Four more members of Student Reach International have now arrived in Tanzania. Ashley Bondad, Matt Baptista, Meaghan Morris and Nicole Malatesta are joining Abid Virani and Pinky Langat in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The team is there for several weeks to conduct work at the IMUMA orphanage, including the development of a feeding plan.

Assisting the development of a feeding plan are John Gordon, international development consultant and lecturer at the University of Guelph, and Dr. Joan Jory, registered dietitian and clinical nutritionist. The data collected in June and July will be used to build a feeding plan for IMUMA, with recommendations for diverse, affordable, and nutrient-rich meals on a long term basis. IMUMA’s volunteers will continue to monitor and update the children’s health and growth to record nutritional progress.

During the summer months of this year, Student Reach International will also be working with IMUMA to improve cooking practices. We will also be researching sustainable income opportunities that could be developed for IMUMA over the next three years. At the close of this summer, SRI hopes to have decreased expenses and improved the nourishment levels of the children being supported.

The majority of our team will be leaving for Kenya, South Africa and Lesotho on July 24, with the exception of Abid & Pinky who will stay behind to conclude the feeding plan. SRI Director Brittany Martyn will join the rest of the team in Lesotho on August 10.

Follow us at the Student Reach International 2009 Africa blog and track us on Google Maps:

On August 1, Student Reach International and the Upper Grand District School Board will launch our Reach Lesotho program for Guelph, ON high school students at Centennial C.V.I., Guelph C.V.I. and John F. Ross C.V.I. entering Grades 10 or 11 in September 2009.

Reach Lesotho a comprehensive leadership and academic program designed by Student Reach International. At SRI, we feel that volunteerism and academia can compliment each other immensely. Reach Lesotho is not only a method to bridge the gap between education and engagement, but to also support a cause that Guelph has admirably stood behind for years. In this first program, grade ten and eleven students from C.C.V.I., G.C.V.I. and John F. Ross will be provided the opportunity to participate.

The program begins with Leadership Training in which 24 short-listed students will participate. The final 12 students selected after this process will continue to be involved with Reach Lesotho in two ways until the summer of 2011, where they will travel together to the country of Lesotho, in Africa. Beginning in January 2010, the students will be completing a University level credit administered by the Upper Grand District School Board and titled “Issues in Human Rights” (IDC 4U). The course material will be ongoing until they depart for Lesotho in the summer of 2011. The students will also be working with SRI in a more hands-on approach by leading events, fundraising and volunteering in various initiatives in the Guelph area. 

Student Reach International looks forward to launching this initiative on August 1. Please check back often for updated information about this exciting project and how YOU can be part of it!

On her personal vacation this summer, Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran will be joining Student Reach International at the Tsepong HIV/AIDS clinic in Lesotho, Africa later this summer. A former nurse, Mayor Halloran is traveling to Lesotho, Africa to observe first-hand the devastating effects HIV/AIDS has left on the land-locked African nation. She looks forward to bringing back a message of hope to Waterloo Region, which has been declared the "Region of Hope".

Following in the steps of the City of Waterloo, the City of Waterloo has set a fundraising goal of $2.5 Million for the Bracelet of Hope campaign, with the support of the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.

In early August, Student Reach International and the Waterloo Bracelet of Hope team will relaunch www.waterloohashope.com with the Mayor's travel blog and updated information about the Bracelet of Hope campaign in Waterloo. You can also follow SRI's Africa 2009 blog at www.student-reach.com/africa.