Overview of Activities and Future Plans

The following is the outline of a document we hope to complete in the near future providing further details on Hope's activities and out future plans from immediate needs to our long-term vision for the organisation.


I – INTRODUCTION

“To give hope to those who have none” To create a caring Christian environment to ensure the long term future of our children and the community.”

Hope Foundation is a faith based charity which provides care for 28 orphaned or disadvantaged children, a pre school education for 45 3-6 year olds and an outreach programme for up to 120 people who are sick or suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Hope Foundation began in 2002 when Pastor Mrina and his wife began the orphanage, taking in 5 children between the ages of 3 – 10, since then the orphanage has grown and they now care for 28 orphaned or disadvantaged children between the ages of 3 - 18.

The Hope Foundation also began to run an outreach programme for widows of HIV/AIDS and those sick or suffering with other illnesses. When starting the outreach programme no one was aware of how to take care of HIV/AIDS sufferers. The Hope Foundation, though conferences and community outreach programs aims to help those suffering from HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness of the issue in the wider community.

Hope also is involved in the establishment and running of the two schools in the village. A pre-school for under sixes catering for 60 local children and a growing English medium primary school for 90 children between the ages of 6 and 9. Hope is aided in this project by an Australian charity with offices in Arusha.

II - OVERVIEW THE HOPE FOUNDATION

(a) Orphanage

a. Description

• 28 children between the ages of 5 and 14.

• A number of adolescents/ young adults Hope is helping to establish in life
• 2 dorms (boys and girls)
• cooking area
• Dining hall
• Toilet

b. Current ‘Income’
• Chicken project
• Pig breeding
• Small vegetable garden
• Stone quarrying


(B) Schools
a. Pre-School
• 60 children (4-6 years old)
• 2 teachers, 2 volunteers
• Currently housed in rented building close to the orphanage.

b. Primary School
• 60 children (6-9 years old)
• 3 classes (Kindergarten 1 and 2, Standard 1)
• 4 teachers, 1 director (Lilian Sabuni)
• 2 classrooms, 1 converted office, toilets, sports grounds
• All students currently sponsored by Australian donors through Immara.

(C) Community Outreach Programmes

a. Home Visits
• Elderly and sick people (house bound) in the community.
• Up to 90 people in the area are visited by members of Hope.
• Hope provides medical, material support as resources allow.
• Hope provides pastoral and emotional support and counseling.

b. Self-Sufficiency Programmes
• 20 needy families in the wider locality (widows, grandparents caring for children etc.)
• Aims at providing a sustainable future for these people by setting up small projects capable of generating future income e.g. pig-breeding, chicken breeding, cows etc.

c. ‘Hope Day’
• Monthly activity day for local needy children.
• Provides continual charitable aid such as school materials, books, uniforms, medication, clinic visits.
• Also emotional and pastoral care, prayers, singing, games and playing with other children.



d. Community Education Programmes
• Mixture of conferences and talks/lectures recent examples include the Women’s Conference (9th -13th of November 2009) and the upcoming Youth Conference (19th of December 2009). Visits by doctors from nearby hospitals to talk to the local community about the risks and means of treating HIV/AIDS.
• Topics include HIV/AIDS and wider health related issues in addition to broader development issues e.g. sustainable farming and small business management.

III – FUTURE PLANS

(A) SHORT TERM (Immediate Need)

a. Improving the infrastructure of the orphanage.

• Installing Electricity (2, 500,000 Tsh)
• Purchase of an Industrial Cooker (900,000 Tsh)
• Purchase of Furniture for new dining room (500, 000 Tsh)

b. Ongoing support for Children

• Food, clothing, school supplies etc (50,000 Tsh/child/month)


(B) MEDIUM TERM (6-12 month)

a. Expanding Orphanage

• New Building (Guest House). Land and labour provided, material costs to be confirmed (TBC)

b. Increase Livestock for Orphanage

• Increase the livestock from the current single (pregnant) cow to a futher 2 or 3 in order to provide milk and other dairy products for the children to increase nutrients and minerals in their diet (important for development)

c. Construction of a new classroom in the Primary School

• The current S1 class will become a new S2 class and will require a new classroom (13, 000, 000 Tsh)
• Currently in discussions with Imarra regarding possible funding.


d. Sponsorship for 30 new children in the Primary School.
• 30 6-year-olds, currently in the pre-school will be moving to the primary school in the New Year and will require sponsorship (estimated 550,000 Tsh/pupil/year. Covers all costs including school materials, uniform, food, teacher salaries etc.)


