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-NewsletterThe Wait is OVER!!!
Bringing clean water to Toloha has proven to be a test of patience for all parties involved. Toloha Partnership has been actively seeking to bring clean water to Toloha for over 2 years, Daniel has been working in the U.S. to accomplish this for over 10 years and some of the villagers of Toloha have been waiting their entire lives.
The wait is now over!
The hard labor is about to begin. A “lorry” (a.k.a. a delivery truck) carrying 2 km (1.24 miles) of pipe is on its way to Toloha as I am writing this. I cannot express the emotions that our board, Daniel or the people of Toloha are feeling right now.
God is so good. God has remembered the village.
The fact that we did not meet our initial goal of breaking ground in January just means our human calculations are nothing compared to God’s timing. God knows what he is doing here and He has been working all these years to show his immeasurable compassion and grace to the people of Toloha, Daniel, and every single person involved in this initiative.
Thank you!
Today, we want to thank you all. Every person who has prayed, given money, gotten out there to fundraise, carried water, travelled to Toloha from Germany, the US, Dar es Salaam, repaired the pipe for so many years, shared with us your hopes and dreams and kept them alive all these years. God has worked through all of you! And this does not stop with water. God is pouring the water of eternal life into Toloha.
Praise God with Us!
Please take a moment with us today and praise God for what has and is happening in Toloha! Praise the Lord! We give all the glory to God!
We will be sharing photos of the pipes and the work being done soon, so please check back! Please feel free to leave comments and questions in the comment section below! We would love to hear from you!
Water Walk Success!
The 2nd Annual Toloha Water Walk was held last Saturday March 22nd at the Neuseway Nature Center in downtown Kinston, NC, and it was certainly a success! So why am I just now sitting down to write a blog post? Why have I waited to so long? To be honest, I have been at a loss for words — and if you know me, that doesn’t happen very often!
So what did the day look like? Of course, pictures speak louder than words, so enjoy these photos and a brief narrative of the day!
By the time the sun peeked over the horizon at 7:11 am, there were already a dozen volunteers working to set up, decorate for and prepare for the walk. And by 8am all volunteers had arrived and were assigned their posts.
As the first walkers began to trickle into the park, we were thrilled – the long anticipated day had finally arrived. Then, walkers continued to arrive…and then more showed up…and then we ran out of registration forms…and still more walkers showed up! We were floored! In all, there were at least 150 participants, which was well above our initial lofty (or so we thought) goal of 100 walkers.
The event began with registration and check-in, which was followed by some free time to meander around exhibits to the beat of some local drummers on various African drums and other instruments. Then, everyone was gathered for the opening ceremony that included a heart-felt welcome shared by Daniel Makoko (native of Toloha Village and President of Toloha Partnership), a demonstration by Christina Makoko on how villagers carry water (on their heads) as well as messages from the villagers shared by Burt Rudolph (program engineer).
The Water Walk was next; the 2 mile course led walkers along dirt paths into the woods to a pond full of dirty water. All along the course, facts and statistics were posted to help walkers understand the water crisis in the developing world. Each participant gathered water from the pond and toted it to the finish line where it was measured.
Participants were then encouraged to visit interactive stations, which helped walkers learn about various aspects of African life and how water plays such a huge part in daily life. The stations included Bathing and Hygiene, Washing Clothes, Cooking (with food samples), Carrying Water (on your head of course), Music and African Games.
The day concluded with an awards ceremony. Awards were given to top fundraising teams, families and individuals. Team awards were also given for teamwork, spirit, best-dressed and strength (carried the most water). Last, but certainly not least, the grand total raised was announced. Our initial goal was to raise $17,000 through this event. And boy were we surprised when we calculated that the fundraising total for the walk was at least $21,000 with more money to be counted! INCREDIBLE!
Oh, and did I mention the weather was phenomenal! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day – I mean 78 and sunny (in the midst of all the snow storms and rain we’ve been having) was a miraculous and welcome sight!
This verse below sums up our heart –
The Lord has NOT forgotten the people of Toloha and he made that clear last Saturday as we gathered to “walk so they won’t have to.” God is using a bunch of regular ole people like you and me to bring HOPE to Toloha Village. Thank you to all who participated, volunteered and/or gave to make this event a success. We are already looking forward to the 3rd Annual Toloha Water Walk 2015!
– Katie
Water Walk Tools
Getting the word out!
We are less than one month from the Toloha Water Walk! We are getting the word out about it – we have a Facebook Event (please get on and check it out here), we have yard signs and flyers posted around town, we have magnets for our cars, we’ve been to churches and schools and today we put up 4 large banners at high traffic areas in Kinston. It’s happening! Right now, we are halfway to our goal of 100 walkers and we have raised $6,052!!! Wow!
If you haven’t registered for the Toloha Water Walk yet, please take five minutes and register right now! Go to: http://www.ministrysync.com/event/website/home/?e=7309 Click “Participate” and then “Register as a Fundraiser.”
There are fundraising rewards like the official Toloha Water Walk t-shirt, a Toloha bucket to carry your water at the walk! You must have at least $170 raised by MARCH 10th to receive your t-shirt!
There are several Fundraising tools linked on the Registration page, and I thought I’d link them below too. I recently added flyers for kids to color and hand out to their friends, neighbors and teachers.
2014 Toloha Water Walk Corporate Sponsorship Packet
Here is another idea! My daughter wanted to make a little video that we could share with friends and family to help our family meet our fundraising goal of $1,700. I did it with my iPhone – pretty simple, but also effective. We started by emailing to family and asked them to pass it on to their friends. We will also post it on Facebook and our Toloha Water Walk Fundraising website. It took us a couple takes, but she was so excited when she finally said it the way she wanted (as you will see on the video). Check it out below!
