World AIDS Day 2017

Today might be just a typical Friday for you: finishing up your work week and looking forward to a weekend of holiday shopping and decorating. But for 36.7 million individuals around the world, today holds much more significance.

Today is World AIDS Day. Today we remember those infected and affected by the epidemic, we celebrate the achievements over the past year, and we refocus on our goals for the coming year.

What We're Up Against

If you aren't familiar with how big of a problem HIV/AIDS is, please take a few minutes to learn about the epidemic:

• There are 36.7 million individuals living with HIV, and 1.8 million more are infected each year.
• Africa is the most affected region, with 25.6 million individuals living with HIV. 
• Only 20.9 infected individuals are receiving treatment; only 43% of infected children have access. 
• Only 70% of infected people know their status. 
• The epidemic has already claimed 35 million lives, and around 1 million more die each year.
• Tuberculosis accounts for one third of AIDS-related deaths; nearly 60% of cases are never diagnosed or treated. 
• In Namibia, 13.8% of the population is living with HIV, and nearly 4,300 people die from AIDS-related causes each year.
• There are around 640,000 orphans in Namibia due to AIDS. 

If you glazed over that list of numbers, that's understandable - It can be a lot to take in. Instead of trying to compute and calculate the statistics, let's make this a bit more relatable: Imagine you're in class or at work or at a family holiday, surrounded by 20 friends and loved ones. Now imagine that 3 of those loved ones are infected with HIV, and 1 doesn't even know it. Of the 2 that know their status, only 1 has access to treatment. Can you imagine knowing that, and not helping them?

How Far We've Come

There have been huge successes in the fight against HIV/AIDS - especially in Namibia. However, we're far from done. Many organizations have a goal of completely eliminating the epidemic by 2030, which is attainable if you consider the progress so far!

• Since 2000, new infections have dropped 11% in adults and 47% in children! 
• Since 2005 (the peak of the epidemic), AIDS-related deaths have dropped 48%!
• Since 2000, 13.1 million lives have been saved by antiretroviral therapy (ART). 
• In Namibia, last year was a big year in tackling treatment AND prevention:
• Treatment guidelines were revised and the "Treat-All" initiative was piloted. 
• Over 95% of health facilities now provide prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), and increased early infant screening and treatment.
• There was in increased focus on gender inequality, violence, and human rights.

What Lies Ahead

If we're going to eliminate the epidemic by 2030, there are a few challenges we need to overcome, especially in Namibia. While Namibia is actually one of the wealthiest countries in Africa overall, there is a huge discrepancy between rich and poor, between those with access to treatment and those without. Today, the US Embassy Namibia announced that a new ART site was opened in Katima Mulilo! However, this treatment can only be received if people know about it, and if they understand the importance of being tested and treated.

Despite our progress, we can't lose focus. Until the stigma is gone and the epidemic completely defeated, we have work to do. We'll continue to show the people in this region that they are loved, encourage them to grow into strong and educated citizens, and provide for their basic needs. Will you continue to help us? 

Thank you to all of generous supporters around the globe, and thank you to our amazing staff and volunteers in Namibia, for joining us in our goal of helping as many people as possible - especially those affected by HIV/AIDS. 

Cassie Hooker

Vice Chair, Board of Directors

Thanks to the following sources for all of the statistics we gathered. Will you take a few minutes today to learn more?

• World Health Organization
• UNAIDS: World Facts
• UNAIDS: Namibia Facts
• UNAIDS: Interactive World Map 

Staff House Completed!

Our 3 Garden Staff Workers

A huge thanks goes out to our donors!! Our new staff house is now complete, and just in time before the rainy season starts! You have gone above and beyond in supplying the needs in a very short period of time to build our new staff house!! As we have mentioned before our older traditional mud hut housing was in strong need of repair and we felt led to make the investment into a longer standing structure as this project continues to grow! Our 3 garden staff are very appreciative as they continue to tend to the gardens that feed those in need in this region! This house provides a safe structural living environment that is now separate from the space needed for the garden tools and crop storage area.

As our project grows, we are continuing to seek additional monthly supporters!! If you are interested in supporting this project on a monthly or one-time basis, there are a number of ways you can do this! See our links on the right side-bar to use the PureCharity option including child sponsorships in our kindergarten!

Thanks again and Praise God for all that He has provided!!

When we say "garden", we really mean small farm ;-)

Phase 2

We have been working on raising support to build a new staff house for our garden and thanks to generous donors Phase 2 of the new staff housing is now complete!! This past week we were able to purchase windows, doors, and supplies for the rest of the bricks!! Praise God for His provisions!!

We have 2 staff at all times tending to the garden and as part of their wages, we provide housing for them to stay in. Their current mud-style house is growing unsafe to live in so the timing of this progress couldn't be more needed!

On to the final phase! The roof will get put on in the next 2 weeks! 

Phase 2 Complete!

Kindergarten Sponsorship Program

We're excited to announce that you now have the opportunity to sponsor any of our current students! For only $15 a month, your donation will be added to our Kindergarten fund - which ensures that every child in our care has a nutritious breakfast and lunch, access to a great education, and is sent home each day with clean drinking water.

