New! Pictures posted from this past trip (August 10th)

Click here or visit the link on the left tab under "Pictures. Double-click on the thumbnails to enlarge the picture.

Carolina Rayzel donates $605 (June 5th)

Carolina Rayzel was able to raise $605 for the project at her 16th birthday party. Carolina set up a jar and made a poster and then asked all guests to donate to the project instead of bringing a gift. Her donation will go towards building a roof on the first dormitory.

Fashion shows raises more than $2,000 (June 2nd)

Seniors Laura Groetzinger, Tasha Toth, Carrie Heller, and Katie Whitlow put on a fabulous performance at the Conway Pavilion. Girls from Laurel and other neighboring schools modeled Laura and Tasha's outstanding work. Carrie and Katie ran the show they had planned. The afternoon went flawlessly and the girls were able to donate $1,822 (after stage rentals and other venue costs). Many thanks to all who attended -- but especially to the four Laurel girls who made it happen.

LAUREL girls plan Olevolos Fashion Show (May 27th)

The Olevolos Fashion Show!
Sunday, June 1st
2 to 4 p.m.

The Conway Pavilion at Laurel's Butler Campus (7420 Fairmount Road, Russell, Ohio)

Come support The Olevolos Project, Laurel Seniors: Tasha Toth and Laura Groetzinger, and Gai Russo, the Dream, Dare, Do! jewelry designer

There will be food, fashion and raffle prizes!
Raffle prizes include: $100 to Flemmings, gift certificates to stores and restaurants, and jewelry by local boutiques

We would like to provide you with the opportunity to give back to the larger global community. As our Senior Year is coming to a close, we have realized there is no better way to show our appreciation for all we have been given by Laurel School and our parents than through a service project directed towards improving the lives of disadvantaged children. The Olevolos Project is a nonprofit organization directed towards the children of the Olevolos Village in Tanzania, Africa.

The project’s mission statement--“enabling children from the Olevolos Village to grow up in a safe, secure, and supportive home environment and encouraging them to become active and contributing members of their local and global communities” describes a great organization, one we want to dedicate our time to. The children from Olevolos Village are orphans without proper nutrition, education, and stable families. We, along with the organization, believe that helping the children now will lead to a better future for the people of Tanzania.

The Olevolos Project was founded and is directed by Dory Gannes, a teacher and coach at Laurel. Through her personal stories and presentations, we have been able to watch the enormous impact the young project has already had on the lives of these children. Currently, The Olevolos Project is working on the first dormitory for the orphans. The Olevelos Project is an organization with leaders who are eager and easily accessible. It has changed the lives of so many children, as can be seen at the website, www.theolevolosproject.com.

For our Senior Project, we are planning and hosting a fashion show, highlighting designs by our peers, Laura Groetzinger and Tasha Toth. All proceeds will benefit The Olevolos Project. If you are interested in donating any goods, including lightly used school supplies or sports equipment, you can bring them directly to school or to the fashion show on Sunday and we would be happy to give them directly to the students traveling to Tanzania. Your support will be felt immediately. We, along with the children in The Olevolos Project, are eager to accept any sort of donation.

Thank you and we hope to see you on Sunday,

Carrie Heller and Katie Whitlow

Carolina Rayzel will be donating to the project for her birthday (May 17th)

Carolina Rayzel first heard about the project through her father, Clovis. Clovis contacted The Olevolos Project last year after reading an article in the Ann Arbor News. Carolina just turned 16 on May 15th and has scheduled her birthday party for May 31st. She has asked all guests to make a donation to the project rather than bring her a gift. We are extremely impressed and thankful for Carolina's generosity and heart.

News from the Village Chief (May 16th)

Following a March meeting with various elders from the Olevolos community, the Village Chief from has informed us that the name that was originally on our large piece of land ("Jane Olevolos") will be transferred to "The Olevolos Project." Construction has been on hold but will starting again shortly. We are waiting for new estimates on the cost of the ceiling.

Detroit News (April 10th)

Our best press yet -- complete with pictures of the project and access to our most recent documentary -- check it out by clicking below:

Former U-M soccer players head effort to erect orphanage, help kids in Tanzanian village

Olevolos featured on Family Matters (April 9th)

Family Matters, a "nationally syndicated radio program and online community to help you live your best life," welcomed The Olevolos Project into the studio last month. The talk, entitled "Can one person really make a difference? We'll tell you the story of a young woman who is building a village for a group of young orphans and how she's inspiring others to do the same," was recently aired and is now featured on Family Matters' homepage: (Direct link: Can one person really make a difference?)

Pioneer sophomores hold bakesale (April 7th)

Julia Caproni and her student council class held a bake sale at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor and were able to raise $80 from the event. Julia also gathered pictures and created a poster to accompany the event and composed a list of items that shared just how much a small amount of money can do in Olevolos.

New pictures from the site (April 1st)

Encompass Success (March 30th)

We are pleased to announce that Encompass hosted a fantanstically successful event. Twelve different groups performed dances and songs that represented countries across the globe. The event was flawlessly organized by Sarine Trochakerian and the rest of Encompass Core. Encompass was able to make a $2,000 contribution to The Olevolos Project after the competion of the event.

