Bellingham 4th Graders Make a Difference for the Children of Kilimanjaro

Bellingham Middle School Fourth Grade Students were able to video chat with children at the Children of Kilamanjaro Orphanage.
By Jennifer Russo
Albert Einstein once said that “only a life lived for others is worthwhile.” When we give our time and energy to reach out to help those in need, we not only improve their lives, but also learn to appreciate our own a bit more.
Sheila Elliott, Library Assistant at Bellingham Middle School, believes that learning to be good citizens of the world by helping others is an important part of educating children. Throughout the year, the fourth-grade class has been innovating creative ways to help the children in the Children of Kilimanjaro Orphanage (COKO) in Tanzania, which is directed by Bellingham native and former US Marine, Jay Rowe.
“For the kids to see someone who came out of Bellingham schools that has made such a big difference in the lives of others helps them realize that they can do it too,” Sheila shares.
In October, the students in Bellingham’s 4th grade class brought in over forty pounds of their Halloween candy to donate to the children at COKO and started a pen-pal relationship with them. After writing back and forth for a couple of months, the children were able to meet face-to-face via video call.
“It was such a cool experience to see all of the children’s faces light up when they could see each other over the screens,” says Elliott. “I think it made it even more real for them to see the children that they have been writing to and the impact they are making with their outreach this year.”
With the help of Laura Howard from the school’s IT staff, the video meeting happened on December 12th without a hitch, and they are hoping to have another call soon. They are also hoping for an opportunity to have Jay come and speak to the kids in person if his schedule enables him to.
Their current initiative is collecting change in a container located in the school, which works under the idea that even the smallest of change to make a difference. Once enough has been collected, they will wire the funds to Jay, so that the kids at COKO can have cheeseburgers, which was an idea the Bellingham students came up with because they thought it would be fun for them to try something new that is popular here in the States.
Last year for Valentine’s Day, the school sold flowers that could be delivered to students and teachers around the school and the money earned went to an animal shelter. This year, the hope is to send those proceeds to COKO, as they are currently in the process of adding space for more children and providing them with more opportunities to learn and grow.
“It is important for our kids to learn how not to take things for granted. Children here, without really thinking about it, may toss out half their lunch or complain about something they didn’t get over the holidays. Outreach like this helps them understand that there are others out there that have so much less, and helps them learn to appreciate things so much more. It also inspires them to want to help people in very real ways. It’s very eye-opening for the kids,” shares Elliott. “The world is a whole lot bigger than Bellingham.”
Another initiative that Sheila is hoping to kick off to help COKO is a donation of old, outgrown, or unused Bellingham sports shirts that will fit the children there. She thinks it would be fun for the kids at COKO to have something with our town name on it, and fun for the Bellingham kids to see them wearing them. Stay tuned for ways you may be able to help!
Discover more about the Children of Kilimanjaro Orphanage at www.helpcoko.org and learn how you can follow the fourth graders’ lead to help.