Do you have any fundraising ideas? Please share them in the comments below, and take photos of you, your family or team in action and then #TolohaWaterWalk2014 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! We can’t wait to see what everyone is up to!
Join us for the Water Walk!
2nd Annual Toloha Water Walk
Register now to join us on March 22 in Kinston!
We are thrilled to invite you to participate in our 2nd Annual Toloha Water Walk. This experience will be one that we hope you never forget. Our goal is that it will be a day that brings change to the lives of at least 10,000 people in and around Toloha and to every participant at the Water Walk.
“We walk so they don’t have to!”
What is a Water Walk? It is a walk to collect water. The people of Toloha, Tanzania (and millions of others around the world) do not have the luxury of turning on a tap and water gushing forth. Saturday, March 22 (World Water Day!) will be a day that we can get a glimpse at what the women and children of Toloha experience on a daily basis – a water walk.
But it is MORE than that! We don’t want to just know what it is like, we want to CHANGE the lives of the people in Toloha. By participating in the water walk you will have an opportunity to raise funds to help install a gravity fed water system to bring water to the people in the village. Everyone who registers, will have their own fundraising campaign page to make raising support simple and easy!
Do you want to know more: Click here to visit the Water Walk Page right here on our new website!
Click the link below to register Now:
http://www.ministrysync.com/event/?e=7309
Water Walk Rep Meeting
Hey Y’all,
We are SO excited about our next big fundraising and awareness event, the 2014 Water Walk coming up on March 22nd, 2014! We had so much fun doing it at Erasing the Lines last year we decided to do it again! But this time, we are making it a community wide event as well as a fundraiser.
Over the past few months God has continued to move things along and we in the process of ordering the first segment of pipe! In faith, we have decided to begin the project with only $40,000 in the bank of the total $170,000 needed.
That’s where you, our blog readers, come in! We are desperately asking for your HELP! We are asking you all to take the lead and be liaisons/team leaders for your respective circles of influence. And the great news is, it is EASY! We know that if you all 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. So don’t be scared! The 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 22nd and experience what our friends in Toloha experience daily, a walk to gather water.
We want to invite you (and anyone else you’d like to bring/send) to:
The Water Walk Liaison Meeting
Sunday February 9th at 2:30pm
Grace Fellowship Church (327 Academy Heights Road, Kinston, NC)
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.
We are grateful for each of you and your willingness to step out and make a difference. I can’t wait to see what God does!
A New Website!!!
Welcome to our new site! We are so excited to introduce you to it! Take a look around and let us know what you think in the comments below! Thank you so much for visiting.
Make sure to head to the Water Walk page to register for the 2nd Annual Toloha Water Walk on march 22, 2014 in Kinston!
Give Water for Christmas
Here is a wonderful opportunity to share about Toloha Partnership with your loved ones! This Christmas, instead of giving simple presents, give the gift of hope. It only takes $17 to give one person water for life. Donate $25 in honor of a family member or friend and we will send them a handmade Christmas card with a handmade ornament.
Click on the Paypal link below to donate on behalf of a loved one this holiday. Make sure to click on “Names and Addresses for Christmas Card” in the Paypal window to include the name and a valid mailing address of the person for whom you wish to donate.
The deadline for the handmade Christmas Cards is Sunday, December 8th, so donate today!
$35,000 raised for Clean Water
We are now $35,000 closer to bringing clean water to Toloha!!!!
On Saturday night, 120 guests and 22 volunteers gathered for a banquet to raise money and awareness about our clean water project. God did this! I want to scream it from the mountains. He is showing his love for the people of Toloha and the people of Kinston and Greenville, North Carolina USA. He has invited us together to take part with him in this project to reach a solution that he has planned since the beginning of time.
We have much more planned to reach our goal of $170,000 to complete the project within the next 18-24 months. It will happen.
If you would like updates on the water project and other aspects of Toloha Partnership, please sign up for our newsletter and email updates here. You can also donate here to be part of the solution.
This is the video we shared with our guests at the banquet. It gives a look into Who Toloha is, Why we chose Toloha, and What the water situation is like there and what we propose to do to solve the problem.
Why Not a Well?
We plan to repair and upgrade the existing system to provide enough water for 12,000 people and their livestock. We want this system to sustain the village for at least two decades and possibly more.
Banquet on November 9
Toloha Partnership Banquet for Clean Water
When: Saturday evening, November 9, 2013
Where: The Arts Council 400 N Queen St, Kinston, NC
Tickets are available for $40 per person or $320 for a table of 8.
*Tickets will be sold in advance only.
The banquet will be hosted by Meteorologist David Sawyer from Channel 9 News and include a silent auction, sit-down dinner, music and a presentation about the Toloha Partnership Water Project by Daniel Makoko and Burt Rudolph (our Team Engineer from Kinston who traveled to Toloha in June).
To purchase tickets, please send an email with your name, phone number, mailing address and number of tickets you wish to purchase to info@tolohapartnership.org
Our Toloha Partnership team has been working very hard to bring the people of Toloha, Tanzania clean water. Our engineering team and the villagers are about ready to start laying pipeline and we hope to raise enough funds at the banquet to lay at least 2 km of pipeline!
This project is very close to many hearts here in Kinston and Greenville, North Carolina because Daniel Makoko came here 12 years ago from Toloha and shared with us the needs of his village. Daniel has been laying the groundwork with his people and people here in the US, and two years ago, a team was formed here in Kinston to start putting his hopes and vision to action. It has been so amazing to see what God has done to show the people of Toloha how much He loves them!
Here are other ways you can be involved in the Banquet for Clean Water:
* sponsoring a table
* selling tickets
* promoting the event
* donating to the silent auction
* seeking donations for the auction
Thank you for your continued support! We hope to meet you at the Banquet on November 9th!