Tunahaki
Director Mason Bendewald
Countries Tanzania, United Republic of, United States
Duration 82 min
Synopsis
Tunahaki is the story of an African orphan, a teacher, and an American-volunteer, and their journey as they tumble from hope into reality. The story begins at an orphanage called Tunahaki, in Tanzania at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We meet Abdul, a young man walking down a dirt road to school, he’s thankful for what he has despite his lot in life. Abdul and the other children are talented acrobats, a skill they have learned from “Teacher-David”, a poor man who runs the orphanage. David gives the children hope for a future. Scott Fifer, an American takes a volunteer vacation and ends up at Tunahaki. Scott falls in love with the children and makes a bold commitment: He wants to bring them to America to have them perform and raise money to build a permanent home in Africa. Scott’s plan surpasses all expectations. When the children arrive they begin a whirlwind tour performing in schools, on television, private fundraisers, the Laker’s Half-Time show – all culminating in Las Vegas where they see and train with Cirque du Soliel! The tour raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, more than enough to build a permanent home. But how have the experiences of America affected Abdul and the other kids? And how will it change things back home in Tanzania? The heartfelt journey of Tunahaki gives us something new to ponder, as we reach across the world to help those less fortunate - is it always the right thing to do?
Tunahaki is the story of an African orphan, a teacher, and an American-volunteer, and their journey as they tumble from hope into reality. The story begins at an orphanage called Tunahaki, in Tanzania at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We meet Abdul, a young man walking down a dirt road to school, he’s thankful for what he has despite his lot in life. Abdul and the other children are talented acrobats, a skill they have learned from “Teacher-David”, a poor man who runs the orphanage. David gives the children hope for a future. Scott Fifer, an American takes a volunteer vacation and ends up at Tunahaki. Scott falls in love with the children and makes a bold commitment: He wants to bring them to America to have them perform and raise money to build a permanent home in Africa. Scott’s plan surpasses all expectations. When the children arrive they begin a whirlwind tour performing in schools, on television, private fundraisers, the Laker’s Half-Time show – all culminating in Las Vegas where they see and train with Cirque du Soliel! The tour raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, more than enough to build a permanent home. But how have the experiences of America affected Abdul and the other kids? And how will it change things back home in Tanzania? The heartfelt journey of Tunahaki gives us something new to ponder, as we reach across the world to help those less fortunate - is it always the right thing to do?