[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 97 (Wednesday, July 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    LUNDY FOUNDATION'S WORK WITH VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN EAST AFRICA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 13, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Lundy 
Foundation (Colorado) for its work, in partnership with Africa Bridge 
(Oregon), Godfrey's Children (Tanzania) and the Executive Council of 
Idweli (Tanzania), in building and operating a Children's Center in 
Idweli, Tanzania.
  Idweli is similar to many rural villages in East Africa in that a 
significant portion of the population consists of children affected by 
HIV/AIDS. In fact, more than one-third of Idweli's children have been 
orphaned by HIV/AIDS. As their top priority, the children of Idweli 
identified building a children's center where orphaned and vulnerable 
children can feel loved and cared for. The Children's Center has now 
become a reality. The Center will provide temporary shelter for 
children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as provide adequate 
food, healthcare and primary education for orphans and other vulnerable 
children.
  The Idweli Children's Center complex will consist of a small hall 
with a kitchen, dining room and a space for community gatherings, two 
dormitories that will provide housing for 48 children and four adults, 
two lavatories and space for recreation, health care, and education. 
There is also land available for cultivating vegetables and other 
crops. Skilled laborers in the village are building the Center by hand. 
All land used for this complex was donated to the Children's Center by 
the village of Idweli.
  While $70,000 in private funds has been raised for construction and 
operation of the complex, $81,000 is still needed to complete the 
project. A matching grant of $35,000 has been pledged, if $50,000 can 
be raised from other sources. Additionally, grants have been submitted 
to the Tanzanian government and USAID for matching grants to cover 
ongoing costs of operating the Center.
  The HIV/AIDS epidemic is particularly serious in Africa as millions 
of children and adults are living with the disease without adequate 
support or resources. I would like to commend British Airways and First 
Data Western Union Foundation for their support of the project and 
expression of social responsibility. It is vital that public and 
private funding from the United States continues in order to slow the 
spread of this epidemic in Africa, while ensuring those infected with 
the disease receive proper care.
  I would like to praise the Lundy Foundation for its tremendous 
efforts in East Africa. It has not only financial resources to the 
project, but also project management and organizational development 
expertise. Through its work, the Lundy Foundation has been able to 
support the partnership in managing change, resolving conflict, and 
encouraging effective communication, as bridges are built between two 
different cultures.
  The Lundy Foundation has achieved a great deal not only in East 
Africa, but throughout the African continent. I know that the Lundy 
Foundation will be successful as it continues in its quest to make the 
world a better place.

                          ____________________