(C) LONG TERM

a. New Compound

• 2 and a ½ acres (15, 000, 000 Tsh)
• Ideal location and topography (a good sized site of flat land suitable for building is rare in the area)
• Currently available from a local farmer
• Will include;
o A larger orphanage for up to 70 (older) children in addition to the current facilities for 30 (younger) children .
o A Staff house for permanent and visiting staff (volunteers)
o A vocational training school to enable the young people to learn a trade and transition out of the program.
o A pre-school building designed to replace the current, rented accommodation.
o Will run a QT program from the vocational school in order to provide adult educational facilities to the local community and generate income for the Foundation.

b. Ongoing Sponsorship for Children

• Every year 30 new children enter the primary school and will require sponsorship (currently estimated at 550,000 Tsh/pupil/year)

c. Ongoing extension of primary school

• Current facilities only allow the school to teach up to Standard 1 (7-8 years old). As the current children grow older, the school will require a new class room and teacher in order to continue the children’s education up to standard 7. (13,000,000 Tsh/year for 6 years).

UPCOMING YOUTH CONFERENCE (DEC 17-22)

Hope is planning a youth conference to discuss HIV, education and general issues and concerns facing young people in the Kilimajora region today. There will be a series of seminars and discussions taking place over five days as well as sports and entertainment. This event will take place from December the 17th to the 22nd and will welcome up to 200 young people from the area. If you wish to participate or get involved just send an email and we will provide you with further details.

ABOUT US

Hope Foundation is a faith based charity which provides care for 28 orphaned or disadvantaged children, a pre school education for 45 3-6 year olds and an outreach programme for up to 120 people who are sick or suffering from HIV/AIDS.

History:

Hope Foundation began in 2002 when Pastor Mrina and his wife began the orphanage, taking in 5 children between the ages of 3 – 10, since then the orphanage has grown and they now care for 28 orphaned or disadvantaged children between the ages of 3 - 18.

The Hope Foundation also began to run an outreach programme for widows of HIV/AIDS and those sick or suffering with other illnesses. When starting the outreach programme no one was aware of how to take care of HIV/AIDS sufferers. Mark, the Pastor and Mamas second son travelled to Arusha to speak to an Australian/Tanzanian charity that runs a training school there for medical volunteering. The charity visited Msae village to speak to the community and help with training the volunteers in taking care of the patients. Whilst in Msae they stayed at the orphanage with the family, this sparked an interest in helping Hope Foundation with educational projects and in 2005 the land was bought for the building of a school with the Hope Foundation committee in charge of the immediate running of it and the charity overseeing it.

A Pre School baby class for 3-6 year olds ran at the church until 2007 when Hope Foundation were able to rent a nearby building, it now has 45 children attending and has two paid teachers who were previously local volunteers.

During 2007-2008 two classrooms for Kindergarten 1 + 2 (ages 6-7) and Standard 1 (ages 7-8) were built and in 2008 the school opened! Teachers were able to be hired and paid, before this the children were taught in the church by local volunteers and some members of the Mrina family. Since then the charity continue to help and support the Hope Foundation through child sponsorship schemes at the school and a view to continue building until there are 7 classrooms at the school to cater for all Standard 1-7 years the full educational requirements.

In 2008 Hope Foundation were able to fund the building of a dormitory for the girls whilst the boys slept in the Kindergarten at night. In 2009 Hope Foundation had a visit from a volunteering group called Path to Africa who arrange volunteering projects in Moshi, PTA began to send volunteers to Hope early in the Summer and after a few months building work resumed when a couple of young volunteers from Ireland arrived via PTA and helped to fund and build a new toilet block and more importantly a dormitory for the boys; finally all the children could sleep within the orphanage at night!

Just after this building work took place, Government officials visited and the requirement of a dining room was highlighted as an urgent necessity; this prompted the Australian/Tanzanian charity to send a team to build a dining room and kitchen which would finally give Hope the orphanage status it required.

