Who would of thought??

Who would of thought...that making an actual bucket list 12 years ago, I would be ticking off 3/4 of it all in 2 years!! Not me!!

Who would of thought... that simply 2 years ago, all I wanted to do was tick something off my bucket list~ 'Volunteer in Africa' ~ and I would be returning for my 4th trip to visit my 'new family' at their new home that I had a huge part of building?? Not me!!

Who would of thought...that the #1 thing on my bucket list "Go to an Oprah SHow" would turn into not only going to an Oprah Show, but going to the Season Premiere; going twice; being featured on the Season Premiere; kicking off the Season Premiere; hugging John Travolta; going on an Ultimate Trip of a lifetime with Oprah; and meeting all my new BFF's?? Not me!!

Who would of thought...that simple things written on paper can actually come true and change your life FOREVER?? Not me!!

Am I the 'luckiest person in the world'? I use to think that ~ but I was told differently. It all happened for a reason~there is no such thing as 'luck'~it was meant to happen to me!! So, I will continue to pay it forward because the rewards are 'O'mazing'!!!

Mama Linda

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Karim

A very big THANK YOU from all of us at Karim Orphanage for all the generous donations that have come in and continue to come in over the holiday season. Having the opportunity of featuring Karim Orphanage on Oprah's Season Premiere has been more than fantastic~no words can explain it. Thank you!!

The sale of the bricks for $25 for Christmas gifts, will continue because of an overwhelming response. Anyone still wishing to buy a brick and have their name and address put on the grafitti wall, please, contact me through this blog or email at lizkinnell@hotmail.com; phone 403-795-2261 or through Bridges of Hope. If you go through Bridges of Hope, please, email me the name & address that is to be put on the wall.

I will be returning to Tanzania, for my 4th trip, February 1st, with a friend, Jody Tait. We will be painting all the names on the grafitti wall as well as building a playground on the acreage for the children. All the funds raised from the sale of the bricks will go towards the playground as well as new school uniforms for the children.

Remember....GOOD things happen to good people~so lets all do some good, starting NOW with Christmas and continue into the New Year! Again, THANK YOU and a very Merry Christmas to all!!

Mama Linda :)

Here is Rehema...

Here is Rehema~the hardest working 28 year old woman I know! She runs Karim Orphanage and is the caregiver of 12 children ages 2 - 14 years. She is an awesome cook, loves to have fun, loves to eat ice cream and loves all the children, like they were her own!

Here is Rehema, with her daughter Sabrina and her Mama~"Mama Juma"

Here is Rehema, with her other Mama!

Here is Rehema, with her beautiful 18 year old sister, Aisha.

Here is Rehema, out for a walk on a saturday with all the children in their new track suits and having some fun!

Here is Rehema, with her stylish new hairdo, and her daughter Sabrina and the oldest boy, Babu.

Here is Rehema, sitting on the front porch of the new house with Hawa and her sister Mwana.

First Graduation Day for Sotwa Wilson School

Mr Wilson Shange and his wife Edith, the founders of Sotwa Wilson School~the school where all the children of Karim Orphanage go. This is their very first graduation day for the school.

Their son, Bernard, one of the first to graduate from their school!

Bernard, a very smart young man, that I had the pleasure of meeting and living with for 3 weeks.

The children of Sotwa having a celebration~they love to dance and man can they dance!

Mr Shange and the teachers shakin' their booties!

Our very own 'Karim' children...Saumu, Lucy, Mwana and Sabrina showing everybody how you really shake your bootie!!

The beautiful, talented teachers of Sotwa Wilson School!

The Gateway to Karim

The new gate to Karim Orphanage is now complete and was painted green! Hopefully, one day each and everyone of you will be able to walk through these gates and see first hand, what dream was made possible for these beautiful children and meet them all.

The 'graffiti wall' will be on this inside wall. All the names will be painted in different rainbows of color and hopefully cover the majority of the front wall. This wall is going to look awesome and the children of Karim are always going to know who around the world has made this new home possible for them.

The Wall & Gate are Complete!

Well, after 3 months, the wall is complete and the gate was just put up! YEEAAH! Thank you, everyone! A BIG thank you to Lynne and her daughter Jacqueline from Chicago who raised almost all the money~$12,000.00!!! You can still get in on the 'Grafitti Wall'. Lots of people still want to donate their $25.00 and have their name put on the wall. So, if you haven't done so yet, get your name and money to me before I head done their again for my 4th trip. You will receive a tax receipt too. I am personally going to paint all the names from around the world on the wall in a rainbow of colors~it will be awesome. All the funds that you donate now to have your name written on the wall will be used to build a playground for the children as well as finish up the landscaping, like plant some grass, flowers and trees. This place called "Karim Orphanage" will be a beautiful place to call "Home" for these children and I hope someday you will all get to visit.

A Dream for Karim.iso

Salma's Graduation

Babu, the man of the house and so handsome in his suit, gets ready to surprise Salma on her very special day~Graduation Day!!

