“Despite their very difficult circumstances,” said Carolyn, “the people are happy, welcoming and so appreciative of any help they receive. I am touched by how hard they work to simply survive.”[/caption]

by Len Lear

Last month Carolyn Tague, 55, who grew up in Chestnut Hill, was honored by Springside Chestnut Hill Academy with their Distinguished Alumni Award, and it is impossible to imagine a more deserving honoree.

According to her brother, Doug, who still lives in Chestnut Hill, Carolyn (known by friends and family as “Crin”) worked for 32 years as a Special Education teacher, primarily in Alaska, and retired last year. “She was a very dedicated educator, often traveling to remote towns and villages to train and mentor young teachers. And while her career alone is noteworthy, it is her mission over the last 13 years that is most impressive.

“Crin became interested in Africa after hearing of the extreme poverty, disease, lack of education, etc., through the years. So she visited parts of rural Kenya, eventually discovering a village called Lemong’o. She loved the spirit of the people, especially the children, who despite the scarcity of food, poor access to clean water, no plumbing, electricity, etc., were so resilient.

“This began a yearly journey to help with supplying food, educational needs, medical clinics, etc. She founded The Lemong’o Project to provide funding and volunteers to meet these basic needs.” Board members and indispensable volunteers include friends from Alaska as well as the Chestnut Hill area, with input from village residents. Long-term goals include cottage industries, college scholarships, etc., to move toward sustainability.

Carolyn, who attended Our Mother of Consolation School through 8th grade and Girls High School (grades 9 &10) as well as Springside (grades 11 & 12), earned a BS in Special Education from Penn State in 1985 and over 100 graduate credits, primarily at the University of Alaska.

You might say that Carolyn was a compassionate caregiver since the age of 10. That's when she and her best friend, Christy Concannon, formed a "Mini School" that was basically free daycare for neighborhood kids.

The Lemong’o Project, founded by Carolyn, feeds 500 students lunch daily, pays salaries for four teachers, holds two medical clinics each summer that provide free exams, free medication, free eye exams and glasses and much more.[/caption]

“I had seen an After School Special (remember those!) about a Special Education teacher working with children with emotional and behavioral challenges,” Carolyn said last week. “It touched my heart, and I knew it was what I wanted to do as a career.”

All of us have seen the heart-wrenching photos of starving children in Africa. Some of us have given money to organizations that help relieve the suffering, but even when Carolyn was a child, she made a promise to herself that someday she would go in person to Africa and invest time, hard work and love to make a difference. In 2005 she made her first trip to rural African villages and has been back every summer but one since then.

“I first visited the Maasai village of Lemong'o in rural Kenya in 2007,” she said. “When I arrived, it felt like home. It's difficult to explain, but I know it felt like it was where I was meant to be. When I visited in 2009, I was struck by the emptiness of the school. When I asked where the children were, I was told that due to the devastating drought, the children were either too weak to walk to school or searching for fertile land for the cattle.

“It was then I knew I needed to do something immediately. Emma, my fellow volunteer, and I met with village leaders to ask how we could help. The leaders met with the villagers and identified these areas of need: education, nutrition and health. We added employment, realizing that a sustainable solution was needed.

“We decided to create a free lunch program (the only one of its kind in the region), which would address the three areas of need. Once I began fundraising, it became clear that we needed to register as a nonprofit organization if we hoped to raise the needed funds, hence the formation of The Lemong'o Project in 2011. I had no intention of creating and running a nonprofit organization, but it was and is a necessity.”

The Lemong’o Project is currently in the beginning stage of creating a “voluntourism” business: People pay to stay in the village, volunteer some time each day and have a cultural experience daily (singing, dancing, jewelry making, wild animal spotting, visit traditional huts, etc.).

“Our goal is to have the business cover the Project's monthly commitments, school lunches and teacher salaries. We would have only six volunteers at a time, creating an intimate authentic experience. We are in the process of applying for grants to cover business start-up costs.”

So far the Project has raised about $20,000 a year, about 95 percent of which goes directly to the people of Lemong'o. As a result, the Project feeds 500 students lunch daily, pays salaries for four teachers, holds two medical clinics each summer that provide free exams, free medication, free eye exams and glasses, free lab work and follow-up on referrals (as far as the budget will allow), purchases jewelry at a fair trade price from the women of Lemong'o and sells the jewelry in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, purchases text books and materials for the school, provides sports equipment and uniforms, desks and chairs, breakfast during National exam testing periods and more.

“Despite their very difficult circumstances,” said Carolyn, “the people are happy, welcoming and so appreciative of any help they receive. I am touched by how hard they work to simply survive. They are now my Maasai family.”

Who was most influential in developing Carolyn's humanitarian values? “My mother had the greatest influence on my values; she had a thoughtful, giving spirit. Though our family did not have many resources to spare, she found a way to help others in need, either with her time, energy or resources. She taught me by her example: 'To those whom much is given, much is expected.'"

For more information and/or to donate, visit https://thelemongoproject.org.