A Special AfricanDreamer Family!

We wish to express our thank you to Tom and Kristine Kraabel who together with their little daughter Erika will return to the USA by the end of the month. Tom and Kristine have been active supporters of African Dream since a long time. Due to their upcoming move, this past weekend they organized a ‘garage sale’ and decided to devote the entire intake to African Dream. Even little Erika, six years old, gave her contribution to our cause. Together with her friend Julia, she organized a candy sales at their home and raised 40 euro from it. It was sweet to see them at work, as they were busy working for our children in Nebbi.The total came up to about 1600 euro and these funds will be used to progress our third dormitory construction, which just began a few weeks ago. Thank you so much from the deep of our heart. Your generosity is greatly appreciated by our African Dream team as well as by our students in the school of Omyer. We also take this opportunity to wish you a safe return to your home country and all the very best for your future. Vincenzo and Antonella

Dear African Dreamers,

For quite some time, from the entire area, it was impossible to communicate by E-mail. However, Father Raphael has now managed to send us the latest updates.
The new year started off very well and the lessons started again on January 30.


At the first national exams, the Nebbi College, compared to all other schools has obtained the best results!!
In fact, they had 4 “FIRST GRADE” students on a total of 23!! The second best school had only 2 “FIRST GRADE” students on a total of 100.
The “challenge” now is to keep up this fantastic result that confirms the validity of our school and the preparation of our students.

This year we have a lot of students: 27 in class S4, 32 in class S3, 45 in class S2 and there will be 70 students in S1.
Even more youngsters applied to become students of the college but today we can only accept a selected number. The school is in fact still in the process of being finished!There is a need for more desks. Actually some of the youngsters share desks as well as stools and dining-tables.

The works are ongoing: the second sleeping-accomodation only requires doors and windows. As they are needed for the students of the S1-class, were lessons will start on February 16, they are being installed now.

Father Gianni brought all materials for the solar panels and as such, we will have the energy that is required in no time!!!

As you can see, the road that leads to our target is getting shorter and shorter but our College is alive, it is breathing and it just waits to be completed.
The more help we will manage to get, the faster we will be able to bring our first dream to a good end!!

Thank you, African Dreamer!
Antonella

5‰ for African Dream

Dear African Dreamer,
[this message is dedicated to anyone who need to file income taxes in Italy]
Another year and the time for filing our income tax and to choose for the 5‰ clause comes closer.

Only just one year has gone by since that same Post of 2008 and the Nebbi College is almost finished. It almost seemed like an impossible task but they nevertheless almost finished it!!!

For sure, one day it will all grow bigger but the first part of the school, the one for 160 students, is in the process of being finished.
Like in all Marathons however, the last mile is the most difficult one… it therefor requires a great infusion of energy.
The energy is in the hands of those that are finishing the works at Nebbi, but it also is in the fuel that results from donations.

So, with a fast and simple gesture, the final acceleration may also come from you. By choosing the 5‰ for African Dream when filing your income tax, you are definitely helping to make the dream of the Nebbi youngsters come true!!!

Some useful “instructions”:
“It is possible to transfer 5‰ in favour of the Nonprofit Association and by doing so you will be supporting our initiative to build the school in Nebbi (Uganda). To set apart 5‰ for AFRICAN DREAM Onlus: → sign the area “sostegno del volontariato, delle organizzazioni non lucrative di utilità sociale, delle associazioni di promozione sociale, delle associazioni e fondazioni” (voluntary support of non lucrative organisations with social interest, associations creating social promotions, associations and foundations). → enter the fiscal code of AFRICAN DREAM Onlus: 920209301 into the related space ".

Why African Dream and not whatever another project?
Because here you have witnessed birth, growing and getting to the last mile of a concrete project, a project that today brings a future to 160 Ugandese youngsters!!

Thank you, with all my heart,
Antonella

Going on with the project

Dear African Dreamer,

Whilst we all fell back in our day-to-day normal life after the holidays, in Nebbi the works go on constantly. Like time passes by real fast here in Italy, in Uganda the completion of the school building is getting closer and soon there will be room for all 300 students and the complete infrastructure will become entirely functional. So, as programmed, as soon as the school is finished, the team that follows the works close by will become autonomous and become self-supporting in time. During the year 2009 we will focus on collecting funds to finish the school. Still missing are a building to house five classrooms, the fence works around the college and the purchase of a pick-up truck for the weekly food transportation from Kampala to Nebbi.

But how long will it still take exactly to finish the works?
This depends on all of us, of our capacity to spread the message and to donate.
The sooner that we will collect the final funds, the sooner African Dream will be able to concentrate on new projects. Projects that will help many people that are in deep difficulty in Uganda.

Focussing on ourselves again, here are the works in progress as you read this MAIL : - before Christmas a roof has been built over the sleeping-apartment and actually windows and steel doors are being mounted, the floor-tiles are being laid, the walls are being painted and last but not least also the beds.

-Next step: the solar panels and the independent batteries for the sleeping-apartments, the refectory, the store-rooms, the examination room, staff rooms and Father Raphael’s room.
-Following step: more centralized solar panels, connected to the public electricity network for the five auditoria and triple laboratory.

These are the things to be done still and during the course of 2009 there will be lots of possibilities for you to contribute. Soon we will communicate the first occasion.

Continue to follow us through our blog!!!

Dear friends of African Dream,

I send you my most sincere regards and wishes for a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Christmas ! Already !... Christmas !
I do not know what this word or festivity raises in your heart or mind. By now, I no longer remember what a Christmas stands for in Italy. My Christmases are filled with sunshine and lots of people … poor people.
Today I celebrated Christmas in one of the Lusaka prisons. 1.100 prisoners, torn apart and undernourished: for them Christmas was celebrated today with a nice plate of rice, a piece of chicken, an apple, a piece of soap and a shirt.
In fact, I accompanied the Sisters of Mother Teresa to this place of pain and misery to share with them the bread of life and love. Of course, my thoughts go to many western families: the clothes, the presents, the laughs (???), the diners…
So, I no longer understand the meaning of Christmas. Better still, I do not know what people are celebrating.

I would like to share with you a Christmas that I spent with prisoners in “death row”.
In the year 1998: a marvelous morning on the equator. At 8.30 I enter “death row”: there are 250 prisoners that are condemned to death. As always, they all smile and are busy washing their own clothes and dishes on the different inner courts. They all greet and smile, also the Muslims and the ones with a different confession of faith. On the inner court everything is ready for the praying that will take more than two hours.
At the end, preparing myself to get my things together, the leader of the Christians comes up to me and asks me solemnly to sit down as there will be a “Christmas Party”!!! Inquisitively I sat down: they bring me a thermos flask of tea, a plate with a handful of biscuits. Then, from under the table they pull out a plastic bag with some biscuit packages. All prisoners sit down in silence whilst one biscuit… I say… one biscuit gets distributed to each single individual.

Each one reaches out and receives with a smile the small big gift of … one biscuit. They eat it with calm and in silence, almost as if they are celebrating a sacred ritual. I can no longer go on with my tea. Seven or eight biscuits are left over: they are crumbled into pieces and the distribution ritual gets repeated: every single individual will receive a crumb… it is the sharing of love and solidarity amongst the poor! End of the Christmas Party!

I would like you not to forget these two facts when celebrating your Christmas. I wish it to be full of joy and love and, whilst you exchange your presents, above all, I wish that you will be able to exchange and to give lots of love.

An embrace, a congratulation and a memory to all of you and your beloved ones.
Thank you for your friendship and for sharing the dream of the African Dream.
Love,

P.Enrico Colleoni