A very excited, Salma, as Babu presents her with a gift for her graduation.

Salma receives her gift and her sister, Saumu and Mwana look on.

Salma reads her card, given to her from all her brothers and sisters at Karim, while her proud sister Saumu sits beside her.

A radiant, Salma, sits proudly with her graduation cake and card.


Salma is 14 years old and is the smartest and hardest working 14 year old girl I know. She is off to secondary school now, which means grades 10, 11 and 12. Most children dont make it this far for one reason or another~they have no sponsor or no one in the family can pay for them to go or they just have to stay home and take care of the younger brothers and sisters because they have no parents. I am so proud of this young girl and will make sure that her dreams come true. She wants to finish school and go to University and become a Doctor!

Oprah's Farewell Season Premiere
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The Oprah Winfrey Show September 13, 2010

Inspired to become a better person, Linda booked a trip to Africa with her daughter, Lisa. "The plan when we went to Africa was to simply go and volunteer at an orphanage," Linda says. After the trip, Linda and Lisa knew they wanted to do more."We fell in love with these beautiful kids," Linda says. "I said, 'We need to build them a house.'"After raising enough money to buy a piece of land, Linda worked with other volunteers to build a house for a group of orphans. "Now I feel I have a purpose," Linda says. "It just brings joy in my life to know that I have made a difference in their lives. I am this person today because of those words that were spoken. I've become a better person because of it."Six years after giving his memorable toast, John steps off Oprah's stage to embrace Linda and commend her for her work. "That's unbelievable," Oprah says. "You just never know the moment that somebody hears something and it resonates with them."

Well, I am sure you have all watched the Season Premiere of Oprah! I have, only 8 times, now! That was so hard to keep that BIG secret for 5 days! Can you believe that 'Karim Orphanage' actually kicked off Oprah's last season? What you didn't see is that my story actually made Oprah and John cry! I am beyond excited that the 'world' has now seen Karim Orphanage and of course just a little excited about the fact that I am going on a vacation with Oprah AND John Travolta!
So, I am honored to have been an INSPIRATION to you all! You all know now, and I am living proof, that doing one small kind thing does come back ten times fold!
Check out this website of Oprah's:
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprahs-Farewell-Season-Premiere/3

Mama, Linda

Karim Orphanage on Oprah

http://youtube.com/oprah'sfarewell season premiere

Well, our taping at the 'Oprah' show is done! It has been an amazing experience and a day I will NEVER forget ~I am still flying high! I have such a 'happy headache'. I have been sworn to secrecy by Oprah herself and all I can say is "Watch the Season Premiere of Oprah on monday, september 13th". Hope you enjoy the show.

OPRAH wants to feature Karim!!

Well, dreams are coming true for me and Karim!! I'm sure you all know what a huge Oprah fan I am. She has inspired me and I love love her!! I have been watching her for 24 years and tried to get a ticket for her show for 10-12 years. I was on the Oprah website and saw the topic "Ultimate Oprah Viewer" and decided to write, like I have hundred's of times. Two days later, I got a call from the Oprah Show Producer!! I was in shock!! Seriously, I thought I was going to throw up. They loved my letter! So, I am not only going to the show but they want to feature my story on the show!! Karim Orphanage is going to be on Oprah. This is so fantastic~I can't believe that the world is going to know about Karim. They are flying us to Chicago wednesday, Sept 8th and they are taping thursday, sept 9th. We will not know when it airs until we arrive. So, as soon as I know, you will all know. Thank you everyone who helped make the new home for Karim possible~I could not have done it with out you! Love, Mama Linda

The Wall

The wall is almost complete~thank you to Jacqueline and Lynne from Chicago who had a fundraiser and raised $13,000.00 for Karim's wall. I guess we might have to call it "The Chicago Wall". You can still buy a brick for $25 and have your name & address put on it. Once the wall is done, the money will be used to plant more trees, grass, and a playground will be built for the children. Also we still need things for the house like tile, closets, cupboards. Donations can be made by mailing me a cheque at 563 Canyon Cove, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1K2N4 or go to the side of this blog where it says "Donations can be made at" and click on the Bridges of Hope website~go to Tanzania projects~then go to Karim Orphanage.

The Wall has Started

Well, the wall/fence is underway as we speak! A big thank you to Lynne and her daughter Jacqueline from Chicago who did almost all the fundraising for this project. Jacqueline was a volunteer there the first time I went and wanted to help out with Karim Orphanage and her and her mother raised $10,000. WOW. So the 2 of them went to Tanzania together to visit and stay at the new Karim Orphanage and get the wall started. Also, thank you to all my friends and family for your continued support for this project. You can still get in on the 'Graffiti Wall'!! You can buy a block of concrete for only $25.00 and your name/address will be put on the inside of the wall at the Orphanage. This way the children of Karim Orphanage will never forget who helped make this dream possible for them.

