Over the past several years, our owner, Joni Vanderslice, has been traveling with her husband to Tanzania as a part of a mission trip. It will not surprise you that after each trip they left Tanzania with a huge heart for the country and its people and in turn have become committed to helping the people in any way possible. After visiting with children in the St. Augustine School and forming a connection with these children, Joni, her husband and a group of other Hilton Head Island residents became committed to build an orphanage in Buza, in the Temeke District, Dar es Salaam region in Tanzania. After lots of planning and building, the Valentine Children’s Home, named in honor of Archbishop Dr. Valentine Mokiwa, opened its doors in July 2015 to 19 children who have become orphans due to Malaria, maternal mortality, and AIDS. The orphanage also houses 3 “Mamas” who are around the clock care givers for these children. We have decided as a company that we would continuously give back to the orphanage by feeding all of the children each month in each of our client’s names.

In addition to helping feed the children, Joni and Rick are committed to visiting and improving the building efforts. This includes adding a deep filtered well, a chickenry, goats for milk, mango trees and crops that can be tended by the children as a part of their daily life. We welcome all of you to visit the Valentine Project website for more information on our mission.