Dear Marcus,

 

Hujambo from Tanzania!  I'm SO EXCITED to write you to share incredible news: this week, in the Moivaro village of Arusha, Tanzania, in the shadow of Mt. Meru, Shepherds Junior School was connected to the internet for the very first time.  The students sent their first tweets from the TweetsGiving classroom built from your gratitude.

Imagine: Students who have never even had access to a library now have access to an entire an entire world of information.  Children whose voices are seldom heard can now speak, in real time, to people, like you, across the globe.  To our knowledge, it is the first classroom of its kind, a classroom in which primary school children in Africa are using twitter to share their lives with, and learn from, the rest of the world.

I'm really hoping you'll want to connect with the kids directly!  All you need to do is:

• Start a Conversation:  If you use twitter, follow & tweet with the children in our Tanzanian classroom.  All of the kids' handles are listed with their pictures in this blog post, or you can follow the #TwitterKids meme on TwitterSearch.  If you're not yet on twitter, this is the perfect reason to sign up ;)
• Follow Their Journey:  You can also see photos, videos and blog posts by the kids at the fabulous site created by volunteers AJ & Melissa Leon at http://www.iheartepicchange.tumblr.com.

In addition, I'm hoping you'll support these incredible kids by getting involved with TweetsGiving 2009.  (You don't even need to be on Twitter to help out!) You may remember that last year Epic Change created a groundbreaking event that built a classroom from sheer gratitude.  This year, with our celebration from November 24-26, we'll be working toward a dormitory/orphanage, a classroom, the school's first library, a cafeteria where the kids can eat a nutritious meal each day, and more.  Here's a few ways to get involved now:

• Plan a Gratitude Party:  On November 24, in cities across the globe, people will gather to give thanks.  Already celebrations are planned from Tel Aviv to the Silicon Valley, and we're hoping you'll want to plan a TweetsGiving gratitude party in your area.  Learn More.
• Spread Gratitude Online:  Volunteer to mobilize 10 of your friends to blog/tweet/facebook/blip/youtube their gratitude this TweetsGiving.  Learn More.
  
• Become a TweetsGiving Sponsor: Celebrate your organization's gratitude by making a socially responsible investment in the future of over 350 kids.  Learn More.
  

For more information about each of these opportunities, check out the newly-launched TweetsGiving site.  More opportunities to get involved are unfolding daily, so to stay in the loop, just join our new community.

One final note:  Remember voting for Ideablob?  Your vote made it possible for this school to be connected to the web for the very first time.  For that, and for everything you've been doing to create Epic Change, I am unbelievably thankful.

With hope and so much gratitude,
Stacey

Stacey Monk
CEO & Founder, Epic Change