There is a celebration going on right now. The villagers of Toloha, Tanzania are filled with hope because you are here visiting this website. We are thrilled with them that you are interested in Toloha Partnership! Read about all the amazing things that are happening in Toloha and here in the USA as we partner with the people of the village to make their lives better in so many ways! We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments on the blog.
Get updates about what is going on in Toloha here and in our e-Newsletter.
Sign-up for the e-NewsletterLet’s Celebrate!
We are so excited to announce the financial goal for the water project has been met and we want to CELEBRATE! Put your wallets away and come join us for dinner & a celebration of all God has done! This is our way of saying “thank you” for the countless ways you have sacrificed your time, money and heart! This will be an event for the whole family and is NOT a fundraiser (no tickets required)!
When: March 19 at 5pm
Where: Grace Fellowship Church
Please see our Facebook Event to RSVP and find out more
The Toloha Water Walk!
Water Walk Registration is OPEN!
The 3rd Annual Toloha Water Walk Registration is OPEN!
We have only $43,000 left to raise to reach our $170,000 goal! Can you believe it?!
Register now to start fundraising to help us meet our goal! And so you don’t miss out on some fun prizes and team competitions! Sign up as a family or individual and join a team to compete for a one-of-a-kind award! Team awards include: Team Spirit, Best Dressed, Strongest, Team Work and Most Supported.
If you would like to talk to someone about details, contact these Water Walk Reps at your local group, church or school:
Ashley Hood, Katie Maloney, Lindsay Corrigan, Mary Riddick, Dawnn Gulledge, Debra Norville and Kelly Taylor. We are looking for more Reps, so consider registering as a Rep for a group you are a part of!
Water Walk Rep Meeting 2015!
Who’s excited?! I know we are! The 3rd Annual Toloha Water Walk is right around the corner and we want YOU to be there! And we don’t want you to come alone.
Looking back over the past year and a half we stand in awe of what God has done. He has brought the small community of Kinston together and raised $127,000 to bring clean water to the villagers of Toloha. Work has started in the village, but the project isn’t finished yet – we are still $43,000 shy of our $170,000 goal for renovating a gravity fed water system to supply 10,000 people with clean water for LIFE!
Toloha Villager digging the main supply line trench in July – pipe has now been buried in this trench and has increased the flow of (dirty) water toward the village!
So what can you do to help?! Well, I’m glad you asked – we’re looking for people just like you to be “2015 Water Walk Reps” The title sounds important, and it is, but the good news is, it isn’t difficult! We are looking for people to take the lead and be liaisons/team leaders for their respective circles of influence (your children’s ministry, your school, your organization, your youth group, your neighborhood etc). We know that if you are excited about the Water Walk others around you will be excited too! All you need to do is get the information from us and tell other people.
The Water Walk concept is really simple — individuals sign up (for free), get their own website, and then raise support ($17 per person for clean water for life) and see how many people’s lives they can literally change forever! Then they show up on March 14th and experience what our friends in Toloha experience daily, a walk to gather water.
So if you are willing to hop on board and help us get others involved, come on out (all participants do not need to attend this meeting – just send one or two people from your group to gather the necessary information)!
The 2015 Water Walk Rep Meeting
Sunday February 8th at 3:00 pm
Woodman Community Center Banquet Room (2602 West Vernon Avenue, Kinston, NC 28504)
At this meeting we will walk you through the process of registering, give you some information specific to team leaders and answer any questions you have. By showing up you are not committing to participate rather you are just getting more information. If you are unable to make the meeting, but would like the information, please contact us and we will get in touch with you separately.
Not sure what Toloha Partnership is all about? Come out a little early (2:30pm) to hear the story and philosophy of Toloha Partnership and then stick around for the Water Walk Rep Meeting at 3pm.
We are so thankful for each of you and your willingness to step out and make a difference. I’m excited to see what God does this year! Registration isn’t open quite yet but we’re hoping to open online registration on Feb 8th…so get ready!
Key to Sustainability = Training!
Education is often seen as the key to success and in regards to the sustainability of the Toloha Water System we know that education, in the form of Water Board Training, is essential. This past summer when the vision team sat down with the water board in Toloha, the very first thing they asked for was training. They recognize the importance of training and so do we!
The village board meeting one last time before leaving for training!
The Village Water Committee left Toloha early this morning to travel several hours to the Water Service Facility Trust (WSFT) to participate in a 3 day training. This is a facility that was established in 1989 and exists to train, educate and support rural water boards. This past summer the Vision Team was given the opportunity to tour the facility, meet the directors and visit several rural water systems this organization has worked closely with. Y’all it was incredible – we saw water systems installed in the 90s that remained in tip top condition!
