Help a Tanzanian Orphan Complete Primary School

A few years ago when GLK Student Fund first accepted the GlobalGiving challenge, we did so in the hope that Global Giving would help us reach beyond our scope and connect to others who may not be aware of our great work.

Happily, this partnership has connected us to some great new donors and benefitted us immensely. Recently, GlobalGiving helped us connect with a group of children, teachers and friends of Tanzania in Switzerland who raised over $5,000 to send a young girl to school in Tanzania. 

This initiative began when two young school girls from Switzerland, Livia and Vera, were motivated to help students in Tanzania. Encouraged by their teacher, Nicholas, they organized a read-a-thon with their classmates in which students were sponsored based on the number pages read in two weeks.  At the end of the two weeks, the students were invited to a dance party where the funds were counted.  The results were extraordinary! (We only wish we were at that party.)  Dar Reality Projects donated an additional CHF 1,000 to the project.  A real success!

The girls, with help from their mothers and recommendations by GlobalGiving, chose our project as the best fit for their donation.  At the same time, GLK Student Fund was evaluating a new scholarship candidate, Editha. Because of the GlobalGiving connection, we will be sending Editha to school.

Editha is eight years old and was previously living with her father and step-mother after her mother passed away. In Tanzania, it is not uncommon for step-parents to take advantage of their step-children. While Editha's half-siblings went to school, Editha was forced to stay at home and do difficult household chores in return for food, meanwhile enduring physical and verbal abuse from her step-mother. Fortunately, a neighbor noticed what was going on and managed to gain custody of Editha (with the assistance of the village elders and permission of her father). Soon, she was on our trustees' radar and the GLK Student Fund worked to quickly find Editha a placement at a boarding school.

The GLK Student Fund is pleased to report that thanks to the generosity of our friends in Switzerland, Editha is safe, secure, and finally going to school. 

Thank you Livia, Vera, Teacher Nicholas and the students of École à Champel, Sia, Céline, Angelique, and the Dar Reality Projects.