From early this year we have been very busy continuing the set-up process for our CBO – Community Based Organization. Thomas Kaniki, our chairperson and director and Sebastian Masaro, our secretary have continued to work with the banks in Moshi to set up an account. We also have selected for ABCD Canada, 10 new students – the selection process was a remarkable achievement as forms needed to be distributed and many families had to have help in filling them out! We are very happy that ABCD Canada is supporting our new students and I’m sure they will be happy to join our growing family!
Firstly to the banks; several have been tried and we decided to go with the old staple, CRDB. In this modern age of online banking you would think it relatively easy to set up an account. However, in a cash-based society as we have in Tanzania this is not so easy and a few more security checks need to be in place to open such an account. So now we have a Tanzania Shilling account as well as a USD account. Once confirmed we can see about a PayPal donation button on our website directly to this account. More news of this as it comes in.
Next to our growing family. We have selected, for ABCD Canada support, the following students:
We are very happy to accept them all and look forward to working to help them succeed. If our past success rate is anything to go by, they should do well. When the student knows he or she has the support of organizations such as ABCD Canada and ABCD Tanzania they tend to become more motivated and appear happier at school. Maybe this is a matter of confidence. When the student knows they have support it gives them that extra boost to try to do well.
Meanwhile, plans are afoot now in collaboration with ABCD Canada to identify and prioritize the building projects we can support this year and next. We continue with the proposal for a wall-restructuring and new roof at Kiunguni/Komalyango’e primary school. More on this soon. The toilet at Komela Primary School and the library at Nduweni Primary School are now complete.
Exciting news… two years ago, one of our director colleagues at ABCD Canada, Terry Maynard, initiated a solar light project using water bottles with a mixture of water and a little bleach to purify the water against algae. These bottles could be inserted into the roof and act as a prism to cast light into the house. the project was popular but didn’t really take off as people seemed reluctant to cut a hole in their roof!
Now the project is resurrected under a different scheme and we are able to provide solar light to 19 of or families – and this with both day and nighttime light! This project, is a collaboration with a Canadian company, (karibusolar.com).
We have identified 19 of our families who have no electricity and who still have children at home studying, not boarding. Each family will receive a solar light and panel and instructions for operation by Secretary Sebastian. This should greatly enhance the living conditions and home studying conditions for these families.
So, progress and is well underway at ABCDreams Tanzania. We look forward now to planning for fundraising events coming up late this year or early next. More on this soon.
Congratulation for that great work you are doing for students. I have been in teaching professional for 13 years now, and found that many students are discouraged to proceed with studies due to family problem, it is true that when student know that they are supported they increase confidence and improve academic [performance. All the best and thank you
john De Ronde for sharing with me that wonderful program, am ready for any support within my capability.
Stephen Makere