I had mentioned The Africa Project (TAP) previously in my goals for the semester. For those of you who do not know what I’m talking about, let me enlighten you.
The Africa Project was formed last semester by a group of eight students passionate about children and Africa, more specifically children in Africa. Since the group was small last semester, we basically met once a week, spouting different ideas about how to raise $30,000 to build an orphanage in Tanzania. Having such a small number was good because we interacted really well as a group and we had a lot of really great ideas. But having great ideas isn’t enough. They must be put into action.
Why did we decide on Tanzania, you ask? Although the world is filled with areas in need of shelter for orphaned children, Tanzania's high a very high adult mortality rate due to HIV/AIDS forces parentless children to wander the streets in search of food from trashcans. The orphanage will provide not only shelter, nourishment, and education, but also a church for the surrounding community. TAP partners with International Cooperating Ministries (ICM), a non-profit organization located in Hampton, Virginia. ICM has pastors in partnership in Tanzania that will pastor the church once it is complete.
TAP did a couple of fundraisers last year, like hosting a dance party and setting tables up around the student union. It was a great time to put our name out there and let people know what our mission is. This semester has been completely different in terms of numbers. We’ve seen the group grow from eight students to about thirty-five weekly meeting attendees, which is awesome! We’ve received a significant amount of support from other people in the community as well. We have a facebook group as well, if you would like to be a part of it.
Some of the group at a soccer game. We raised over $200 that night! PTL!
God has provided so much for this project already. He’s literally been blowing our minds. The goal is to raise $30,000 dollars and we’ve already received $24,000. Crazy, right?! Our next big fundraiser is actually tonight. We will be hosting a benefit concert to hopefully raise the next big chunk of funds. Please pray for not only the concert tonight, but that God will continue to provide so that we can reach the children in Tanzania. Who knows what the Lord has in store, but we trust that He is a God with a plan that is better than any of us can imagine. Our hope and prayer is that this orphanage will provide a safe place for children to grow, not just physically but spiritually, becoming strong children of God.
If you feel called to donate, you can check out our website and donate there, or if you would like to send me a check made out to "International Cooperating Ministries" with "The Africa Project" in the “For” section of the check (I don’t know if there’s a specific name for that part, but I hope you know what I mean). You can also help us out by simply praying for the project. Pray that God would be glorified in this and that He would provide. That would be much appreciated!
TAP into lives!
Photo from samaritanspurse.org
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