Please…

CLICK HERE & CLICK VOTE.

Easy peasy. The submission that receives the most votes will be eligible to win $1,000 from PLANET911 to grow their project! Please VOTE and help make our scholars’ Unite Hummingbird Campaign a winner. They have all worked so hard (as you can see in the series of 60-second videos below) and they are all so excited to be part of this global campaign to protect and preserve our precious planet. Thank you!

A society grows great when people plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.

-Greek Proverb.

Unite’s Hummingbird Campaign is led by Unite’s Volunteer Coordinator & Special Projects Manager Clara Ngowi. An Environmental Scientist from the University of Dodoma, Clara is wildly passionate about conservation, reforestation and volunteerism. She began our Unite Hummingbird Project project by traveling to Morogoro, Central Tanzania, from Dar Es Salaam to purchase quality seedlings from the Tanzania Tree Seed Agency (TTSA). She and teammates Joan Mnzava and Rhoda Lugazia then gathered our Unite Scholars living in the Dar district (including Luther Kavishe who is featured in Unite’s Planet911 video above) to prepare the soil and plant seeds in polyethylene bags, which enable the growth of fibrous root systems. To date, our team has planted more than 600 seedlings and our plan is to replant those seedlings with and around such community partners as schools, hospitals, dispensaries, play grounds, churches, etc. in June when the seedlings have matured. If our team wins the Planet 911 Wake Up Call Youth Challenge (which once again requires everyone we know to VOTE once a day everyday now through April 8th), we will use the funds to plant thousands more trees on behalf of the greater community.

Clara Ngowi in a tree nursery with seedlings ready to plant. For our Unite Hummingbird Tree Planting Campaign, Clara choose a variety of tree species including fruit trees (mango, lemon, orange, passion, banana, papaya, guava) as well as trees for s…

Clara Ngowi in a tree nursery with seedlings ready to plant. For our Unite Hummingbird Tree Planting Campaign, Clara choose a variety of tree species including fruit trees (mango, lemon, orange, passion, banana, papaya, guava) as well as trees for shade, timber, decoration, medicine (Moringa), energy (for charcoal), prevention of soil erosion, and more.

Through Unite’s Hummingbird tree planting campaign, we are now part of worldwide movement to combat climate change, reduce deforestation and water scarcity, and restore the natural balance of ecosystems. Planting trees makes us feel connected, alive and happy.
— Clara Ngowi

Did you know…?

Click HERE to see a video of our Unite Scholars “Hummingbirds” preparing the land. Click HERE to see our Unite Scholars planting the tree nursery and preparing the polyethylene bags, and click HERE to hear a few of our Unite Scholars share a bit about what they learned.

Our vision for the entrance to Unite’s new tree nursery.

Our vision for the entrance to Unite’s new tree nursery.


Unite’s Organic Garden

In December 2019 a few of Unite’s “original” scholars and teammates came together under Clara’s leadership to prepare and plant a organic garden. Our goal was to teach our students about proper farming techniques so they can help grow food for their families and to provide free vegetables and fruits to impoverished, sick and hungry community members. Our Unite garden now includes seedbeds with okra, collard green, celery vegetables and pumpkin vegetables as well as banana and fruit trees and more. Each week project manager Clara Ngowi tends, harvests and re-plants our garden. Unite’s garden is now feeding FOR FREE dozens of children and staff at the nearby Elite Dignity Nursery School as well as widow women enrolled in Unite’s Mjane Jasiri Brave Widow program. Clara is also harvesting some vegetables to sell in order to pay the salary ($25 a month) of the guard/night watchman who protects the gardens from animal and human thieves. Click HERE to see a video of our Unite team’s garden planting day.


Deforestation and erosion is devastating communities in Tanzania. In 2017, Tanzania recorded one of the highest deforestation rates in East Africa. The Tanzanian government is encouraging widespread tree planting campaigns to prevent the country fro…

Deforestation and erosion is devastating communities in Tanzania. In 2017, Tanzania recorded one of the highest deforestation rates in East Africa. The Tanzanian government is encouraging widespread tree planting campaigns to prevent the country from turning into a desert.