This is our prayer for the Toloha Water System BUT it takes a lot of hard work, education and training to produce a well-functioning and competent water board. We pray that this is the first of many training opportunities for the Toloha Water Board. This is their project and they are eager to learn how to manage it well.
How did we learn about the WSFT? We were connected by a great friend of Toloha Parntership, Klaus Schaefer. Klaus is from Germany and previously lived in the Mwanga region in TZ when he worked as an engineer for a German aide organization, GIZ. He met Leyton and some others from Toloha and formed a deep passion in his heart for this village; he has since returned home to Germany where he has been advocating for and raising funds for Toloha Partnership. It is incredible to watch God connect us all, isn’t it?!
Klaus and Daniel in the village this past summer
The training agenda includes topics such as:
- Guidelines/procedures for election & terms of village water committee members
- Roles & responsibilities of board members and water users (villagers)
- Financial management and control
- Board members will also be given the opportunity to travel to other well performing water systems within the district
Pray for attentive ears, open minds, eager/passionate hearts and board unity.
Thank you for your partnership and for making this possible! You truly are helping the people of Toloha help themselves! We are grateful!
An Exciting Opportunity
“I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
This is a big weekend for Toloha! A group of 8 leaders from the Toloha Church will be travelling to Arusha to attend a regional training in church leadership, teaching, and discipleship. Andy Scott and Gary Combs of International Cooperating Ministries of Hampton, Virginia will be conducting the training. ICM distributes and trains churches in the use of Dick Woodward’s Mini-Bible College, a free Bible study available in 31 languages. They also aid in the planting, building, and nurturing of churches and have built over 5,000 churches throughout 68 countries. The Toloha Church is one of over 52,000 churches and housechurches around the world using this excellent curriculum that contains teaching through the entire Bible in 4 years as well as teaching on marriage, family, and other topics. The Toloha Church has been using the Mini-Bible College as their primary teaching on Sundays since July when the Kinston Vision Team introduced it to them and provided the necessary study materials. In addition to training in how to use the curriculum, they will also receive training in leadership, discipleship, and church growth strategies.
The most valuable part of the weekend, though, will surely be the intensive time of fellowship and team building amongst these Toloha Church leaders. The team is composed of a diverse group of men, women, younger, and older leaders. They are filled with anticipation and enthusiasm for this opportunity to sharpen their ministry skills so that they might thrive as ambassadors for Christ in their home town of Toloha. We’re pretty pumped about it over on this side of the Atlantic as well!
This small group of people pictured with some of our 2014 Vision Team began to meet as a church in Toloha and is growing together in number and closeness to God. They are studying the Mini Bible College Studies every Sunday.
Toloha Banquet Success!
Guests began to stream into the Arts Council gallery in downtown Kinston at 5:55pm on Saturday, October 25, 2014. They were met with the smiling faces of the Toloha Banquet greeters AND the people of Toloha. Over 40 photographs measuring over 1.5 feet and up to 4 feet in height lined the walls and tables of the hall.
“It is like they are here with us,” said Diane Spear as she shared about the ministry in Toloha.
Those faces are not sullen and sad, but they are bursting with joy, laughter and excitement. There is now hope in Toloha. Water is literally gushing from the new pipe, and the people can barely get buckets under the flow quick enough. Thanks to the many generous donations over the past year equaling over $100,000, there is now water in Toloha, lots of water.
The people have worked together digging 8km of trench, laying pipe and covering it back up to keep it safe underground from the elements and animals. There is still work to be done to make the water clean and the system maintainable for the long term. But there is water in Toloha.
Daniel shared the story of his journey from Toloha and the experience of his return to see his villagers finally getting water!
David Sawyer was our Master of Ceremonies for the night. He shared his heart and passion for Toloha.
Our vice president, Katie Maloney shared a story about a special little girl that encompasses why Toloha Partnership exists.
Our engineer, Burt Rudolph, shared about what has happened and what is left to accomplish.
At the 2nd Annual Toloha Partnership Banquet on Saturday, October 25, another $27,000 was raised to continue the work. This leaves a mere $43,000 left to raise to complete the water system renovation. Compared to where we started with $170,000 to raise just 1 year ago at our first banquet on November 9, 2013, the task at hand now seems like nickels and dimes. It is partly because of simple mathematics, but there is another reason this number is no longer scary. Faith. God has built our faith in a way that only a project like this can.
