A Ride to School!
by Dondie McNickle
Shade School in Tanzania is expanding, adding the third grade, and enrolling 56 new students in January 2024! While this is wonderful news, these students need a ride to school! The Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) has agreed to partner with Shade to help fund this project. ARDF is committed to matching half of the funds raised, with a project goal of $35,000. Without transportation, these students will not have access to the services that Shade offers - which not only include school, but also a personalized plan to improve the livelihood of vulnerable families, and a chance to hear the Gospel. We need the help of our Anglican friends and church partners to receive this generous matching grant from ARDF.
Shade, an Anglican Global Mission Partner (AGMP), is empowering families, children, and communities affected by albinism and other vulnerabilities in Tanzania. Claire Grubbs Fedele, founder of Shade, traveled to Tanzania in 2012 on a mission trip led by her father, the late Reverend Canon Jack Grubbs and Shade founding Chairman of the Board. During this trip, the team from Potomac Falls Anglican Church witnessed the devastating condition of people with albinism, who are hunted and brutally attacked, due to folklore commonly held among the people of Tanzania. Claire knew that God was calling her to begin a work there. In 2014, Shade was founded with a vision to see that people with albinism, and other vulnerabilities, are accepted and respected in their communities as productive citizens, safe and free from persecution.
Today, Shade provides education, advocacy, and outreach for vulnerable children and their families through a team of 26 employees. Shade School is a registered Tanzanian school, currently offering five levels of quality education (two pre-K, Kindergarten, Primary One and Two) to 151 students, with a plan to add a grade level each year through completion of Primary Seven.
We, at Shade, are grateful for the faithful partnerships we share with many Anglican DOMA churches and their parishioners. Through these partnerships, DOMA is positively impacting an entire community in Shinyanga, Tanzania with the gospel, outreach and education! We would love you to help Shade receive this generous matching gift from ARDF. To give towards the bus and double the impact, visit ARDF Match for Shade Bus before the end of the year!
Dondie McNickle is a Shade Board Chair and a member of Church of the Holy Spirit, Leesburg, VA.