Nuru Center

 Nuru means light in Swahili. The Nuru Center supports people with disabilities, helping them learn and market crafts in Dar es Salaam. People with disabilities are often marginalized in Tanzania.

My kids got to visit the center on a field trip. They received a lesson in sign language, then the artisans taught them how to make paper beads and bookmarks made from cut banana leaves. It was a great experience for my kids, to show them that people with disabilities have much to give. They were impressed that people with disabilities should be treated well, as they are God's creation. Hopefully they will remember this day as some of them grow up to be leaders in Tanzania.

One of my students was especially endearing. He has learned English and Swahili in the past two years (after he came from Germany). He dove right into Sign Language, greeting and asking questions of his craft instructor!