International Voice fall 2016
a publication of Mosaic International | www.mosaicinternational.org
Our Hope for Joshua Meet the youngest member of the Building a Caring Community family! At 2½ years old, Joshua is making great progress at our Msaranga center in Moshi, Tanzania, and melting hearts wherever he goes. His quiet, serious personality makes him seem much older than his years. His big eyes study everyone closely. Although he never avoids strangers, Joshua is not going to smile for just anyone, which makes those occasional grins all the more rewarding. When Joshua first came to the BCC center, he had difficulty sitting on his own for any significant length of time. Crawling was so exhausting that he would fall asleep whenever and wherever his energy ran out.
Last week, Joshua attended a week of intensive therapy with his mother and BCC staff at the local community
“Joshua he uses a tiny walker to race around the center, running at full speed, grinning the whole time.” rehabilitation center. The physical therapist there was amazed at his progress. Thanks to the support of BCC, Joshua now loves doing strengthening exercises and claps for himself when he is done. He has advanced from a crawl to a straight-legged ‘downward dog’ style walk. He can say ‘mama,’ ‘baba,’ and ‘acha!’ (stop it!). Best of all, he uses a tiny walker to race around the center, running at full speed, grinning the whole time.
Joshua doing physical therapy
Little Joshua embodies all the hope and potential of BCC. The fact that Joshua’s mother brought him to us at such a young age reminds us just how far the BCC community has come. We provide a place where parents can comfortably bring their little ones, instead of hiding them away. Not only is he learning to walk and talk, but he will also have the opportunity to learn his numbers and letters. Our hope is that Joshua’s early intervention will eventually smooth his transition to the newly started public school inclusive education classroom. Since BCC has several young adults in the Young Adult program with Down syndrome, he has great role models. We are working hard to advocate for Joshua and provide support and programming, as we celebrate his progress along the way.
Joshua at the Msaranga center in Moshi
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Mosaic International Works! Mosaic has been involved in international relations for more than 20 years. I am often asked why we got into international work and the Donna Werner answer is simply: because we were asked. The Lutheran Church in Latvia and the Lutheran Church in Tanzania both approached Mosaic for assistance in bringing services to people with disabilities and supports to their families. The second most frequently asked question is: since the need is so great, especially in developing countries, how can you possibly take this on? Our strategies are simple and derive from Mosaic’s mission statement to “serve and advocate.” First, we work with in-country partners to help design services, fund pilot demonstration projects, and develop sustainable funding sources for ongoing operations. This strategy has been effective in providing support to hundreds of children and young adults in Tanzania, Romania, and Latvia. Our second strategy is to partner with other disability and global health organizations to pool our resources and expertise and increase our reach to more countries and more people. To grow this strategy, our International Field Director, Meghan Hussey, is based in Washington, D.C., where
many international organizations have their headquarters. Here she is able to develop relationships, attend briefings, participate in events and raise Mosaic’s profile. Our third strategy is to advocate for inclusion of people with disabilities in human rights, health, education, employment, and poverty eradication projects around the world. People with disabilities are most likely to be poor, undereducated, unemployed, have compromised health, and be discriminated against. Yet, the Foundation Center reports that in 2013, projects for people with disabilities received only 4 percent of funding for human rights (Philanthropy News Digest, 7-19-2016). This might be adequate if people with disabilities could access other available grant-funded programs, but they are often hidden away because of stigma, unable to get to project sites for services, or excluded by low expectations for their success. I asked an education worker with another project in Tanzania how they reach children with disabilities and he said, “We never see any children with disabilities.” As part of our advocacy strategy, Mosaic has been designated for special consultative status on disability issues with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). We have submitted testimony to the UN on the status of women with disabilities and on educational inclusion of children with disabilities.