 

 

2007 Annual Report is now available (February 18th)

The 2007 Annual Report is now available. If you click on the "2007 Annual Report" link on the left, you can download the file. Note that the page may take a while to load because the file is relatively large. One additional note: the sponsorship program pages are not yet included in the annual report. Soon we will upload a revised version that will recognize all of the people who have generously offered to sponsor orphans from the Olevolos Village.

Christmas pictures have been uploaded (February 10th)

See "2008 Gallery" underneath "PICTURES" tab on the left hand side of the page.

New photos from the construction site (February 10th)

The walls of the first dorm are now complete. We will soon begin construction the roof. Don is standing inside the dorm in the picture on the right.

10 Days until ENCOMPASS (February 7th)

Early February News (February 6th)

Following their dance, Greenhills' Student Council made a donation of $500 to the project. Many thanks to the student council representatives: Anica Presley, Anne Marie Opipari, Nina Cheinberg, Diana Rosenzwery, Gisele Papo, Jay Sarkar, and Andrea McIntosh. Many thanks to all of the other students, faculty, and administrators who helped make this event so successful.

We are hoping to have the project's 2008 Annual Report on the webside by the end of next week.

Event update (January 29th)

Greenhills School had a winter dance two weeks ago. The student council graciously decided to donate all proceeds from their dance directly to the project.

The Encompass Concert is quickly approaching. The concert is on February 17th at The Power Center (on U of Michigan's campus). The show begins at 7:00PM, though doors will be opening at 6:30. Tickets are $6 from MUTO or $7 at the door. This should be a wonderful show and we are very excited ot be a part of it.

January Progress (January 22nd)

The documentary is in progress and should be completed in the next couple of weeks. If you would like a copy of this (it will include footage from past trips), please email olevolos@gmail.com.

Cottrell in the news (January 14th)

The Kalamazoo Gazette recently wrote an article about Assistant Director, Lindsey Cottrell, entitled "22-year-old is helping establish African orphanage." The article is accessible off of the homepage of mgoblue.com, and through mlive.com. It is also available by clicking HERE.

 

Back from TZ (January 8th)

Hi everyone,

Though most of our group returned back to Michigan last Friday, the past four days seem to have disappeared faster than I could have predicted. My apologies for the lack of updates while we were in Africa.

In short -- our trip was most definitely a success. I will just throw out some of the highlights:

We left DTW on December 24th and arrived on Christmas Day. Lucky for us -- Tanzanians continue to celebrate

Christmas on Boxing Day, the 26th of December. Two individuals donated $200 each for meals on the 25th and 26th so when we arrived at the center, there was quite a celebration. We got pretty excited when we heard that the celebration would even include "cake," but quickly realized that Tanzanian "cake" is not American "cake." However, the fried goat that was tied to the table and stuffed with leaves was more delightful to the TZ kids than any sugar and flour celebration that I have ever b14een a part of.

We got to spend a LOT of time with the kids while we were there -- much more than on the previous trip when meetings with landowners and lawyers and stubborn Maasai men consumed all of our time. This isn't to say that

our trip was meeting-less (in any type of way) but that our meetings did not take away all of our face-time with the children. And, when Lindsey and I were pulled away to talk, the kids were still with Reggie and Steph, who in no way acted like first-time visitors but instead, like energizer bunnies. The two of them probably sang "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" five zillion times but probably would have sang it five zillion more times, if asked.

The kids LOVED swinging on Reggie's arms, dancing with Linds, and playing drums with Steph. It was a great atmosphere to be a part of. When asked what stood out to her on the trip, Steph said that "I've had a lot of interactions with kids but there was something unique and different about the kids at the center. Maybe it was

because there was so much emotion -- you could see it in their eyes and in the way they touched you. Even

through touching their heads or holding their hands, you could feel the transfer of love; the simplest of things seemed to be the strongest. When I was holding Sinata and she was still sick, she looked up at me and took my head in her hands and it was one of the strongest connections I have ever had with anyone."

Reggie commented that "kids in america are gonna complain about everything and whine if they don't get an Xbox but with these kids, you can just go in there and pick one up or let someone sit on your lap and they're

happy. It was just amazing how happy they were and how little it took make them smile."

As great of a time as we had, the need for a completed orphanage is more evident than ever before. Our eyes

were opened to some extremely challenging realities and they have left us more determined to move through construction as quickly as possible and reach our ultimate goal. Many of these kids NEED somewhere to stay as soon as possible. It was very difficult to visit some of the places where the kids sleep and not be able to offer them an alternative.

Our recent estimates predict the first dorm will be completed in three months. We are trying to find ways to

decrease costs but still maintain high levels of durability. The kids may have to use outdoor bathrooms for a while and enter through unpainted walls, but if it means they can move in a month earlier, we believe it is worth it.

While we were there, we revised the orphan inventory. We are trying to compile all of the data and pictures so sponsors will have updated information by the end of the weekend. We did stumble on some new kids that weren't on previous lists but are still in great need. I will try and post new information about these kids ASAP.

Until then, I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday season and a good start to the new year!

Thanks for staying up-to-date with the project and for your continual support!

