My noble friend Scott Fifer is working on changing the lives of his little foreign friends with Art. It was a promise, and he needs as much help as we can give. Here is what he has to say and I support him wholeheartedly. We all have our share in the present state the world is, so let’s make the world an awesome place for as many people as we can!

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I recently returned from volunteer work in Africa where I met a wonderful group of orphans living at the TunaHAKI Shelter for Street Kids. One of the kids is 11-year-old Colman Msafiri. When he was 6, his father died, and he was left in the care of his mentally ill mother. She left him at a bus stop and she told him to wait for her. He waited at the bus stop for one week, but his mother never came back, and he was forced to live on the street. Now Colman lives at the TunaHAKI Centre for Street Children in the village of Moshi, Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania, where he receives shelter, food, clothing, medical care, education, and instruction in acrobatics and dance. Thanks to TunaHAKI, he now dreams to be a professional artist.I want to bring the children of TunaHAKI to America to study with professional gymnasts, acrobats, aerialists, dancers and other artists. The children are so eager to learn, so hungry for knowledge - any chance to study with professionals will exceed their wildest dreams. They will be able to see first-hand that there is a future in their art if they continue their professionalism and training. It will give them something of inestimable value, and that is hope. This exchange trip abroad would have long-lasting effects in their local community. The ultimate goal of TunaHAKI is to become self-sustaining. Word of the trip would spread like wildfire and TunaHAKI would receive national publicity in Tanzania, which means more people would want them to perform at local functions, which means more income for the Centre. Word would also spread to other street children. They will hear about the TunaHAKI street kids who worked hard and got to take an airplane to another country, and they too would want to work hard. It would undoubtedly lead to the rescue of more homeless children from the streets.

In addition to studying, the children really want to meet and perform for other homeless kids, here in America (something they specifically requested). I also want to hold fundraisers so we can build them a permanent home. They have no source of permanent funding (the kids wear old clothes, sleep three to a bed, and all money goes toward food, education, and medical care). I am looking for corporate sponsors, organizations to get involved and raise money, individual donations… Maybe groups interested in acrobatics or in helping orphans, or groups interested in connecting to Africa… These are truly wonderful kids and this trip could be a turning point in their lives. For more information, contact Scott Fifer at fiferscott@netscape.net. You can also learn more about the kids by visiting www.tunahaki.com/.

Kind Dutch lady shares happiness with street kids

The Rising Nepal:

By Aleena Baniya
KATHMANDU, March 22: Kee Ruytenbeek, a middle aged Dutch lady, was spotted with eight Nepali children, having some food with them in The Bakery Cafe of Tridevi Marga, Thamel on Tuesday. It was a moment of happiness for both the parties. She’s both father and mother for these children.

It has already been 15 years she has been with these children. She had a boutique in Thamel then, when she saw many Nepali children sleeping on the streets, without food clothes and shelter. She took them to her shop, gave them food, clothes, and treatment.

‘Children are the base of any country, so I want to educate them’ says kee. With this principle’s she devoted herself to educate them. She says she cannot help all of the helpless children, as there are many in this country, but she is happy that she can at least help some of them. She convinced many of her foreigner friends to sponsor those children. At present, there are seventy children in Deepiksha hostel Nayabazar who are looked after by kee and her friends. They are given good food, clothes, shelter and education in the hostel.

Manjari bista � 16 from Baitadi says, ‘ This hostel is a part of her life’. UNICEF and Peace- Corp brought her to kee and she found a sponsor for her nine years back. ‘I come from a very poor family but I am really lucky that I’m getting education here’ says Manjari. Kee has managed to run a hostel not only in Nayabazar but also in Godawari called Godashram, where there are more than fifty children from different remote areas of the country. Her friends from Hong Kong have sponsored the children there. They also run the ‘Island school’ in Hong Kong. Lekhmaya Bote- 10 and her two brothers from Damauli are the first Botes to be educated.

Botes are fishermen who are very poor and less in number. Kee is very happy that in their community, at least they could get education. These three Botes are in Godshram Hostel. Kee’s heart is filled with love, compassion, devotion and acceptance for these children. She has really done her best and has given these street children their childhood back. A better future waits for them who at once had no future. ‘I feel very blissful when I see these children happy’ kee says."