The Focus and Our New Film

We have two exciting things to report at FoTZC! First, The Focus, our annual newsletter, was delivered to mailboxes over the past few weeks. The format was a bit different this year, and we hope you enjoyed the additional information and photos! We were thrilled to be able to share more of what we’re doing through this longer piece.

Second, we are proud to announce that we have released a new film showcasing some of our recent projects. Please watch the film below and send us your comments – we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Support FoTZC this year by giving a gift in honor of a loved one! We will send them a card acknowledging your generous contribution in their honor as well as a gift acknowledgement letter to you for tax purposes. This is a wonderful gift for the holidays!

Farewell to Farish Jenkins

Much has been written about Farish Jenkins since he passed away on November 11th. He was a celebrated paleontologist, a highly-regarded Harvard professor, a loving husband and father, and a great supporter of FoTZC, but most importantly, Farish was one of the kindest men I’ve ever known.

I wish I could have been present in the stories that have been written recently about Farish – drawing bones and muscles on his suit to illustrate how they worked, and walking around his classroom on a peg leg to demonstrate how the body absorbs shocks – but every interaction I had with Farish was special and memorable. It was always such a pleasure to discuss Tanzania with him; he was so passionate about the country, its wildlife, and its people. This kindness and passion was present in every interaction Farish had; as it has been said, he was the epitome of the word “gentleman.”

Farish will be missed by many, and we are honored that the Jenkins family has chosen FoTZC as one of two organizations to have a Farish Jenkins, Jr. Fund. We send our deepest condolences to Farish’s wife and family. We feel truly blessed to have known him.

A memorial service will be held at 2:30pm Saturday, December 1, 2012 at the Memorial Church, One Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Farish A. Jenkins, Jr. Fund – to support the field work of students in evolutionary biology; c/o The Museum of Comparative Zoology 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; or Focus on Tanzanian Communities, c/o Thomson Safaris, 14 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, MA 02472. Email info@fotzc.org or donate now.

Written by Eliza Hatch

Girls’ Dormitory – Soit Sambu Secondary School

You may have seen this photo before: this is a small section of the current girls’ dormitory at Soit Sambu Secondary School. Twelve girls sleep in the space pictured to the left. The dormitory is built to accommodate 48 girls, but 160 girls are currently living in it. This living arrangement is not just uncomfortable; disease spreads easily and quickly in these close quarters. Additionally, when girls are day students, they have to spend much of their time at home doing housework instead of studying, which negatively impacts their educations. The girls prefer to live at the school, and FoTZC is committed to building a second dormitory for them to do so more comfortably.

The new school year in Tanzania begins in January, and we would love to have the new dormitory open for the start of their school year. We are two-thirds of the way there, but to complete and furnish the building, we still need to raise $40,000 (see graphic below) and begin construction as soon as possible! Please help the girls at Soit Sambu Secondary School by donating today!


Teachers’ Housing at Nainokanoka

Sitting high up on a hill, overlooking a beautiful valley in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Nainokanoka is one of the schools we have been most proud of since we began working with them in 2001. Nainokanoka asked FoTZC for a 2-in-1 teachers’ house to enable them to request additional teachers from the government. Additionally, the school worked with a Tanzanian NGO to build a large dining hall – they are well on their way to having all of the facilities they need!

Last week, our contractor began construction of the teachers’ housing; we hope to complete the build within a month. The setting of the house is phenomenal, and has a view of the entire valley.

These are some images of the construction of the teachers’ housing, the view from Nainokanoka, and some students at the school.

Beading Seminars in Maasailand

FoTZC recently sent Cecilia (pictured left) to work with four Maasai women’s groups, including the Enyuata Women’s Collaborative, on their beading skills. Cecilia is originally from this area of Maasailand, and she loved meeting and working with the women from the area. “It was a very moving experience, and I am dedicated to working with these women to improve their businesses,” she said.

One of the challenges during the first FoTZC-sponsored training seminar in early 2011 was teaching the women about patterns. Even though their work had been intricate, we discovered that they had been creating their work by feel; now that they have grasped the concept of patterns and counting (using five white beads and then one black bead, for example), the improvement has been remarkable.

Building on prior successes, Cecilia is furthering their skills and has recently taught them how to make new types of beaded crafts that are not in their traditional repertoire, including beaded cotton skirts, placemats, coasters, and beaded leather bracelets. Cecilia is looking forward to her next seminar with these four women’s groups, and we can’t wait to see the results!

These are some images of Cecilia’s beading seminars in Maasailand, as well as an up-close look at the women’s beaded work.

ABOUT

FOTZC is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organization registered in Watertown, MA. FOTZC also accepts donation of securities. Please contact info@fotzc.org for guidance on making this type of donation.