July 25, 2024
We are a baby home and we help moms with MAP businesses so they can support their families after the men abandon them. Guys, this one is going to be different but you are going to love it, it’s a great story!
About a year ago an orphan baby was brought to Neema Village after her mom died in childbirth in the hospital. The mother had not written down a father’s name so no one knew who the dad was. We got to name her Kalissa after a sweet friend from Temple, Texas named Calissa Kneipp. Calissa is a warrior battling ocular cancer and dreamed one night that we got a baby in at Neema and named her Calissa! She said she woke up to a dream come true.
Social Welfare is pretty persistent so they eventually found the father and he began to come every weekend to see his baby girl. You can see the bond is strong between dad and baby.
Isaac, Kalissa’s dad, comes every Saturday to feed Kalissa and put her down for a nap before heading back out to his job.. He is a boda boda driver which strikes chills in our hearts. That is a motorcycle taxi and is the most dangerous job in the city. Many young men are killed on these motorcycles trying to get their passengers to their jobs or shopping on time. They whip in and out of traffic and are allowed to pass on either side of a car,
Isaac has already had one accident when two daladalas were racing and hit him. He spent two weeks in the hospital with a smashed in face and busted teeth. He has lots of scars.
But it is how Isaac makes his living so he is back out on the street now driving his motorcycle taxi. We found out this weekend he is the sole support in his family. Isaac is a triplet and he supports his two sisters and their kids. We are concerned for him and baby Kalissa, who will be going home one day soon. So we began to talk to him about what else he could do to make a living. He thought maybe a motorcycle parts business would be good but after putting the pencil to the bottom line it went way out of sight.
So a small shop with staples much like the one we set Halimah above in is the new plan.
Since he is supporting so many people we plan to put an MPesa business in the shop as well. MPesa is a mobil phone based money transfer service, sending money from cell phone to cell phone, paying for purchases, school fees or just sending money to aging parents. Most Tanzanians do not have bank accounts but use their cell phones with MPesa instead.
It will be named “Kalissa’s Shop” and will have cold, soft drinks as well as sugar, soap and other household staples. The business set up will cost $717.38, the rent for six months is $117.18, The MPesa business is $1,200. and New Teeth so he can smile at his customers is estimated at $1,000.
To get Baba Kalissa off the dangerous motorcycle taxi will cost a total $3,134.56.
We can do this guys. We don’t normally work with men even though we fully understand that the root of the problem here is men! It is refreshing to see a dad loving his baby girl and wanting the best for her.
Let’s send Kalissa home with a dad who will be there to care for her!
I had started this blog yesterday and woke up today to learn that our friend Calissa Kneipp lost her battle to cancer today. Please be praying for this family, they are heart broken. Dr. David Kneipp is an ACU professor and he and his sweet wife Cynthia have been Neema baby sponsors for years as well as Calissa’s mom and dad Bill and Cathy Kneipp.
Calissa woke up this morning to a final dream come true!
Blessings all and much love.
dorris and michael