Love, Dory and the Olevolos team

 

Last push for sponsorship (December 19th)

In five days, five of us we will be on our way to Africa. In between now and then, we are hoping to connect at least five more orphans with sponsors (like Dickson and Eliahu). If you would be interested in helping us reach that goal, please visit our sponsorship page!

"Encompass" set to collaborate with the project (December 15th)

Sirene Abou-Chakra and Lindsey Cottrell are collaborating with a Michigan student-group called "Encompass." Sirene summarizes the organization and its annual event as follows:

"Encompass" is a student-run concert that is held every year at the Power Center at the University of Michigan. Yielding over 1,000 in attendance annually, it's goal is to unite a variety of multi-cultural U-M student performance groups. Ranging from spoken word, modern & traditional dance, and a capella, these groups represent unique cultures from around the globe. Traditionally, the program has given it's proceeds to different charities, and this year, the show will be donating the proceeds to the Project!

Since Encompass is about bringing different people together with music, we collectively suggested having the kids share in that experience somehow. Once in Africa, the Directors of the Project will help the kids prepare a dance to share with the Encompass audience. We can only hope the kids won't be too camera shy! The show is slated for February 17th. More details about time and ticket prices (under $10) coming soon.

Email update from December 8th (December 15th)

This email was distributed to the project email list last Saturday (one week ago). If anyone is interested in being placed on this list, please forward your email address to Dory (Dgannes@gmail.com)

Dearest Olevolos Supporters,

I have been thinking about sending an update for the past month or so, but feel like this morning is a perfect time.

Last night I met with Don Gardner, our managing director for the project. Don is back from TZ for the holidays, and flew up to Cleveland for the evening. Together we discussed the progress of the project, what has been working, what hasn't been working, and our plan for the next few months. As I was driving home from our discussion, I realized that I felt more confident about this project than ever before.

I thought it would be helpful to recap what is happening on-site in the village, before talking about what is going on here in the US. The foundation of the first dorm and kitchen were completed a few weeks ago. Construction slowed shortly after this, as there was a cement shortage in East Africa. Apparently South Africa has been importing an extreme amount of cement as they are preparing new buildings and stadiums for the 2010 World Cup. The Tanzanian government, however, recently put up a ban on exporting cement, so now Alfred and his team are back at work. They are planning to finish cementing the floors by the end of next week. Afterwards, they will begin constructing the walls. If everything were to progress smoothly from here on out (if cement remains plentiful and we have enough money in the project's account), Don thinks that the first dorm could be finished in March.

Here in the United States, I find that interest for the project is continuing to grow. We have 39 orphans matched with sponsors. This facet of our project has been so wonderful to oversee. Every week I receive letters from excited and eager people all the way out in California to energetic and engaged families down in Texas to enthusiastic and engrossed students here in Ohio. Mathew (our on-site director) has been dutifully taking each of these letters and bringing them to Jane's Center. There, he reads them aloud and helps the children write letters and draw pictures of their own. Mathew has been nothing short of amazing. His punctuality, openness, and trustworthiness remain steadfast though it seems as if his love for the project and the kids continues to grow.

In 16 days I, alongside a team of three other project directors, will be flying out to see the faces that cover the walls of so many offices, rooms, and computer screens. Thanks to the enormous generosity of Reg Brown and unwavering support of Barb Stimpson, all four of our plane tickets have been paid for in full. Steph Hoyer and Reggie Brown will have the opportunity to finally see the place that they advocate for each day, and Lindsey Cottrell and I will be fortunate enough to return for the 2nd and 4th times, respectively. One of the most exciting parts of our trip is that we are bringing a videographer with us, Katie Woods, who will be compiling a (new and improved) documentary of the project. Katie is the news director for WOLV-TV at the University of Michigan and we are hoping that her work will be completed and available at the end of January.

The last thing I want to mention is a recent development taking place at my new home, Laurel School. 10-12 Laurel girls will be traveling to the Olevolos Village for 10-12 days this upcoming June. The details of this trip are far from complete, though I am unbelievably excited for the girls to fly out to Africa and take part in this project.

Thanks to all of you who continue to show your support through your sponsorship of kids, discussion of the project, words of encouragement, and donations. As we find ourselves quickly approaching the "season of giving," I am already in awe of your most recent acts of generosity. I am forever grateful.

I hope you are all safe and warm.

With love,

-dory

Greenhills and Northside (December 11th)

We have great news from Greenhills School. Lauren McIntosh, a junior at Greenhills, says that "Greenhills School's student council has begun planning for a January dance! The idea was brought up to donate the proceeds of the dance to a project of choice. During grade assemblies, student council took votes to decide exactly which charity the dance would fund. After an overwhelming majority among the students, The Olevolos Project was chosen as the project to fundraise for!"

Greenhills will also be on camera this week, as our videographer on the upcoming Christmas trip, Katie Woods, will be interviewing the McIntosh girls and speaking with some of the other students who have been supporting the project.

