Hello!

Thank you for visiting my blog.

My name is Jenn Widdup; I'm 21 and am from Northamptonshire.

I've just qualified as a physiotherapist at the University of Birmingham with a 2.1.

Last year I visited Iringa in Tanzania with Church Mission Society (CMS), in a team of eight people. This visit really opened my eyes to the realities of poverty and just how much we all take for granted here in the west.

We visited Neema Crafts Project www.neemacrafts.com, which is run by the Diocese of Ruaha and Susie Hart, a CMS mission partner. Neema Crafts employes disabled people to make beautiful crafts, giving them a livelihood and a future.

10% of the population in southern Tanzania are disabled. Due to lack of healthcare before, during and after birth there are many children with developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy, however there is not the healthcare infrastructure in place to provide the care they need.

Due to lack of knowledge, fear and prejudice many parents feel they simply cannot cope with a disabled child. There are stories of children being hidden away for years on end.

As a strong Christian I feel that God gave me the opportunity to visit Tanzania in order to understand how His much loved children are being held captive due to their disability and poverty. I definately feel that God wants me to reach out to these children using my physiotherapy skills, which I have been given through His amazing blessing of the opportunity to go to University and gain an excellent education.