2014 FoTZC Directors’ Trip – Preparation

This is the first of a series of posts on the 2014 Directors’ Trip to Tanzania

Late last year, we asked four members of the FoTZC Board of Directors what they were most excited to see on the Directors’ trip in March, 2014. We wanted to share what they were looking forward to before the trip!

Rich Johnston: Having been involved with FoTZC from its beginnings in 1996, I am very excited to be going back again to see the progress we have made in collaboration with our partner schools and communities, and to talk to the many Tanzanians who are making those schools and development projects succeed on a day to day basis. I hope to renew old friendships and start new ones, and in particular to meet Tanzanians who started young in FoTZC partner schools and now are on their way to becoming community leaders.

Judi Wineland: I am fortunate to wear many hats when I travel to Tanzania – safari director, lodge owner, nature refuge entrepreneur, and mountain climbing operator – but my role with FoTZC is where my passion lies. Because I have had the opportunity for the past 32 years to watch Tanzanian communities strive to improve the lives of their children and all of their citizens, I can say that FoTZC and its donors have continually responded to the needs of the Tanzanian people. FoTZC listens, evaluates, re-evaluates, measures, and produces. I am proud to head back to Tanzania with my fellow directors to hear directly from the Tanzanian people what is important for their future.

Lucy Karl: I am especially excited for the March 2014 Directors trip to see two of the projects we highlighted as priorities for FoTZC during our November 2011 Directors trip: the beading project with the Enuyata Womens’ Collaborative under Cecilia’s tutelage and the new girls’ dormitory at Soit Sambu Secondary School. When I first visited the Enashiva Nature Refuge, the elders I met asked “where are your children?” That question has stayed with me and I have long hoped to introduce my children to the people of Loliondo who have touched my soul. I am thrilled that several of my adult children are joining me on this trip. I look forward to sharing with them my commitment to FoTZC’s projects and my affection for the people our projects serve.

Bob Treitman: It’s been over five years (too long!) since my last Directors’ visit to Tanzania, so I am looking forward to seeing the projects that we’ve completed since then. I’m eager to see the new teacher housing in the Enashiva area that our donors have so generously paid for, and to meet the students, teachers, and administrators of the schools with whom we are working. I’m also excited to get to know the members of the Enyuata Women’s Collaborative, and to see how the projects we are funding are improving their lives.

Stay tuned for more posts about the Directors’ Trip!

Giving Back – Part 3

During the holiday season, we wanted to highlight some of our extraordinary donors for their efforts to give back to communities in Tanzania. Their dedication to FoTZC has been outstanding. Thank you to all of our donors and supporters for helping FoTZC to have an outstanding year.

If you would like to donate to FoTZC in honor of a loved one as a holiday gift, please click here and select “Honor Your Loved One”! 

Maureen and Bridget were part of the same group of family and friends who climbed Kilimanjaro with Don and Jim (see Giving Back – Part 1). While training and running half marathons (see photos below), Marueen and Bridget also dove into fundraising for the dispensary. They hosted a very successful fundraiser in their small town in upstate New York. The venue for the fundraiser donated some of the evening’s proceeds to FoTZC, and Maureen and Bridget arranged a spectacular raffle.

Their event raised over $5,000! They say: We have always known that this town takes care of its own. Now we know that it also cares for the world-wide family in which we all live. We believe that ordinary people from a small town like ours can make a huge difference in the lives of others. We are so proud of our town!

All ten of this group of climbers reached the summit of Kilimanjaro. We at FoTZC want to thank all of them for their dedication and passion for helping others.

Giving Back - Part 2

During the holiday season, we wanted to highlight some of our extraordinary donors for their efforts to give back to communities in Tanzania. Their dedication to FoTZC has been outstanding. Thank you to all of our donors and supporters for helping FoTZC to have an outstanding year.

If you would like to donate to FoTZC in honor of a loved one as a holiday gift, please click here and select “Honor Your Loved One”! 