In 2009 the Hope Foundation finally became a licensed orphanage! This meant that it met the requirements to be classed as an orphanage, prior to this it was allowed to have provisional status for a number of years until the required building work was finished.

2009 also sees a number of volunteers continue to arrive offering experience in various areas; currently a website and ways of advertising Hope to the local community and the outside world are in discussion as well as working on more structured programmes and roles for volunteers.

ORPHANAGE

Staff/Family:

The Pastor and Mama have lived in Msae all their lives. They have seven children who are all involved in the running of the orphanage in some way; the project management of building work, cooking, cleaning and looking after the children, teaching vocational skills such as tailoring or masonry, as well as researching and sourcing new information to further the goals of the Hope Foundation as a whole.

There are also a number of local volunteers, some who have been helping at the orphanage for over 10 years and some who are just teenagers themselves; they help with teaching the younger children, cooking, cleaning and washing, visiting patients on the outreach programme and helping with the administration of the Hope Foundation.

Hope Foundation have just this year begun receiving independent volunteers who have helped with building projects, working at the school, playing with the children and working on a volunteer plan for the future.

Kids:

There are 28 children at the orphanage between the ages of 3-18. The children have different stories; some have been orphaned through parents dying of HIV/AIDS, others have been abandoned or thrown out by their parents who have not cared for them, while some have been badly neglected or have had alcoholic or abusive parents. Now at Hope Foundation they are cared for and wanted and are given a bed, food, clothes and in most cases an education. Their future is looking much brighter!

About:

The orphanage is not just bed and breakfast for the children, it is their home and some have lived here for almost all of their lives. Many have grown up with the Mrina children and the younger ones play with the Mrina grandchildren; it is much like an extended family. The Pastor and Mama want to provide a safe home for the children who have had a difficult start in life but also a better future, this is why education is very important and most of the younger children go to the local school whilst some of the older ones learn vocational skills that can help them in their future. Even with very little resources the orphanage is a happy place and now that they have a dining room there is a central place for them to play games, do homework, sing and pray together and most importantly eat!

Pre School:

There are 45 children between the ages of 3-6 at the Pre School. They are taught by two paid teachers and currently 2 local volunteers. It is a free service and the youngest children at the orphanage attend as well as local children up to the age of 6. There is only one small room so it can be difficult to teach the class, this is why they are split into two groups and the 3-4 year olds are taught outside on benches (if it isn’t raining!) whilst the 5-6 year olds are taught inside on the floor.

Outreach:

The outreach programme was begun to provide support to the widows and sufferers of HIV/AIDS, it has since grown to include those who are seriously ill and need treatment and support, Hope Foundation currently visits up to 120 people in the local and surrounding villages. The service is carried out by the Mrina family and also local volunteers who can walk for up to two hours to visit somebody who is sick. They can offer company, home care such as washing, treatment or food as well as arranging for a patient to be driven to hospital if necessary. They also offer prayer which can be comforting for those who are too sick to travel to their church. The volunteers are also looking out for where they can help children who may also be sick or living in poor conditions; with a parent who is ill the children can often be neglected. Hope Foundation also run ‘Hope Day’ on the last Sunday of each month where around 126 children from the orphanage and surrounding areas all get together at the school to play. If there is funding they will also get a meal but the main idea is to connect the children and encourage a community spirit amongst them.

Mwika School:

The school was started by Hope Foundation many years ago, it was held in the church and run by volunteers. In 2007-2008 2 classrooms were built with funding from an Australian Christian charity and the school now has approximately 60 students teaching Kindergarten 1 + 2 (ages 6-7) and Standard 1 (ages 7-8). Hope Foundation have a committee which oversees and coordinates the running of the school and the hiring of staff whilst the charity funds the building work, salaries and materials and also finds sponsorship for the tuition fees. Most of the children from the orphanage who are of the correct age attend the school, and Hope are responsible for finding any local children who need funding and putting them forward for sponsorship.