Katie will also visit Northside Elementary School, where the students have been fundraising for the project for almost a year now. Last spring, the kids raised over $300 through lemonade sales. This winter, the kids have switched over to hot chocolate. Their advisor for the project, Mr. Dekeon, estimates that they have already raised hundreds of dollars for the project. Katie will catch the kids live at work, and spend some time talking about their involvement with Olevolos.

Cement and Christmas Letters (December 5th)

Through a shortage in cement throughout Moshi and Arusha delayed construction during the past week, Alfred and his team are now back at the site. Today Mathew wrote "[Alfred] has told me that he is very busy at the site pouring the concrete I am so happy. He told with his engineer Philip that if will not get any problem of cement they are expecting to finish this week because the is a scarcity of cement. I hope that they won't get problem of cement so that they can finish this week." We too, are hoping that they will be able to finish cementing the walls this week.

Two more orphans have been sponsored -- Delta Sabaya has a new family in the United States with Jeff and Cindy Collinson. Her sister, Meja Sabaya, has been sponsored by Bettina Hoops and her students from Saline High School in Saline, Michigan.

Mathew also sent some new letters from the orphans. We have some fantastic artists at Jane's Center! See below.

From Naseriani to Andrea from TX	From David to Matt from MA	From Tajara to Maddie from OH

 

Three more orphans have family in the United States (November 28th)

Matt Hunwick, a former U of M hockey player who is now playing for Boston Bruins will be sponsoring David Julius (they share a mutual interest in biking), Brooke Plotkin and Lauren Rich Fine will be sponsoring Morani Lemidia (a four-year-old boy who likes boxing), and Madison Friedman and her family will be sponsoring Tajara Lukers (both Madison and Tajara are ten-year-old girls who enjoy dancing). Mathew will be visiting the center this weekend to write letters with the kids and take some more pictures. Visit the sponsor an orphan page if you are interested in helping one of the eight double-parent orphans who have not yet been matched with a family in the United States.

Christmas plans and new pictures (November 26th)

We are happy to announce that because of another very generous contribution by one of our most loyal project supporters, there will be four project directors flying out to Africa for winter break. As of today, November 26th, we will also be travelling with Katie Woods, a University of Michigan student and the news director for WOLV-TV. Katie will be compiling both a short and a long documentary about the project. We are hoping it will be available by the beginning of February. If you would like to receive a copy of this documentary, email us: olevolos@gmail.com.

We have recently received new pictures from Olevolos Village. In these pictures, Mathew is reading a letter from the McDermott family, (sponsor of Naseriani). As you can see, the foundation is now complete and starting this week, Alfred and his workers are pouring cement for the first dorm and kitchen.

Mid-November update (November 19)

The project has continued to move along in the past two weeks. Three more orphans have been sponsored: Emma Miller and her brother Aidan will be sponsoring Boni Zephania and Deo Alex, respectively, and the McDermott family will be sponsoring Naseriani Salome. We now have 31 double-parent orphans matched with families, and are hoping to have all 43 sponsored by Christmas.

Last weekend we found out that two more project officers will spend Christmas in Tanzania. Besides visiting the kids, we are also hoping to build another chicken coop, build a small garden, and start a soccer league. We are still hoping that the container will arrive on time so that we can unload it while we are there.

Included below are some recent pictures and letters from the kids at the center.

2 Sponsors, 2 Plane Tickets, 1 letter (November 6th)

We are happy to have two more orphans connected with warm and generous families here in the United States. Bridget and her daughter, Marley, have been matched with Baba Musila. Baba and Marley both enjoy singing. Maggie Miller got together with her Goddess women's group and did "Dining with a Cause." Everyone brought the money that they would have spent out at dinner, and instead, donated it towards the sponsorship of Teresia Sabaya.

In other news, two tickets have graciously been donated to the project, and two project officers will spend Christmas with the children at Jane's Center. We are really hoping to find two more tickets, so that four project officers can make the trip. We believe that it is around 150,000 frequent flier miles to get from Detroit to Kilimanjaro. If anyone is interested in supporting the project in this way, please email theolevolosproject@gmail.com

Lastly, we want to pass along the words from Nzamu, the pastor of Jane's Orphans' Center. Over the weekend, he sent the following letter:

Dear Dory, I have [met] with all the kids at the center, I printed the letter from our dear MARIA which I read to them, and they were very excited to see how you people are very much sympatic and compassionate to them. Some among the olders ones did not hasitate to ask me questions privately saying: "why do WAZUNGU (white people) are so genarous than we do we Africans? This people have bought a land and have started building it for our benefite, together with the container full of precious things to us which is on the way and even the individual support they have already done for some of us, it is a lot to say. Now, all these offer they are doing who will paye them? Will these people (the wanzungu) miss to go to heaven with this spirit full of love that they have? Are all wazungu rich? How does America looks like? - in terms of weather, environment,..." End of quote. All these questions were being asked by an orphan kid of 10 years old, a very bright boy called Amani Koresoi, and a 12 years old girl who is not an orphan, but from a poor family called Glory... Well, from these questions you can all see how they are very much impressed with your kindness."

We are so very grateful for all those keeping up with this project and supporting this cause.

