Today was great fun and the weather was very cooperative, sunny and warm.  As we drove down Meat King Road to town I looked at Mary and said this is a very promising day.  Our first stop was at the Arusha Lutheran Medical Center Nursing School.  Dr. Mark Jacobson introduced us to his project, the Arusha Lutheran Medical Center Nursing School.  TZ currently has only 50% of nursing staff needed for health needs now.  This makes it difficult to meet standards of care.  A Form 4 graduate with good science scores can enter nursing.  If they have only good Biology and 4 other subjects with good scores, they can become a Community Health Worker.  It was a very informative visit.  The school began in March 2014 and has a very promising start.

Following that visit we went to the Cultural Heritage Center.  It continues to grow and have many new exhibits and shops.  Beads from all over Africa, Carvings, Baskets, Batik, and so very much more.  I'm always amazed of the changes.  We also saw a Tanzanite stone that was 346 carats (and already sold!).  I personally liked the 104 carat stones. 

Our last visit was to Bishop Durining Secondary School that is a close school to Ngateu.  The school currently has 600 students.  Most of them are boarding schools.  It began in 2004 and the headmaster plus many of the teachers have been there since then.  It was fun to visit the school and see the campus.

I asked the kids to strike fun poses and they obliged.  These 20 students are doing well and happy to see us.

Yesterday was wonderful. The largest graduating class from Ngateu came down to Freedom Lodge to have a party.  All 44 kids showed up.  We are so proud of them for all their efforts to make it through a really tough education system.  They will sit for their exams in November and then later learn their scores and what further education options they have.  Until then, it is a time of waiting. 

Their celebration is one that they will remember all their lives.  It was a time of congratulations, songs and fun.  We had balloons, gift bags and food.  How could it go wrong.  As the kids left all the Safi people in attendance kept saying "this is a really amazing group of kids"
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Thank you to all sponsors.  You have allowed these kids to show what they can do.

(pictures will be posted when the internet cooperates)