Janet My life had been relatively quiet and somewhat conventional. I graduated from college, got a job, got married, had a baby, got divorced and life went on. When I turned 50 years old, I realized that the dreams I had when I was in my 20s of traveling and volunteering never happened. Four years ago I became involved in a women's empowerment project, Give a Heart To Africa (GHTA) in Moshi, Tanzania and my life changed forever. I traveled to Moshi in 2012 and 2013 to volunteer, and am planning another trip for 2015. A few years ago I never would have imagined that I would be planning trips to Africa as regularly as some people plan a vacation to Disney World. The name of this blog, The Starfish of Moshi, comes from the parable about a person on the beach throwing starfish one by one back in to the ocean. Volunteering at GHTA and sponsoring students to start businesses or further their education has taught me that although the poverty you see everywhere is overwhelming, changing one life at a time is entirely possible and absolutely worthwhile.
David I'm a recently retired (happily so) FAA Computer System Analyst. Since I would rather be doing almost anything other than sitting in front of a computer, it really didn't take much to convince me to go when they offered me a chance to retire early. I got involved with Give a Heart to Africa in 2013 because of Janet. She had volunteered the year before and thought I would really like it. I went to Tanzania not really knowing what to expect. As a former high school/middle school teacher I had certain ideas of what students were like. What I got was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. The students showed up early, stayed late, worked hard and thanked the teachers for working with them. The experience was very different from what I knew and left me knowing that I would have to go back.
Kate I am Janet's daughter and made my way to Give a Heart to Africa per her request. Traveling was not a new endeavor for me and after the 9 to 5 office life just wasn't cutting it for me at home in Boston. I have volunteered and done research in Colombia, Ghana, and the West Bank before this year. I am currently in Tanzania from March until August of 2014 where I am teaching vocational skills such as hair braiding, tie dying, and jewelry making. The women we teach are inspiring and resilient. They make me strive to be a better person every day.
Kate I am Janet's daughter and made my way to Give a Heart to Africa per her request. Traveling was not a new endeavor for me and after the 9 to 5 office life just wasn't cutting it for me at home in Boston. I have volunteered and done research in Colombia, Ghana, and the West Bank before this year. I am currently in Tanzania from March until August of 2014 where I am teaching vocational skills such as hair braiding, tie dying, and jewelry making. The women we teach are inspiring and resilient. They make me strive to be a better person every day.
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