Because of your generosity, 80 boys will have a new dormitory and sanitary toilets

Picture these beds in blue to envision the new boys dorm at Robanda.

This picture is of a girls’ dorm that FoTZC built.  Our new boys dormitory at Robanda Secondary School looks the same, except the bed covers are blue. 

This growing community has hundreds of students eager to learn; 80 students will no longer have to walk between 2 and 3 miles each way to school or sleep 6 to 8 in one set of bunk beds in the overcrowded dormitories.  They will now have time for study and homework in a safe and comfortable environment, conducive to growth and learning.

All of this is becoming a reality thanks to you and a generous matching challenge grant from the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation, who, in partnership with our Board of Directors, cover all administrative and fundraising costs.  This means 100% of  every dollar you invested in the future of these 80 students in Robanda will go toward improving their living and learning conditions.

Your investment has built more than a dormitory for students, it has built a future for this entire Tanzanian Community

You have touched over 9,000 lives today

If you’ve never received a thank you note with over 9,000 signatures on it, consider this the first: that’s how many Tanzanian students are reaching for their dreams every year thanks to your generous support of Focus on Tanzanian Communities (FoTZC).

Some of those students are attending new schools and living in new student housing that you recently helped complete, along with housing for teachers. And the good you’re doing doesn't stop there.

After meeting with local leaders to assess the success of past projects and evaluate current needs, FoTZC is meeting some big goals for our Tanzanian partners. 

• Teacher housing for the Haymu Primary and Mondorosi Primary/Secondary schools will allow the Tanzanian government to provide additional teachers for overcrowded classes.

• 16 new sanitary toilets at Haymu Primary School — replacing the single outhouse used by all the staff and students — will improve student health and reduce absenteeism.

• New dormitories for 80 boys at Robanda Secondary School and 80 girls at Soit Sambu Secondary School will eliminate long walks to school for some and overcrowded bunk beds for others, as well as giving them time for study and homework in a safe and comfortable environment.

• Three new Mondorosi classrooms have reduced the number of students in each classroom from 120 to 40 students.

All of these projects rely on the same incredible generosity you’ve already shown. They all help transform these dreams into healthy lives, better education, and better futures for thousands of Tanzanians.

So thank you, from the bottom of our hearts and the hearts of these 9,000 children, for all you do and continue to do. Your support is the foundation atop which Tanzanians are building a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

Why FoTZC will use your donation to build our 7th borehole

Water covers 71% of the earth, and makes up 60% of each and every one of us, but it’s something that we often take for granted.

Water is one of the true fundamentals of life but, for so many people, it’s not one they can rely on.

Villagers in remote areas of Tanzania send girls and women on hours-long treks just to fetch it, time they could be spending on childcare, education, or working to support their families. And often, the water they toil so long to secure carries deadly infections like cholera, dystentery, and typhoid. In communities without safe water sources, girls drop out of school more often, women are more vulnerable to sexual attack while collecting it, and the entire community’s health suffers.

That’s why we’ve been so grateful to you for helping build six new boreholes across Northern Tanzania in the past three years. Your generosity has brought clean, safe drinking water to thousands of rural Tanzanians, and the ripple effects are being felt throughout entire communities.

Rather than trekking water all day, these girls are getting an education.

It’s rare that you can say you’ve given the gift of life, but these boreholes are exactly that for hundreds of individuals. We’re asking you to give that gift to the Sukenya Juu community.  It would make life safer, healthier, and more productive for the hundreds of individuals living there.

So many of us are used to taking clean, safe water for granted. By designating your gift to our “Health” projects, your generosity to Tanzanians will be deeply appreciated every single day.

Click here to learn how you can help

To make your gift go even further, check with your employer to see if your donation can be matched.

Father's Day

With Father’s Day right around the corner, it’s hard not to think about the goals we all have for our children. Every father knows the importance of a good education. It’s what lets kids grow wings and fly on their own, whether they’re living in Arusha or Arizona.

Thanks to your ongoing generosity, new two-in-one teacher’s housing is planned for the Mondorosi school. It’s crucial for allowing the community to hire more teachers, which in turn allows dozens of children to receive an education, children who might otherwise never get that chance.

One generous father, Jason Torrey-Payne, was able to see the need firsthand during a 2013 trip to Tanzania:

Tanzania's wildlife is outstanding, but its people are what truly shine. We were fortunate to meet with locals in the eastern Serengeti. One of my favorite memories is my son playing soccer with the kids with a ball made out of rolled up socks.

We vowed to help the people of Tanzania. Knowing that FoTZC would prioritize where the funds were needed most to help the community gave us peace of mind. We continue to donate to Focus on Tanzanian Communities because the people of Tanzania have a strong place in our hearts.

This Father’s Day, please consider honoring a dad by giving the gift of education to the children of Mondorosi. Simply select the “in honor of” field at the bottom of your donation form, and an email will be sent to the special dad in your life, celebrating your gift.

Every father wants to give his children a better tomorrow. Your generosity this Father’s Day can help make that a possibility for children in Tanzania.

Honor a mother by helping another

The gifts we remember best aren’t silly trinkets, the latest gadgets, or bright bouquets: they’re the thoughtful, meaningful gestures that warm the heart.
 
This Mother’s Day, we’re asking you to honor a mother you know by giving to a mother in need through www.fotzc.org. The mothers in Tanzania may be a world away physically, but their sacrifices, their hopes, and their love for their children are things we can all recognize.

Traveling in Tanzania with their sons, Susan Killeen and her husband experienced incredible beauty…and witnessed incredible need, a juxtaposition that prompted them to do more:

Traveling to another country almost always expands your horizons, but traveling to Tanzania truly expands your heart. The warmth of the people, the beauty of the land, and the awe-inspiring experiences with wild animals change a person forever.
 
But time in Africa also reminds us that we have so much, while others have so little.  At home, a long line at Starbucks can sour your mood. In Tanzania, women and girls walk for miles just to get clean water for their families.
 
It was these simultaneous extremes—of beauty and poverty—that compelled us to get involved with Focus on Tanzanian Communities.  We realized that the blessings that allowed us to travel to such an amazing place should be used to give back to others who have so much less.
 
We traveled to Africa for safari, but now we feel that witnessing the need, and giving back, was the real reason we were meant to see Tanzania in the first place.

No matter where they live, or how little they have, mothers all over the world are bonded by their love for their children.  Extend your love to a mother in need.  Please head to www.fotzc.org today to give a Mother’s Day gift that will bring a smile to your face…and to so many others (by completing the “honor” section of the donation form, we’ll send an acknowledgment to the mother you honor - just be sure to include your honoree's address!).

Do any of you Aunts, Uncles, or Grandparents out there have stories and photos we can share? Send them to ryan@fotzc.org – we’d love to share them with all the big-hearted travelers we know!