by Rick Greene

Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Thessalonians 5:11

The Tandana Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers support for community initiatives in Ecuador's Otavalo Canton and Mali's Bandiagara District, as well as intercultural volunteer experiences. Its community initiatives support community members working toward their dreams of education, health, food security, water resources, environmental conservation, and income generation. Its volunteer programs give visitors to Ecuador or Mali the unique opportunity to be guests rather than tourists, form intercultural friendships, participate in a rich indigenous culture, and make a difference in new friends' lives. Its mission is to support the achievement of community goals and address global inequalities through caring intercultural relationships that embody mutual respect and responsibility.

The seeds for The Tandana Foundation were planted in 1998, when Founding Director Anna Taft spent four months in the rural community of Panecillo, Ecuador, teaching English to local elementary students and forming relationships with many people there. Tandana was founded in 2004, and in 2006 the Foundation sponsored its first official community project in Ecuador. At that time, students from The Traveling School helped to paint the community center in the community of Agualongo.

Tandana is not about "helping the poor" or imposing a developmental worldview. Instead, its goal is to create and nurture respectful and responsible relationships among people of different cultures. It believes that giving and receiving are inherent parts of relationships and that contributing to community initiatives—is a great way to make friends.

The Tandana Foundation promotes values such as positive intercultural relationships, responsibility, respect for people and their cultures, win-wins, sincerity, opportunity, inclusiveness, continual improvement, and organic evolution.

In the last 15 years, the Foundation has collaborated with 27 communities in Ecuador and 102 communities in Mali. A few highlights of its achievements include:

• Over 5,000 dental appointments.
• 9,000 rural residents have access to a new health center.
• More than 8,000 medical appointments.
• 52 partner schools in Ecuador, Mali, and North America.
• 297 secondary scholars.
• 60 post-secondary scholars.
• Over 130 community projects are supported in Mali and Ecuador.

Members and friends of First Community Church have assisted in the work of this Foundation through our Missions Council grants process, most recently with the building at the Nounou Grain in Mali. The local management committee for this grain bank has received their training, and the first millet stock has arrived. The grain bank will be critical this year, as the market price of millet is already climbing high. Luckily, the committee could put in their order quickly and get enough millet before it became too excessive. Even then, there has been a shortage of millet. This grain bank will help the community towards food security this year and for many years.

You can locate more information about the work and projects of The Tandana Foundation at tandanafoundation.org

We were happy to virtually welcome Anna Taft to our June Mission Council meeting on Tuesday, June 28. Anna gave us an update about what the group has accomplished since the council awarded them a grant of $21,650 in May. She also reviewed with us the many projects we have contributed to over the past decade. Click on the image to review the projects First Community has contributed to over the past several years.

Celebrating Friendship

with Zomi Christian Church

by Sue Adams and Carol Meyer

In August 2007, Pastor Thang Pau, a native of Myanmar/Burma, first met with members of the First Community Church Refugee Task Force to seek assistance for Zomi (Myanmar) refugees arriving in Columbus for resettlement. The Task Force sponsored two young men, Dai Kap and Golian Mung, in September 2007, and that was the beginning of a long friendship with Pastor Thang and his growing congregation. In the early years, refugee task force volunteers provided support in various ways to the many new arrivals, such as tutoring English, giving goods and services of all kinds, and assisting with emergency financial needs. As fewer refugees arrived and their congregation stabilized to around 300, the group became self-sufficient, and there has been less regular involvement. Pastor Thang’s congregation, the ZOMI Christian Church, now has their own building on Sharon Woods Blvd, and when there are special events, our Refugee Task Force is remembered for its support over the years.

On June 29, ZOMI Christian church was the site of a joyous celebration to honor the 20th wedding anniversary of Pastor Thang and his wife, Hau. With more than 200 in attendance, a banquet featuring Myanmar food delicacies and nearly two hours of musical performances in English and their dialect provided entertainment. Three former Task Force members, Charlie Nichols, Sue Adams, Carol Meyer, and husband Dick, were fortunate to attend and offer brief remarks, and they were presented with shawls in Zomi colors of red and green. It was a heartwarming occasion for all of us to be invited and to know our friendship has endured over the years.

Back Bay Mission

Change of Plans

Unfortunately, due to lack of interest, we have had to cancel the trip planned for this October to the Back Bay Mission. Instead of helping with housing rehab projects in Biloxi, our Mission Council will work with the K-5 program on an alternative project. We will be collect donations for and assemble hygiene kits for their Micah Day Center which is a drop-in facility for the homeless population in that area. 

Look for more details on this project in the September newsletter. For now, you can start collecting the following items to donate for that project:

• hand towel
• wash cloth
• wide tooth comb
• toothbrush
• toothpaste
• bar of soap
• plastic soap container
• deodorant
• razor

Did you miss the last issue of On a Mission! blog? There's a great story from the Trading Post. View it, and all past issues, by clicking the link below.

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