Need for sponsors (October 30th)

In the next two weeks, we are hoping to find sponsors for the following six double-parent orphans:

Alex Baraka	Boni Zephania	David Julious	Meja Sabaya	Morani Lemidia	Ruth Miage

It costs $360 per year to sponsor a child -- less than a dollar per day. There is more sponsorship information available by clicking HERE.

If you are interested in sponsoring one of these six boys, please email theolevolosproject@gmail.com.

Notes from Jane and Pictures from Olevolos (October 20th)

Jane has been writing notes to the people and families who have been sponsoring children from her center. Included below is a note she sent to Rebecca Pickard, sponsor of Jackson Makau.

"Dear Rebbecca Picard,
Hallo; Rebbecca. How are your friends, family, relatives, workmates out there? I hope you are still kicking on nicely, like we here in Africa. I thank God for making you a member of our family, and also the love you have showed to our child JACKSON MAKAU. Jackson is so grateful to hear the good news that you have sponsered him and to know that you will be there for him. If you are looking for a kid who is active, enegetic, and delight, be ready to meet Jackson and his world. He is also a good artist and in soccer. He is indeed friendly and will be happy to see you and your family. We would like to hear more from you by meeting you we will learn your world so don't be afraid to visit Tanzania. Come and see natural features like MT. MERU and the magnificent-ice cap of MT. KILIMANJARO. I as the mother of ophans Jane welcome you warmly to come and see your kid Jackson."

The foundation of the dorm is now finished and the kitchen will soon be complete. See pictures below.

 

Thank you to all those who helped with the container (October 17th)

Mid-October Update (October 13th)

-Cathy Gregory is sponsoring Hawa (age 12), Kevin Hogan is matched with Maria (age 9), and Walter Miller is paired with Lalashe (age 15).

-24 orphans have now been sponsored.

-Cherry Creek High School (Denver, Colorado), raised $600 for the project through a football tailgate party.

-Mathew, our on-site director, is currently in Europe, teaching English and promoting the project.

-Northside Elementary School students are still working hard and selling lemonade during lunch to support the project.

The container is off to Tanzania (October 9th)

The container left Ann Arbor today and is estimated to arrive in Tanzania on December 1st. Hopefully this will give us enough time to get through customs before Christmas. But we know better than than to expect anything.

It was unbelievable to pack up the containter over the weekend. Many thanks to Steph, Reggie, Katelin, Viz, Brenna, the McIntosh girls (especially Sarah), the United girls (Julia, Sam, and Lindsay), the Laurel Varsity Soccer Team, Frederic and Ramona, and the YogaPro support staff. All of these people helped sort, pack, and load up the container. We estimated that there was around $35,000 worth of donated supplies -- everything from 100+ sets of sheets (thanks to Christ Covenant Church) to 200+ pairs of brand news shoes (Nike and Mike McIntosh) to 12 bikes (St. Mathew Lutheran Chuch and Reggie Brown) to two full sets of brand new soccer jerseys (Michigan Women's Soccer) to handmade and labeled bags for the kids with school supplies and dental supplies (Kathy Sheldon and family) to 100 homemade quilts (quilters from Lexington, Michigan) to hand-picked outfits for each of the orphans (Philomena Meechan) to yards and yards of yoga-mat material (YogaPro.com). We can not wait to see the faces of the kids when they open this container up.

Other new news: the Rice gang has sponsored Matayo Masanga and Detroit Lutheran School is sponsoring Obedi and Neema Lazaro. We are almost halfway to having all of the 43 double-parent orphans matched with a sponsor.

We have received the first pictures of the land since starting construction -- See photos below.

 

2007 Fall Issue of Movement Magazine (October 2nd)

The Kinesiology Department at the University of Michigan publishes a quarterly magazine called Movement. This fall's issue features Lindsey Cottrell, one of our project directors.

"Lindsey Cottrell, SM ‘07, volunteered in Tanzania during Winter Break. Along with fellow U-M alumna Dory Gannes, Lindsey traveled to rural Tanzania and began establishing an orphanage for 96 HIV/AIDS orphans. Land has already been purchased and construction of the building is scheduled to begin this summer, working toward the goal of moving the children to the new building on Christmas Day. Read more about The Olevolos Project at www.theolevolosproject.org. Lindsey is continuing her studies at the U-M School of Public Health."

Check out the full article (and pictures) at: http://www.kines.umich.edu/alumni/f07movement/14kotm_global.pdf

6 more orphans sponsored (October 1st)

We are excited to announce that in the past two days, SIX more orphans have been sponsored. The Klotz/Orbach family have sponsored all three Williams siblings, Anna (age 9), Esther (age 16), and James (age 10). Barb and Clint Stimpson are sponsoring Sarah Meshirieki (age 13). Morani Lemidia (age 4) has been sponsored in the name of Reggie Brown, and Happiness Mungaya has been sponsored in the names of Amy Kerbyson and Kimberley Schultz.

Laurel School (October 1st)

After listening to an Olevolos Project presentation, Laurel School has expressed much interest in supporting the project. More than 25 students attended a lunch meeting to discuss ways they can get more involved. This week, the classes are collecting items to send in the container. The freshmen are bringing art supplies, the sophomores are collecting shoes and recreational equipment, and the juniors and seniors are teaming together to gather clothes. Tshirts are also on sale for $15.