Mosaic International Voice is published by Mosaic International | 4980 S. 118th Street Omaha, NE 68137 | 402.896.3884 | www.mosaicinternational.org Resource Development Manager
teresa.roll@mosaicinfo.org
Mission Embracing God’s call to serve in the world, Mosaic advocates for people with intellectual disabilities and provides opportunities for them to enjoy a full life. Integrity at Mosaic If you have a concern, call our national Confidential Reporting Hotline at 800.443.4899, or email integrity@mosaicinfo.org
Mosaic is able to do all of this with the funds from grants and donors who support its international mission. We are grateful for our donors and Mosaic’s leadership who are committed to providing a life of possibilities to people with intellectual disabilities – all over the world!
It’s in the Bag! The BCC caregiver cooperative makes beautiful, handcrafted items by recycling materials and incorporating locally produced traditional fabrics. Sales proceeds go to fund services for children and provide income for their families. The earnings made by parent/members of the BCC Cooperative exceed local income standards. Mosaic is proud to partner with churches, donors, and community members to provide meaningful lives in a caring community for those we serve in Tanzania!
A parent from the co-op shows off her latest bag.
Relationships Mosaic is an affiliated social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a member of Lutheran Services in America. Non-discrimination Mosaic will not discriminate in matters of employment or service delivery on the basis of race, creed, age, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status or veteran status. To be added or removed from the mailing list or to receive information via email, please contact Mosaic at the address given. ©2016 Mosaic. All rights reserved. Mosaic is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
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Developing Perspectives “Developing Perspectives” is a photography exhibit created by Sarah Buyer. The idea was born during a visit to her sister Meritt, who was a recent Mosaic Carman Fellow in Tanzania. Featured at the Arlington (Massachusetts) Center for the Arts, the photos showcased the work of five young people who are part of the Building a Caring Community’s Young Adult Program. The 23 images capture the daily life and perspective of their world. All exhibit proceeds went to help support physical therapy programs, medical outreach and the purchase of items like orthopedic shoes, nutritional supplements, and educational materials.
A collection photo taken by a BCC young adult.
Relationships in Ukraine In June, three members of the Mosaic International Team conducted a deinstitutionalization assessment visit in Ukraine. We were honored to be guests of the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights, Mykola Kuleba.
recommended for this assessment by Christian Horizons Global, a Canadian based organization with whom we cooperate on international work. Institutions have been the preferred
devoid of any joy or nurturing. Luckily we found that Ukrainian leaders have committed to providing community-based services and inclusive schools so that children are not tracked into large, congregate settings. There are already some models demonstrating the success of community services and inclusive education in the metropolitan area of Kiev. The Ukrainian government is searching for partners to help them in expanding these services and closing the institutions. The government estimates that more than 90 percent of the children in institutions and orphanages are not orphans. The Mosaic team reported that with appropriate services and family support, many of these children could be reunited with their families.
During the trip, the Mosaic team visited institutional and community service sites and interviewed children with disabilities, parents, staff, teachers, government officials, and leaders of disability organizations. Mosaic was
settings for children with disabilities since Soviet times, and parents have been told that this placement is best for their children. However, we found the institutions lack adequate educational and medical care and are nearly
A report with recommendations has been submitted to the Ombudsman’s office from Mosaic. We will be following up with them after the report is translated to see what further support or technical assistance we can provide.
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A life of possibilities for people with intellectual disabilities.
Meet the New Fellow We are pleased to welcome Alex Bailey as the 2016–2017 Carman International Fellow. Alex graduated
from Emory University with a degree in International Studies, focusing on Global Health and has studied abroad in Ghana. Her experience with the United Nations Information Center and The Carter Center in Atlanta will surely prove helpful to promoting Mosaic’s mission. The Carman International Fellowship at Mosaic offers a unique opportunity for young professionals to spend a year in Tanzania working full-time with our local partner, Building a Caring Community.
Alex Bailey
She joins an exclusive Fellowship that has produced leaders who have
impacted not only our partner in Tanzania, but accomplished great things as they have “graduated” from our program. Fellows learn firsthand about the challenges of building inclusive societies and providing community based services in low-resource settings like Tanzania. They support staff in implementing projects, help build organizational capacity, and contribute their own creative ideas. We are grateful for the work of our Fellows and look forward to see what Alex’s Fellowship year brings!
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