Well, it’s summer, and we have a lot of catching-up to do! This spring, I made a short trip to visit Meru Peak School (MPS), to see first-hand, the progress being made there. I was pleased to be met at the airport by Mr. Pete O’Neal, an expat that now calls Tanzania his home. Pete and his wife Charlotte run a non-profit facility near Meru Peak, called the United African Alliance Community Center.
They were kind enough to put me up for my short stay, and I’ll have more to say about their facility in a future newsletter. Check out their website. It will give you inspiration!
www.uaacc.habari.co.tz
My May visit was quick, yet comprehensive. As part of MOPFA’s mission statement, we strive to provide not only financial support, but also short and long-term financial planning for African schools like MPS. What I came away with was a deeper understanding of the financial stress that has been put upon these schools, especially in light of the upward spiral of food costs. Scott Morgan is our man in charge of plugging all the numbers into the spreadsheets, then developing a comprehensive and logical plan for the school. We’ve determined they are running the school at a deficit, but it is not an insurmountable debt. Our plan will be forthcoming, and we’ll share the ideas and fiscal goals with you all very soon.
In 2008, our own goals have been three-fold; receive our IRS approval, begin fundraising ourselves, and establish our credibility with other funding agencies. These are not simple tasks. The fact that you are reading this update is a tribute to your interest, and to our determination. Our application is on its way to the IRS this month. It was a thoughtful and lengthy process, but we believe we will have our preliminary approval very soon. In June, Duane and I visited Columbus, Ohio, the home of our attorney, Pete Precario. We spent two days wrapping up the application process, and brainstorming with Pete, his wife, Cheri, and our good friend Vicki Deisner, to determine our course for the foreseeable future. We made some technical changes to our Bylaws, and also came to a glaring admission: we need to change the name of our non-profit organization! There are several reasons for this. One is the interest that we’ve generated: our name is too region-specific. We literally have people from all parts of the country interested in an active role, so we must shelve the “Missouri” reference. Another reason is that our name doesn’t define our work. “Project for Africa” is too ambiguous. When we originally thought of this name for our organization, we had no idea that it would “take-off” like it has. So Duane, me, Judy, Scott, and a host of others have been banging our heads to find a suitable moniker. If you have any ideas, please drop us an email. We’d love to hear from you!
Finally, we at MOPFA would like to recognize some special people that have been doing great things on behalf of Meru Peak School. First of all, Celia Brumby, teaching volunteer, and an elegant young lady that I met at the school in May. She and I sat down for a chat, which I recorded and will make available soon on this website. David Abuga, a wonderful example of what is right with the world! He’s a Dean, and teacher at MPS. I also got a chance to do an audio interview with David. Look for that soon. And lastly, Jessie Bullock, and her mother, Kayte Price. Jessie is currently teaching at the school, and, with her mother still in Kansas, have both taken it upon themselves to begin a book drive for the children of Meru Peak. Bravo! They have raised over $1000 to date, and have commitments from several publishing houses for material and financial aid. Our heartfelt thanks and kudos to them both!
Sincerely yours,
Bill Crawford-President
Duane Ann Decker-Vice Pres.
Judy Searles-Secretary
Scott Morgan-Board Member
Joseph Maganga
David Abuga 
Celia Brumby (Click
here for
Celia's intro)
Jessie Bullock w/ students
(Click here for Jessie's blog)
***To view our photo gallery, click here!***
You can reach us at:
info@mopfa.org