Chara is a Greek word for joy and gladness. We find that in giving we have reason to rejoice and the people we touch find hope, life and joy. There are few greater pleasures than the sounds of laughter, to see a sad child smile and find joy in the day because you are there. Another is to see the smile of a mother at the end of a clinic knowing her child is well or on the way to being well because we were there. Knowing you have helped save the life of a mother and her baby with a clean birthing kits brings you joy. Every Mother wants to have healthy happy babies and we want to help that be a reality.
We are presently working in East Africa in the country of Tanzania on the Island of Zanzibar and Pemb a, located on the Indian Ocean, south of the equator.
There are 120 tribes in Tanzania, with a population of 36 million people. Most of the tribes are of Bantu origin and they speak Kiswahili. Zanzibar is a predominately Islamic Island with a population of one million. Zanzibar is made up of two Islands Unguja 1,666 Sq. Km. and Pemba 988 Sq.Km.. There are two rainy seasons they call the long rains March through May and the short rains October through December. Tanzania is the 13th poorest country in the world with a life expentancy of 45.8 years. 1 in 5 babies die at birth. The needs are many; malaria, HIV/Aids, typhoid, cholera, hunger, poor water, orphans, poverty and sickness abound. It is a changing country and in the words of Dr. Mabody, "change will come through faith based organizations like CHaRA" and the people who support CHaRA. With your help CHaRA can make a difference in Tanzania.