Some of you may have heard Paul Mtui’s story, but in its most basic form, it is truly a blessing from God.

Paul is our Lead Guide in Tanzania and oversees our ground operations for all of our Mt. Kilimanjaro climbs. In our discussions leading up to “Kilimanjaro with the Children” in 2015, Paul and I talked about a lot of things, but he never mentioned his twin daughters. Upon arriving in Moshi in December 2015, Paul finally broke down and let me know that something “was not right” with his daughters Valen and Vilen. He expressed that they were not doing things that they “should be for their age.” As “luck” would have it, we had some experts with us in Tanzania.

Before leaving to climb Kilimanjaro with the Kupenda Team, I convinced Paul and his wife Vicky to bring their twin daughters to meet with Kupenda Co-Founders Cindy Bauer (US Executive Director) and Leonard Mbonani (Kenya Executive Director). While the team headed to the Londorossi Gate to start our climb, Leonard and Cindy met with Vicky and the girls and determined that they showed signs of autism. Long story short, all the connections came together and today, the girls are doing very well in a Special Needs Classroom in Public School. The entire Mtui family is part of the education and training and are advocates for both parents and children in their community.

Fast forward to today and the girls are doing very well at the Centre. The entire Mtui family is part of the education and training.

One of Autism Beyond Borders's primary goals is to be able to address the ever-changing needs of the communities and people we serve. We are expanding our efforts in this area by partnering with Smugmug and introducing a platform whereby young artists can sell custom photographs and other related products. Please support these fantastic photographers by sharing this site with your friends and family and by purchasing their creations! 100% of your donations go to the artists and their projects. Autism Beyond Borders will continue to look for opportunities to expand our local footprint and connections to other corporate and not for profit organizations around the world. Thank you.

These three incredible young people took part in our first international team member charity climb of Kilimanjaro in 2016. Since that time all three have advanced or graduated from their schools in Kenya. Hassan and Mercy recently earned promotion to secondary school. We will support them with $150 USD each year to buy toiletries, textbooks, and other school items. Kuhenza and Kupenda, our partner organizations in Kenya and the USA will continue to pay for the standard school fees.

For Fumo, who has graduated from school, we will help him with a capital investment of $300 USD to purchase materials for his business. Fumo currently makes table mats and other souvenirs to sell to foreign vacationers where Fumo lives in Malindi, Kenya. Our goal to give Fumo the opportunity to make a profit to sustain himself. To make sure that the money goes to the intended purpose Kuhenza staff will together with Fumo purchase the materials and keep receipts for accountability. Hassan and Mercy will make a shopping list, and Kuhenza will do the purchasing and keep receipts.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? WE ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Due to the impact of COVID-19, Autism Beyond Borders is partnering with our sister organization, HGT Travels, to support our international teams and their families. In the USA, we’ve been working with our local communities, food banks, and schools. Globally, we have helped to support food banks, created new positions, and connected staff to new business opportunities. Unfortunately, we cannot do it all on our own. Some of these families have children with special needs, and some do not. However, with such a heavy reliance on tourism, they have little to no income. They don’t have support from their government leaders for unemployment or delay of mortgage and rent payments, causing some to receive threats of eviction. We need your help.

HGT Travels will match any contribution up to $500 and apply it to any future trip to Nepal or Tanzania. You will need to talk with your tax advisor to determine any 2020 tax deduction. www.HGTTravels.com

We’ve set up a couple of ways you can contribute:

1. PayPal
2. Checks – Payable to Autism Beyond Borders mailed to P.O. Box 470871 Charlotte, NC 28247

We at Autism Beyond Borders will handle all record-keeping and will provide updates via Newsletters and online. If you have a particular guide or staff member in Tanzania or Nepal that you would like to support, place their name in the PayPal link or Check memo. 100% of all donations will go to our international team and their families. In the USA, Autism Beyond Borders is an officially recognized 501 (c)(3) made up entirely of volunteers with zero salaries. All donations are 100% tax-deductible. We will personally see to it that each individual is supported and will share all funds, unless designated for a particular individual, amongst the entire team.

We’ve been through so many things together: civil unrest, H1N1, earthquakes, Ebola… It may not be easy, but we will get through this as well. We will come out being better; we will continue to do better. We hope and pray that we will be able to begin to travel together again soon. No one knows what that timeframe will be, but until then, we will continue to support our international team. Thank you so much for your generosity. You are making a tremendous, positive impact on the lives of our staff and their families.

Additional Support Opportunities

Autism Beyond Borders has other projects and events that are in place, but they are on hold until later in the year. However, there are several additional ways you can contribute right now.

1. We have a good number of staff members that want to improve their English speaking and comprehension. If anyone wants to help, we will synch our staff up with you, and you can use our GoToMeeting subscription. Email or call – Tony@AutismBeyondBorders.org at 704.200.7512
2. You can buy items created by our staff members via SmugMug:
   
   Several of our staff members are very talented in art and photography. Another way we have helped is to place their work on SmugMug. This initiative started with HGT Travel Foundation and will continue with Autism Beyond Borders. You can either purchase their photographs or have them put on mugs, magnets, wall art, and other items. 100% of all proceeds will go to these individuals. I would also welcome those of you in the fields of photography or videography to help these young people in Nepal and Tanzania. They could use your help to develop their skills, share any resources available, educational, or even hardware/software. With your help, they can branch out beyond tourism and build expertise in an area of passion that they love. https://AutismBeyondBorders.smugmug.com/
3. We are also working with them to establish other forms of income. If you are a business leader and would like to get involved, let us know.
4. We have delayed our annual charity climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro until July of 2021. Disappointing news for us but good news for you as you can still join! Kilimanjaro Charity Climb (We will be adjusting the actual dates for 2021 within the next few months.)

We look forward to being able to host you in your adventures, but until then, we pray for your continued health and safety. If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you again for your support.

Sincerely, Tony and Charlie

Tony Monaco
Director Autism Beyond Borders
Tony@AutismBeyondBorders.org
704-200-7512

Charlie Herbek
Sales/Marketing Manager HGT Travels
CHerbek@HGTTravels.com
540-498-8629

A group of special education teachers in Charlotte, North Carolina has been provided an amazing opportunity to give back and support students and families who are not as fortunate as ours. Working alongside Autism Beyond Borders, these teachers will be embarking on a mission trip to Africa to assist families and teachers. The goal is to provide autism awareness to parents, teachers and community members in Moshi Tanzania. They are fundraising for the cost of accommodations to provide in-person support, classroom/home management, and sensory integration support. 100% of any extra funds raised will be used to purchase materials for teachers to keep at the center or in the designated schools and classrooms.