Your support will not only change these 18 lives - but will positively impact their families and community. The head start that these children receive at Mukisa Kindergarten means that they head into public school with a solid foundation, ready to learn and ready to grow into strong, responsible, contributing members of their villages.

We challenge you to be a part of this invaluable experience. Please visit our new sponsorship site, and spread the word!

Mukisa Kindergarten Sponsorship Site

New Staff Housing

Phase 1 (of 2) has been completed!!  Phase 1 included making all the bricks (by hand!) utilizing the waters from the flood this spring, then allowing them to bake dry in the sun.  This last month they were then used to lay the foundation and build up to the base of where windows will go.

The cement blocks laying out to dry during Phase 1

Completion of Phase 1

We are now ready for phase 2 and the fundraising efforts are estimated to be US$2,500. This includes all labor and building supplies such as windows, doors, flooring, and making more bricks. The cost could be much higher, but we have been very blessed by the donation of time by some very generous local volunteers that are passionate about this project helping those in need in their area.

Part of the garden with the new and current housing
pictured in the background

To give some background, we have a flourishing garden that provides food to those enrolled in our kindergarten as well as those in need in the community.  We have 2 staff at all times that are tending to the garden and, as part of their wages, we provide housing for them to stay in.  This also serves as security to have staff members on site at all times to protect the food from theft or vandalism.  It should be noted, that when we say "garden", we really mean small farm spanning multiple acres!



The mud-style house that we built for them when the garden began in 2010 is very basic, in need of significant repair to be livable, and is now too small to house both our staff and our ever growing vegetable harvest!  We plan to utilize the original house for storage and are working on building more permanent concrete block house.  

Current Staff Housing including storage for all tools and harvested vegetables

We are asking you to please consider supporting this project! Go to:
https://www.purecharity.com/special-projects-staff-housing#   All donations are tax-deductible.
As always, thanks for your continued support!

One of the recipients of our garden's vegetables

Pure Charity

While our invaluable staff have continued to work hard in Namibia serving those in need, our Board of Directors have been working hard this last year establishing the organizational structure and bylaws of Sinanzi Sepo Project.  We are proud to announce that as of February 2017, Sinanzi Sepo Project, Inc has been officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization.  With this change we have switched from utilizing GoFundMe to now using Pure Charity as our means for fundraising. We have found this to be a great tool for our needs with minimal operating costs and it allows you to give confidently and securely!  Check out our profile at: https://www.purecharity.com/sinanzi-sepo-project

In our goal of transparency, our current monthly operating budget is ~US$500 per month and this includes salaries of our school teacher and garden workers, supplementary food to the vegetables we grow, plus garden supplies to maintain the farm.  However have plans to grow and expand our ministry reach and we need ministry partners like you to help make that happen.  We are always happy to answer any questions about how your donation will be used or the structure of the organization!

If you are interested in partnering with us in ministry, we would love to have you!  You can become a monthly donor, support special projects such as our current update to staff housing, or we will have child sponsorship programs available soon with the kids in our Kindergarten.

Let There Be Water!

Elton has been in Namibia for 1 week now working very hard with a team of local volunteers on various projects for us. One of the largest has been updating our water stand base from a falling-apart wooden one to a longer lasting metal one! This is an integral part of keeping the garden watered!

Nearing Completion!

The old water tank stand

Praise God we have raised most of the funds needed but are still in need of several hundred more to finish this project and get others started! If you feel called to contribute you can do so via https://www.gofundme.com/SinanziSepoProject! Thank you so much for your assistance in this Kingdom Work!

Happy New Year!

We want to say thank you for all of  your support over the past year - and let you know some of the goals and plans we have in store for 2017. Please consider supporting us as we take on these challenges!

2016 Successes:

• Expanded Garden - We took advantage of a large amount of unused property, and are now growing melons and squash.
• 4 Kindergarten Graduates - Samunzala Ntwala, Makena Muyunda, Matengu Tabo Happy, and Imbuwa Inonge head off to Grade 1. They each received new uniforms and shoes thanks to your donations!
• 4 Board Members - Becca, Cassie, Kristen, and Luke joined alongside Jess and Elton and have laid the groundwork for our non-profit status in the US.

2017 Plans:

• Elton's Travel - Elton will be flying to Namibia on January 15 to tackle new garden projects and deliver supplies. 
• Protein Source - We want to develop a good source of protein for our community, and are currently exploring the best options.
• Improved Water Tank - We need to repair the base of our current water tank, replacing wood with a metal frame.
• Expanded Board - We'll be expanding our board to 8 members and finalizing our non-profit status.

If you'd like to show your support for any of these projects, please consider the following:

• Pray for the safety of our volunteers and staff, wisdom for the leaders, and health for the kids and community we're reaching. 
• Donate online through GoFundMe.
• Invite us to your church to present our ministry and recruit more supporters.
• Share our posts on Facebook to spread the word.

Thanks again for all of your support and encouragement this past year. We hope that you are blessed in 2017!

Through the Holiday Challenge funds, we purchased new uniforms for our grads!

Our growing board: Becca, Elton, Luke, Jess, Kristen, and Cassie.