If you would like to sell Olevolos Project tshirts in your own community, please email theolevolosproject@gmail.com. This is relatively easy to do and a great way to spread project awareness.

Container Dates (September 25th)

The container will be dropped off in Ann Arbor on Friday, October 5th, and be picked up on Monday, October 8th. We still have lots of room for donations! We are accepting everything from clothing to toys to school supplies. If you would like to schedule a dropoff, please email: theolevolosproject@gmail.com.

On our way (September 23rd)

Tomorrow we will start building the foundation. Jane and Alfred signed a contract last Thursday, and agreed that "The Employer is desirous of construction of two orphanage buildings PHASE 1 (herein after called the ‘Works’) at the Olevolos Village and has Drawings and Bill of Quantities showing and describing the work to be done, under the direction of Donald Gardner."

Also this week, the McIntosh girls of Ann Arbor, Michigan, presented The Olevolos Project to Greenhills School. Lauren and Andi showed the documentary to both the students and staff of Greenhills, and then spoke about the project. They plan to form an Olevolos committee, who will meet regularly to discuss the progress of the project and ways that they might be able to help.

Another orphan, Zawadi Saitoti, a ten-year-old girl, has been sponsored by Annie Rickert. Annie, along with her church, is also organizing a drive to collect sheets that we can ship in the container.

The Olevolos Project is also an official MSA student organization. Thanks to Paige Pickett and Steph Hoyer for their hard work.

Students from Cherry Creek High School (in Colorado) got to see their gear on Olevolos kids. Thanks to Michigan's Erin Kelly, for taking the clothes out to the orphanage, and to Mathew, for bringing Erin to Olevolos. Cherry Creek seniors Steph Pepper and Annie Pierini are working hard to organize various fundraisers through their high school.

Construction (September 15th)

Next week, we will be starting with the foundation and floors of the kitchen and our first dormitory. Alfred has estimated that it will take about four weeks for this stage of the project. In order for the kids to move in as quickly as possible, we are planning to primarily work on the dormitory. Depending on how fundraising is moving a long, there is a possibility that the kitchen will not be finished when the children move in. But because our main goal is to get the kids under a roof as soon as we can, this is a risk we are willing to take.

We are also please to announce that Kathy Sheldon and her friends have sponsored our 11th orphan, Mariah. Mariah is seven years old and in Standard 1 -- which is the Tanzanian equivalent of kindergarten.

Update from Jane's (September 14th)

Don is back in Tanzania and has been visiting construction sites. Things are looking good and we are hoping to mobilize materials and get going very soon.

Last weekend Mathew visited the center equipped with an art history lesson compiled by one of our donors, Karla Van Fleet. After Karla received a response to her first letter (see picture below), she decided to get even more involved. Karla is planning a benefit where she will be auctioning off artwork made by the kids at Jane's Center. In order to do this, Karla wrote back to the kids, told them her plan, and asked for their help. In her letter, she included examples of artwork made by six different artists from around the world. In the pictures below, the paper Mathew is holding is Karla's letter.

10 orphans have been sponsored (September 4th)

We are excited to announce that the first four orphans have been sponsored, thanks to the generous contributions of Rebecca Picard, Karla van Fleet, Sarah Bowes, Robin Smith, Daryl Jones, Jodi Sittig, and Maggie and Will. There are still 33 orphans left. They need you! If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan, CLICK HERE.

Don is hopping on a plane this week and will be back at the center over the weekend. He is planning to visit the construction sites of various contractors who have made estimates on the first phase of the project (one dormitory and the kitchen), and then he will be selecting a builder. Assuming everything goes as planned, we are expecting to start pouring the foundation next week.

Olevolos writes back (August 28th)

Karla van Fleet, sponsor of Happiness Makao (age 3), just received a response to the letter she sent to all of the children at Jane's Center. Mathew, our on-site director, brought her letter to the children, read it aloud, and then helped them write back to Karla. The letter on the left is from Elifuraha, an orphan in class 6. The letter has been translated on the right by Erin Kelly, a friend from Ann Arbor, who is currently in Tanzania. She went there to build a chicken coop and accompanied Mathew to Olevolos Village last weekend.

Our Mission (August 27th)

The Olevolos Project is an up and running non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status.  The main goal of the project is to build an orphanage for JOC.  It is our hope that this orphanage will:

In addition, and similar to “Rights of a Child” listed on the United Nations website,  (http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/25.htm), we believe that:

August Progress (August 21st)

We are looking to start construction at the new site once Don gets back to Tanzania in early September. It will take a while for the foundation to be set but after it is, we can start laying bricks and building the younger children's dorm and the kitchen.

If you get a chance, check out Laurie's site (http://janesorphans.org). She has provided some excellent information about Jane's Center and her ministry.

Website Additions (August 11th)

A "Testimonals" tab has been created. Check it out to see what other people are saying about the project.

If you would like to drop off donations for us to ship in the container, please send us an email (theolevolosproject@gmail.org).

We are hoping to have pictures of the orphans up on the website by next week.

Olevolos Project tshirts are still available. We will be sending in a new order soon.