A section of the fence is barb wire and a colorful rainbow of vines (red, yellow, purple and orange) have been planted along side of it. It will be absolutely beautiful in about 6-12 months!

The concrete blocks are also hand made! A whole lot of concrete blocks to build a 10 foot wall around an acre of land.

These guys work so fast! After the wall is up, security system will be installed as well. It will run around the entire wall so if anyone tries to climb the wall or cut through the vines & barb wire an alarm will go off at the Orphanage to warn them as well as at the police station. So, all will be safe~children and visitors!

Tanzania Facts

TANZANIA FACTS:

• Population: 36.5 million
• Area: 945,000 sq kilometres/365,000 sq miles
• Language: Swahili, English
• Religion: Christian, Muslim
• Currency: Tanzania Shilling ~ TSH
• Life Expectancy: 45 years
  

Is it safe to travel to Tanznaia, Africa? The continent of Africa is a large continent consisting of fifty-four countries with totally unrelated political systems over 11,700,000 square miles. What happens in one country, even a bordering country does not necessarily affect the other. Think of it this way – if something happened in Greece, would you not travel to Itlay? Or if something happened in the United States, would you not travel to Canada? There are certain inherent risks whenever one travelers, but chances of being involved in an incident are very small. Tanzania is considered to be one of the safest countries to travel to in Africa. It has enjoyed peace and tranquility since Unification in 1964. With country specific risks out of the question in Tanzania, the only safetly concerns may be emergencies usually brought forth by health issues (on a case by case basis) that rarely occur.

BATH TIME before Karim Orphanage had a bathroom & showers!

Bath time is so fun for little Toshi!

You can't wash this big smile off Hawa!

Maggie enjoying her bath!

Mwana having a bubble bath!

Nothing like a nice hot bubble bath at the end of a hard days work with a glass of champagne and orange juice!

How they are growing!

This was the first time I met Hawa, almost 2 years ago now, when she was only three years old. I fell in love with this little girl the day I met her~she loved to cuddle & hug, and sing and giggle. She is one of the reasons I have returned 3 times and will continue to go to Africa every year.

This is the second time I saw Hawa at age 4. Greg and I sponsored her so she could go to school. This was her first year of school and instead of calling it kindergarden they call it 'baby class'. She is so proud to wear this uniform and was so excited when we surprised her with a visit to her school.

This is Hawa, now, at age 5. She is growing so fast and is so smart~I miss her dearly!

Rehema and her kitchen!

Here is Rehema cooking at the old place on the old 'stove'. She also had a hibachi that she had to buy coals for.

Here is Rehema cooking in her new kitchen on her new propane stove with 3 burners~no more waiting for the coals to get hot on the hibachi! She told me she still can't believe she has a stove and fridge~she said she feels like a 'queen'!! I think she is the "Queen of Karim".

Still going!

This is Rehema's garden she planted~carrots, spinach, peppers & onions.



I just talked to Rehema last night on the phone for 1 hour and 5 minutes! It was so great to here her voice and to here everything is still up and running perfectly! The excitement in her voice is still the same as the day we moved them into the new house~the children are still singing and laughing and having the time of their life in their New Home. She was very happy and proud to tell 'Mama' she got her garden all planted! Her words on the phone "It look really nice, Mama". Oh, I miss her sooo much. She said the children, especially Hawa, ask "Is Mama Linda coming today?" When I left and we were all crying, I told the children that it was not "goodbye" it was "see you soon" because I said I would be back real soon. So, Hawa gets up in the morning and asks "How many more days till Mama Linda comes back to sleep?"


We have volunteers staying there now and paying Rehema $15,000 TSH (which is about $11 CAD) a night! For $11 a night you get a wonderful sleep in a NEW bunk bed; your own bathroom with toilet and shower; breakfast and supper; and a wonderful experience of hanging out with the most beautiful children in the world! How can you beat that??? So, this $15,000 TSH a night goes to Rehema directly and she puts it in her bank account. With this money she will pay her 'lady helper'~ $50,000 TSH a month; the security guard~$75,000 TSH a month and still have money for food and medical. Anyone interested in going on an adventure of a life time, let me know~I will hook you up!


Also, we are still selling bricks of concrete for the wall that is being built around the Orphanage. For only $25 you can have you name/address/whatever written on the graffiti wall at the Orphanage. Also, I am still selling the pashmina scarves that I brought home with me from Africa. Well, enough for now~I will continue to keep you updated on Rehema and the children.

Before and After!

Here is Karim Orphanage before...........

and here is Karim Orphanage now, only 6 months later

The bedroom at Karim before...... 3 beds for 12 children.

.....and the bedroom now~a bed for each child!

the bathroom before~outside and in the dark...

and Karim's bathroom now~inside with lights!

dining room before..........

and now!

Karim before.......

and Karim now!

Karim's home before........

and Karim's home now!

THANK YOU, TO EVERYONE, THAT MADE THIS POSSIBLE FOR KARIM ORPHANAGE!!!!