Toa Tumaini Foundation Inc

Toa Tumaini Foundation, Inc. has been in operation since March of 2012. Since inception it has been our mission is to empower, advocate for, support, and love some of rural Tanzania’s most vulnerable children by means of education, community investment and sustainability. We work in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, supporting the villages of Rau and Mserekia. Education is our main priority; we provide free nursery education and assist families in the costs associated with primary and secondary schools as well. Students range in age from two years old up to 15 years old based on their level of education.

Here at Toa Tumaini Foundation we partner with local Tanzanians to support their efforts in improving the lives of vulnerable populations. Our main focus is on education; we fund a school, called Project Hope and run a sponsorship program, allowing access education and healthcare. Ask us about sponsoring a child today! We also recognize the importance of community investment and fulfill this through means of home visits, community meetings, employment opportunities and partnerships. Our long-term goal is to open our own nursery and primary school. Opening our own school will allow us to further invest in our students and community, maintain sustainability, and grow our services.

Our current day to day operations include:
-Nursery school education of roughly 55 students ages two to eight.
-Nutrition in the form of one meal per day for every nursery school student
-Extra classes three days per week with our 51 graduated primary school students
-Healthcare provision for each primary student and high needs nursery students
-Primary school staff check-ins with families/guardians
-Home visits with the families of all of our children
-Fundraising efforts to build our school

In every step of our work, we directly partner with and support the hopes and dreams of local Tanzanians. Many charities exist to better the lives of people in need throughout the world but it is our belief that we cannot better someone’s life without their input and partnership. Walking alongside locals ensures that our work aligns with the culture, desires, and abilities of the country we strive to support. Our US Team is made up of a variety of individuals with diverse backgrounds. The Board members’ backgrounds include healthcare, criminal justice, early childhood education, business, nonprofit management and volunteer coordination. Through this varied expertise we have the ability to succeed in each necessary area. Our on ground, Tanzanian team includes individuals with backgrounds in education, cooking, agriculture, and management. In addition to their beneficial backgrounds, their community connections and knowledge of local needs makes their participation invaluable to all aspects of our work.

When we opened our doors at our first nursery school space we welcomed 13 children and employed one teacher. Though small and humble, we found great success. Through community member and local government referrals our numbers began to increase. In our second through fourth years in operation we accommodated our growth by building additional classrooms and hiring a second teacher. Eventually, we moved to our current building in order to provide the children with more space for recess and outdoor learning, along with a third classroom and private bathrooms. Presently we are proud to say that we support just under 100 children and employ three teachers and one cook. Our growth has only been stunted by our lack of space. This is why our long term goal is to build and open our own school building, which will allow us to expand our reach with a goal of educating up to 300 children and employing a minimum of nine teachers, along with cooks and support staff. We are currently in the process of raising funds for our PLANTING ROOTS CAMPAIGN; which entails purchasing land and building a school for our programs.