If you would like to sponsor an orphan by contrubuting money towards food, education, and the building of an orphanage, click here.

Our first three orphans have been sponsored (August 9th)

Rebecca Picard of will be sponsoring Jackson (age 5), pictured at left! Here is Rebecca's testimony:

"I had just returned from a mission trip through my church to repair homes in Mississippi, and had been feeling that I need to do something more in this world "when I get the time"; after all, I'm a wife and mother, working full time and running a household. I told myself that someday - when the kids are grown, when I have the money and time, and when I've completed the "missionary" training, then I will do something. But then I heard your story - how a full-time college student with few resources and little money decides to build an orphanage. You didn’t wait for "someday" when you had more time and money, you knew you had to do it now. You are an inspiration to many of us who never find the courage to take the risks to make a difference in this world."

Sarah Bowes, of Detroit, Michigan, will be sponsoring Risiki (age 5). Instead of giving gifts to the guests at her wedding, Sarah and her husband decided to donate to the project! To see other ways that people have been helping out, go to the "Get Involved" tab on the left.

Karla van Fleet, of Chicago, Illinois, will be sponsoring Happiness (age 3).

If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan, CLICK HERE.

Bill Clinton writes about the project (August 6th)

Here is the response to a letter sent to Bill Clinton and his foundation:

"When I talk about citizenship, I'm talking about people like you. We all have the ability and the responsibility to be heroes by affecting positive change in, and strengthening the fabric of, our local and global communities. I commend you for your contributions to the common endeavor and for taking the initiative to help improve the lives of Tanzanian children suffering through poverty and disease. I'm so please that you have selflessly dedicated your time to addressing such an important issue.

As I continue to do what I can to build a healthier future for our world, I'm glad to know I can count on the help of citizens like you." -- Bill Clinton

Sponsor an Orphan (August 1st)

For less than $1 per day, you can support the well-being of an Olevolos orphan. We are looking for sponsors to help all 63 of the double-parent orphans from Jane's Center. If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan, please CLICK HERE.

Website Updates (July 31st)

It will soon be possible to sponsor an orphan! Click on the "Sponsor an Orphan" tab on the left.

Also check out the updated "Get Involved" tab as well as the "About Us" tab. Both are on the left.

Container! (July 27th)

One of extremely devoted project supporters, Barb Stimpson, has graciously been working to solidify for a container to be sent to Africa! The tentative plans are to ship up to 38,000 pounds worth of "stuff" from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to the Olevolos Village, Tanzania, during the first week of October. Thanks to Ramona and Frederick Varga, we also have a local place to store all of the "stuff" we are going to ship.

We will be taking everything from homemade quilts to clothes, books, and shoes to old furniture and recreational equipment. The only thing we can not put in the container is #1. food and #2. medical supplies. These things would be difficult to get through customs and might cause unecessary delays.

If you would like to drop something off for this container, please contact Dory Gannes (Dgannes@gmail.com).

New Plans (July 17th)

On the top -- the ground layout

On the middle left -- the younger children's dorm

On the middle right -- the older children's dorm

On the bottom left -- the dining hall

On the bottom right -- the volunteer/administrative building

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Land Agreement Complete (July 13th)

A copy of the land sale agreement is below

New Plans (July 11th)

After a long week of correspondence over email and Skype, we have decided to switch around our plans a little bit. We are planning to sell the first plot of land that we bought, and buy a new plot. The new plot is four times the size of the old plot, and opens up many possibilities for the orphanage in the future. We visited this plot of land when we were there at the end of February, but decided not to purchase it because of its price. Just recently we found out that the land owner is willing to go down in price and also is willing to accept a down payment of 12.5 million shillings (about $10,000). So today (July 11th), Alfred, Mathew, Jane, and James are meeting with the land owner. Our new plans are also under review by the government. We will put them up on the website in the next few days.

JULY Progress (July 5th)

We have both good and bad news --

-The good news is that we have started construction

-The bad news is that we have also stoppd construction.

We have stopped construction because we need to make some adjustments to our plans -- based on the Tanzanian Governmental Regulations for orphanages. We are working with Donald Garnder, a missionary who has been in Tanzania for the past four years. He has been helping with Jane's Center during these four years and is responsible for the church/school room that is in all of our pictures.

We will try to update this site with the new plans as soon as we get everything figured out.

Nearly one week away from breaking ground (June 20th)

-Provided that Alfred is able to find adequate water resources in the village, we will start construction on July 1st.

-Detroit Lutheran School has raised over $700 for the project!

-Kathy Sheldon and quilters from St. Matthew Lutheran Church have agreed to make 100 quilts for the children of the Olevolos Village!

-Bettina Hoops donated $300 after receiving donations to the project instead of birthday presents!

-Northside Elementary School raised $336 from selling lemonade at lunch!

Moving along in June (June 13th)

We are definitely moving forward. Everything is going according to schedule. Here is some of the latest news:

-Our fundraising totals have surpassed $50,000.

-We have wired our first payment to Africa so that construction can start on July 1st.

-We have added an additional building to the plans so that volunteers will have their own living space.

-Check out the new "Get Involved!" link on the left tab.