Seeing the money raised, the local community support in Kinston and the people of Toloha and the Tanzanian government working together is making God more and more real…tangibly real…as real as the water pouring from that pipe in Toloha. God is pouring out his blessing on us.
It is not just physical water that is washing over the land of Tanzania, but it is the living water. The Gospel is being spread through word, deed and relationships in Toloha and Kinston. God is showing us how literal his love can be by meeting our need and by fulfilling our thirst for him.
What an adventure this is! Thank you so much for coming along with us arm in arm, hand in hand. Keep up the good work!
Thank you to all of our auction sponsors! The auction and raffle raised over $6,000!
The beautiful photos of the banquet event are by Mary Rouse
The large photographs of the people of Toloha are by Josh Spear, Katie Malone and Ashely Rudolph
A huge heartfelt thank you to our many volunteers who worked to make this event happen, some who have spent months preparing for this night.
2nd Annual Toloha Banquet on October 25
On Saturday, October 25, 2014, there will be a party in Kinston! In the past year, over $100,000 has been raised for Toloha Partnership! Over 8 km of pipe has been purchased and is being installed into the trench leading from the foot of the mountains to Toloha! A church is meeting and growing! The people have seen the amazing things God has done and is continuing to do!
Will you join us? Don’t miss this fun-filled night of celebration and gratitude. The night will kick off with heavy hors d’oeurves, a silent auction, raffle, and live music. Then, our Master of Ceremonies, Meteorologist David Sawyer will lead us on a journey of what has happened and what has yet to come in Toloha. The night will end with a live auction of some amazing items that will soon be announced!
Check our Banquet Page for updates and details! For tickets, contact Lindsay Corrigan at info@tolohapartnership.org or (252)626-6762. We hope to see you there!
Toloha Night!
Hear stories and see photos from the recent trip to Tanzania from our Vision Team at Toloha Night!
When: 7:00PM on Monday Night, August 11, 2014 Where: Grace Fellowship Church (327 Academy Heights Rd., Kinston, NC)
It will be a night of celebration and praise! The team will show photos and tell stories from the trip and give an update about the water system renovation and other projects in the village. There also may be some praise and worship in Swahili!
Come join us for fellowship whether you’ve been following the project for 10 years or you are just hearing about it right now. Children are welcome to join us for the service! Our team is looking forward to sharing their experience with you!
Keep Digging – The Pipe Is Coming!
As I stood in the village the very last day of the vision trip, I was sorta dreading going back home. This dread came for a few reasons:
- I didn’t want to go home. I love the village. I love the simplicity, the people, the joy, the beauty and I even came to love operating on “Africa Time (everything starts a few hours late).”
- God is at work, people are being empowered and things are changing in Toloha – I wanted to stick around and see what God was going to do next!
- I was worried – how were we going to get the money needed to keep the project going? The villagers were 16 weeks ahead of schedule on trench digging which left us 16 weeks behind schedule on fundraising.
As we had our final meeting with the village elders, Engineer Burt Rudolph expressed our awe at how quickly the project was progressing and how impressed we were with the heart and unity the villagers had displayed over the past few weeks. As he started to wrap up his speech, I leaned over and whispered, “you better tell them we don’t have enough money for the rest of the pipe.” Engineer Rudolph agreed and then proceeded to share with our friends that we didn’t have the resources available to complete the project. The villagers were working faster than we were raising money and unless something miraculous happened; the project might have to come to a halt until further funds were raised.
As we traveled home, my mind was racing; thinking of every fundraiser I had ever seen and wondering which fundraiser would bring the most money the fastest. By the time the plane landed on US soil, I had a plan…BUT God had a different plan.
This past Thursday night at Grace Fellowship Church in Kinston, NC part of the vision team had the opportunity to share about the recent trip. After sharing about the predicament we were facing with the villagers digging so quickly, someone asked, “how much do we need to keep it going?” Our treasurer and engineer did some quick math and came up with ~$25,000. Within the hour, an anonymous donor had given $12,500! The goal was set – to raise the full amount by Sunday morning – in just 2 short days! From there the race was on – as word spread, checks began coming in…and coming in…and coming in…and coming in. We’ve had pledges come in from our community, various parts of the USA and even some international donations all the way from Germany!
As of this morning, we have received over $27,000 in pledges and donations! We’ve called the villagers and let them know, “Keep digging – the pipe is coming – the living God, Jesus Christ, is sending it.”
God provides through His people, in His time for His glory! Thank you for your sacrificial giving and your generosity – you are being the aroma of Christ to a village with little knowledge of who Jesus is or His great love for them.
I can’t wait to see what God does next! Thank you for being a part of this adventure!