Jane and Dale have been two of our most dedicated supporters over the last five years. They first visited Tanzania in 2005; something clearly resonated with them, because in 2008, Jane approached FoTZC about raising funds for classrooms at Ayalabe Primary School. Five years, two completed projects, one upcoming project, and over $90,000 later, Jane and Dale are still energetic and passionate about supporting education projects in Tanzania.

The latest fundraising event they had was a tea hosted in their home. Jane says: On December 7, ninety people gathered at a Christmas Tea for Tanzania, to raise money for classrooms at Orkiu Primary School. People hosted tea tables, participated in the silent auction and raffle, and purchased pencils, notepads, and photo notecards of Africa. A storyteller recounted three stories gathered from our 2012 trip to Tanzania. Guests enjoyed home-cooked food and entertainment by a Victorian quartet from a local collage and a harpist friend. This fundraiser was one of of many that we have hosted for our family-run project, “Pencils and Dreams,” to raise money to build classrooms and dormitories through FoTZC. Our passion for these projects was first kindled when we heard children begging for pencils on our first trip to Tanzania with Thomson. Our motto, “A pencil and a dream can take you anywhere,” (an adaptation of Joyce Meyer’s original quote) certainly has taken us on an amazing adventure in support of education in Tanzania. Building the classrooms at Orkiu will be our third project with FoTZC.

Jane and Dale continue to amaze and inspire us. Thank you to both of them, as well as all of their friends who have supported their three projects with FoTZC. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Girls' Dormitory Dedication

In late October, Soit Sambu Secondary School held its graduation for Form Four students and the official dedication ceremony for the FoTZC-constructed girls’ dormitory at the school. The dormitory is beautiful, and is even fully-furnished! It was wonderful to see the community come together to celebrate the new building in such a spectacular fashion. More than three hundred people from the surrounding communities attended the event! The Ngorongoro District Commissioner, Elias Wawa Lali, was the guest of honor at the celebration. Also in attendance were the Ngorongoro District Member of Parliament, Saning’o ole Telele, the Oloipir Ward Councilor, William Alais, and the Sukenya Village Chairman, Loserian Minis.

The day began with an official delegation touring the dormitory, followed by groups of parents, students, and community members. Everyone who saw the new space was impressed by the size of the dormitory and the quality of the facility. Choirs sang several songs praising and thanking FoTZC and its donors for the new housing for female students at the school. After the performances, the District Commissioner gave a short speech about the importance of collaboration among communities and FoTZC, and unveiled a plaque for the dedication.

Later in the day, the Form Four graduation kicked off with songs, dances, and skits. The Soit Sambu Secondary School Board awarded certificates to the District Commissioner, the Member of Parliament, the Oloipiri Ward Councilor, the Sukenya Village Chairman, the Soit Sambu Secondary School headmaster, and to FoTZC. We are proud to be working with such an outstanding school.

Giving Back - Part I

During the holiday season, we wanted to highlight some of our extraordinary donors for their efforts to give back to communities in Tanzania. Their dedication to FoTZC has been outstanding. Thank you to all of our donors and supporters for helping FoTZC to have an outstanding year.

If you would like to donate to FoTZC in honor of a loved one as a holiday gift, please click here and select “Honor Your Loved One”! 

In November 2012, a group of 17 family members and friends booked a Kilimanjaro trek and wildlife safari with Thomson Safaris. Before they ever visited Tanzania, the entire group wanted to give something back to the communities they would visit. Don and Jim, two of the trekkers, host an incredible holiday party each year and invite over a hundred people. They asked their guests to bring donations to FoTZC to the party in lieu of bringing holiday gifts. It was a huge success!

Don and Jim said: Traveling to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro and experience a safari has been on our life-long bucket list! We love to have intense family vacations that create deep bonds and memories. Experiencing and trying new things with friends and family is the ultimate joy for us. We love different cultures, people, wildlife, and languages. We are fundraising because we feel that it is a privilege to be able to take our family on such an extravagant and exotic trip. We realize that most people are not lucky enough to have the means to do so, and we would like to pay it forward.

They did an incredible job. Not only did their whole group summit Kilimanjaro, they raised over $13,000!

Left: Don and Jim at their holiday party. Right: Don and Jim’s house decorated for the holidays!

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.