GOOD NEWS from MAY

-We have raised over $40,000!

-We are scheduled to start CONSTRUCTION on JULY 1st!

-If all goes according to plan, the orphanage will be DONE on DECEMBER 1st and...

-The kids will be MOVING in on CHRISTMAS!!!

-The tabs in the upper left have all been updated with new information.

-Our finalized project proposal is complete! Email Dgannes@gmail.com if interested in receiving a copy.

-The Ann Arbor News published a nice story on the project, check it out by clicking HERE.

April Update

In the past month, the project has continued to move forward. Some highlights of the month:

-Our final blue prints arrived in the mail from the contractor we are working with in Tanzania/

-We were fortunate enough to receive $1,350 from the proceeds of a student-organized event benefiting campus charities.

-$1000 was donated by YogaPro.com.

In the next month we will be putting together our finalized budget proposal, updating the documentary, and continuing to fundraise.

PICTURES (as of March 11th):

Click on this link (OLEVOLOS PROJECT PICTURES) to see pictures from the trip.

Back from Tanzania (Updated March 10th)

Keep checking the website for updates...I will be uploading new pictures, information and details about the project as quickly as possible. Below is the email sent out on Monday night -- after Lindsey and I returned from our week in Tanzania:

"After countless delays, cancellations, transfers, bus rides, long lines and a very large
group of people absolutely irate with KLM for the way they handled the past 48 hours --
Lindsey and I have finally arrived back in Ann Arbor.

The good news is: We have purchased land, constructed plans and are ready to go!!! We
bought a plot (that is about 3/4 of an acre) with an absolutely stunning view of Mount
Meru, access to water and electricity! We met with our contractor, Alfred, and decided
that the orphanage will be built for 96 kids.

There will be 2 different wings -- each with 8 rooms. Six for the kids, one for a matron
and one for volunteers who would like to go visit. The girls will be on one side and the
boys on the other, and in the middle will be a large multi-functional area that can be
used as a dining room, study hall or whatever else. If you exit the back door you will
be facing the kitchen, matrons/volunteers bathroom and storage space. There are 2
showers and 2 toilets per side and additionally, 2 washing tables for laundry purposes.
The windows will be lined with protective metal and mosquito netting, each room will have
full walls and lockable doors and we are going to paint the building light yellow with a
blue trim!

Construction is estimated to take 4-5 months -- if they were to build straight through.
We could potentially start building right now, but are thinking that it might make sense
to try and do more fundraising now so that we don't have to halt construction in order to raise
more funds. It would be nice to put the foundation in before the heavy rains starts (at
the end of the month) -- though it won't be terrible if we wait a little bit.

We spent nearly our whole trip with Mathew and Alfred. Mathew is good friends with Bosco
(the guy I worked with last year) and I met him last year when building chicken coops.
Mathew teaches Geograph and English at Shimbwe Secondary School -- which is about halfway
up Mount Kilimanjaro and in an absolutely gorgeous area. Mathew is also one of the most
honest, hardworking and enthusiastic guys I have ever met. He has a huge heart for kids
and wants to do anything he can to help them out.

Alfred was an undeniable blessing to the trip. Besides being our contractor, he was also
our driver, negotiator, advisor and father for the week. He lent me money when my bank
account wouldn't let me withdraw any more cash, he drove us everywhere we needed to go
without complaints (and without missing speedbumps, running into people or killing birds
along the way) and he always checked up on Lindsey to make sure she was doing okay.
Alfred loved Lindsey.

Though the business side of things did take up a large amount of our trip, we were able
to throw in an 18-20 mile day of walking (we were definitely happy when we finally made
it back to Mathew's house), nights with Mathew's family (who are such wonderful, kind and
generous people) and two days with the kids. We helped some of the kids hold crayons and
markers for the first time, taught them English words, jumped up and down a bunch, sang
songs and spun around in circles. The kids were so excited and eager to learn. Besides
some of the youngest kids that were so hungry that they either fell asleep or started
crying, everyone else was smiling the whole entire time.

Lindsey definitely kept me sane throughout the week. I couldn't have done it without
her. She was my second brain, my extra hand and my laughing partner. If you get a
chance, ask her about the rainy ride in a taxi without windshield wipers, doing
mathematics with the Maasai, how much pineapple you can eat in one night, the bird that
got stuck in the grill of our car or the eroded mountain that we had to traverse across.
Lots of memorable moments, that's for sure."

Olevolos Benefit Dinner -- Success!

The Olevolos Project Benefit Dinner was a huge succces. Through ticket sales, donations and the silent auction, we were able to raise over $8,500 for the project. This money was most recently used to purchase 3/4 of an acre of LAND for the orphanage! The picture below is the view of Mt. Meru -- taken from our plot!

Michigan Daily covers The Olevolos Project (2/16/07)

Check out the article by clicking HERE

Link to: Past Project Updates

*The project was formerly known as "The Yatima Project," which means"The Orphans Project" in Swahili, and later called "The Kuku Project," which means "The Chicken Project." The new name for the project is "The Olevolos Project." Olevolos is the name of the village I will be visiting in 2007 and the home of Jane's Orphans' Center.