Providing Inclusive Education in Tanzania

The ongoing global pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to Amani, and the consequences are piling up. Every year, Amani welcomes dozens of volunteers, donors, and educators from around the world to our campus in Tanzania. These visits mean repainted walls, new buildings, improved infrastructure. They have meant donations of textbooks and children's books. They have meant new sponsorships for children, as people come to be a part of our international community through connecting with our students in person. 

Amani has seen its 2020 projected income drop by half. This precipitous decrease in donations raises deep concerns for how to cover this gap in tuition costs, but also how to provide for staff salaries, utilities, and food. Amani hasn't seen its basic needs so endangered in the entire time the center has existed. Specifically, the educations of thirty-one out of fifty students have been thrown into jeopardy as sponsoring charities withdraw financial support. 

One such student is Britta, who just turned ten this year. A spunky girl with a gift for math, Britta dreams of being a pilot. She wants to master aeronautics and take on a field still largely dominated by men in Tanzania. She wants to be able to see not only all of her country but to travel across the world. She has big dreams for a small girl. And she needs to be able to continue her schooling. 

Schools are in session in person in Tanzania. New protocols have been adopted at the center to protect staff and children to exposure to COVID-19. The center's doors remain open; our mission and work will continue no matter how challenging the circumstances become. This autumn, we are seeking new sponsors to help cover the school tuition of the children whose sponsors have withdrawn due to personal financial duress. Amani also continues to assess alternative income options, with the goal of becoming fiscally independent and stable through the installation of renewable energy. Our hope is that eventually, Amani can become sustainable financially and environmentally. This is the future we envision on the other side of COVID-19. 

Due to COVID-19, our children's home faces a dual challenge of increased financial needs and decreased donations. Students have been sent home from boarding schools, increasing the cost of food at the center. However, the schools will not issue refunds of tuition payments. Additionally, the center needs medical and hygienic supplies we expect to provide PTO to sick staff members as needed. To close the expected budgetary gaps, we hope to make sure every children's per capita medical and room and board costs are met. Many of our children have "partial" sponsorships, which cover 50% of the costs required for them to live at Amani and attend school. This doesn't cover their food, room or board. $450 a year would close the gap and ensure each child is fully covered. All month, we have been featuring specific children who need scholarships on social media. We're hoping to find 20 additional sponsors by the end of the summer. This will help us bridge the gap during these unprecedented times. 

Amani's infrastructure requires constant upkeep. Heavy annual rains and the relentless equatorial suns cause buildings to deteriorate more rapidly than in more temporate climates. Amani's plumbing and restroom facilities, which must function for over fifty individuals day in and day out, require constant attention and maintenance. 

Amani is attempting renovate much of its plumbing system. We will likely launch a miniproject and social media campaign in the spring to finalize these renovations. Updated restroom facilities in and outside the dormitories will ensure that our center is compliant with best practices in sanitation and child health. We also plan to bring on undergraduate student volunteers during the summer to conduct WASH surveys (a tool used by the United Nations to measure successful sanitary practices) both inside the center and in the surrounding communities. This, along with child health assessments focusing on dietary quality and physical development will allow us to quantify our impact on children's health in our area. This can serve ask pilot work for future studies, and foundational information for community health initiatives. 

1. We not only finished the construction of a perimeter wall but sealed, plastered and painted it. A guarded entrance is crucial for any school’s safety. It ensures we can control who enters and who leaves our campus. It prevents trespass, theft of children’s home property, and keeps out the herds of cattle and wandering wild animals. Additionally, every few years, the harsh sandstorms and heavy rainfall in Tanzania take their toll, and Amani’s walls and buildings require repainting. Our painted presence communicates who we are to the community, and is the first impression we make on visitors, neighbors and officials alike. It is the backdrop to the children’s lives— the bright colors a source of pride and identity for the students. The paint also seals the buildings, preventing cracking and deterioration. As building repair is costly (and reconstruction nearly impossible) it is vital we prioritize the maintenance of all the structures on our campus. Our new wall is properly sealed against the elements, providing protection for years to come.
2. In 2017, we lost our milling machine and building to an electrical fire. The corn mill had brought in additional income to support the children’s home, as well as allowed us to grind our own corn for free. Although the electrical company was at fault, they never provided reparations and so we began the long campaign to repair and rebuild. This year, through support and generosity from donors like you, we were able to complete the reconstruction of our milling facilities. This helps us take a step towards financial sustainability, getting back on track towards our long-term goals.
3. It has taken nearly a decade, but as of this year, all 48 of our residential children have been award scholarships from sponsors. These pledges ensure that school fees and supplies for each child are covered, in most cases from now until they complete their educations before university. For many of these children, although not yet all, donors also cover the cost of medical care, child care, and food needs. These comprehensive sponsorships are vital to ensure all a child’s needs are met. It’s our hope that within the next five years, all our children will have both their educational and personal needs covered by donors like you.

Links:

• Our Website

Amani Children's Home - Program Update Directly from our Site Manager in Tanzania

Progress:
• Firewoods
This time last year we bought huge amount of firewoods which we used for the entire 2018 until
August 2019. We decided to do the same which we expect to atleast take us to the mid of 2020. I
personally consider firewood as unreliable energy source, because i believe in the future we will not
be allowed to cut trees for firewood, government has imposed policy which requires all people to not
cut down trees without the permit from the government. With one of the volunteer we checked the
possibility of having bio gas plant, which wouldn't used only for cooking but also for lighting. We are
still in planning phase and we don't expect major steps this year nor early 2020. But i consider as one
of the reliable energy source in a long run.

• Plastic pavement project
We are currently working on making pavement (small bricks for covering the ground). We managed
to make one pavement block by burning plastics mixing with sand and make pavement block out of it. This would improve the environment not only in amani but also throughout mto wa mbu. We are planning to involve different people to collect plastics bottle and through that we can have clean environment arround mto wa mbu area.

• Sewing project
We have sewing project at amani, idea is to have different fabrics, and make different line of
clothes and other accessories such as waist pack, shirts, shirts, shorts and swimming customs. The
idea is not only selling on site but also to use other tools such as website to advertise and make people donate or buy to have product of their choice. We also includes sewing small backpacks whichi might be sold onsite or abroad, this would be made out of plastic bags, rice sacks anamd any other material, the idea is to ask people who visits amani to buy couples of bags which would be distributed to maasai children but the donation would be kept for amani

• Raise salary to administration team.
We have managed to add some amount to management team, we considered those who work hard and we raised to them, we are trying to catch up with government minimum requirements, not there yet
not close but veru optimistic we will get there.

• Website
We are working on website with different functionalities enables people to buy online, so far we have
set template already start feeding some informations. We took pictures of different products.

Problems:
• Outside toilets
Most of progress concerning this are in halt, because with bio gas in mind, the outside toilet needs
kind of solution which align with bio gas, which bring even more problems, but as it stands we are
running out of options to tackle this due to the fact that everytime sewage people come to empty,
its not staying more than a week before it get full again. And its difficult to dig more deep because
water source are not that far from the surface.

• Maize
We are now finishing 2018 reserve, we need to plan for the future(2020), this is one of the thing we
want to do now than later, the maize price is skyrocketing everyday, its important if we do it early.