Location:

Hope Foundation is located in Mwika Msae on the Eastern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro approx 5km outside of Marangu; the start of one of the Kilimanjaro trekking routes. The orphanage itself is about 3/4km from the Marangu to Mwika main road. Marangu is approx 40km outside of Moshi. The orphanage can be reached by Dallas Dallas from Moshi which takes approx 1-1.5hours and costs approximately 1500tsh (75p/$1) or from Marangu it is around 20mins and approximately 500tsh. The stop for Hope Foundation is about 20 minutes past Marangu, after about 15minutes look for two churches close to each other on the left hand side, then ‘Cornerways’ on the right, you then go over a small bridge and after a few hundred yards the road bends to the left, almost immediately after this there is a white sign with Hope Foundation Mwika Integrity School written on it. Bang on the Dallas Dallas and (hopefully) they will stop!

If you ask for Mamba Lekura (Kwa Justine) station they should also stop at the right spot, but still best to look out for the sign.

You then walk up this road up for about 10-15minutes; (cars can access it so if you are in a taxi it shouldn’t be a problem) just follow it up, (it bends a bit to the left and right) till you reach a crossroads where there is a shop on the right, another building just opposite it on the right and a shop “Rex’s” on the opposite left hand side, the road slopes down to the left, follow this round to the left and past the church on the right, turn right immediately after the church and you are at the orphanage.

PROJECTS

Completed;
A lot of the recent projects that have been completed have been building projects; since 2008 this includes two classrooms offices and storage for the schoolm formitories for the girls and boys, a toilet block for the children and recently the dining room kitchen and food storage room. We have also used old materials from a previous knocked down storage room to build a covered area for the trainee seamstresses to work.

Current;
Current projects are more based around improving the current site; a separate toilet block for the girls, a washing area with a basin/trough, the children are currently using a single tape to wash. Also securing a reliable supply of electricity, fitting a water pope and tank and buying a stove for the new kitchen. Other concerns are finding sponsorship for the children who are not able to go to school due to lack of funds, arranging local advertising to attract volunteers and setting up a website or online presence.

Future;
The long term future plan is to buy more land and build an orphanage for 70 more children. This would have dormitories, a kitchen, pre-school classrooms as well as an area for bocational studies; something that mama is very keen to expand on. Other projects would be for sustainable living; to keep chickens and pigs and grow vegetables to reduce the monthly food bill and perhaps generate an income at the same time. Also, the possibility of getting involved in cultural tourism programmes to generate visitors and an income from providing lunch or selling handicrafts made by the lovals an some of the children.

GET INVOLVED

VOLUNTEERING:

Everyone is welcome! The orphanage has rooms with space for up to 8 volunteers; due to fairly remote location it is suggested that volunteers stay at the orphanage; volunteers are asked to contribute 80,000tsh (approx £40/$60) per week, this includes accommodation, food and some clothes washing. Volunteers can stay in nearby Marangu and travel in each day, but this would probably work out more expensive than staying at the orphanage.

Food at the orphanage is excellent, breakfast is quite light and may consist of tea or coffee, bread & honey, boiled eggs, cooked banana or a fried dough. Lunch and dinner usually contain rice, noodles, or ugali with a stew that may contain any combination of cooking bananas, vegetables, beans, meat, or maize, there may also be cooked greens as a side dish. Sometimes there are oranges or watermelon as well.

The rooms at the orphanage are very comfortable with large bunk beds, a table or chair and a window. The toilet is African style which is a ceramic toilet bowl in the floor with a flush, many places in Africa use these types of toilets. There is no hot water but volunteers can wash in the toilet in the evening if hot water is boiled for them. The electric is intermittent as it currently runs off a generator until a permanent source is found, so bring a torch for the evenings.

Although the area is remote, there are a quite a lot of people who speak basic to fair English. There are some small shops selling basics such as toilet paper, water, sodas and snacks and there is mobile phone network coverage. The main road is a 10 minute down hill walk to wave down a dalladalla into Marangu, where there is a post office, internet and an ATM so it is not completely cut off from the outside world!

It is suggested that volunteers come with an idea of what they would like to do at Hope Foundation; reading the suggested roles before you arrive may be helpful in deciding what you can do. Individual Volunteering is quite new at Hope so the volunteers need to be a bit pro active and be prepared to jump in and get involved. Fundraising is also a good idea as funds are very limited at Hope so any contributions you can make towards a project or the general costs will be gratefully received.

Before coming to Tanzania seek medical advice from your Doctor on vaccinations required for the length of your stay. You will probably be required to have a Yellow Fever vaccination and certificate, and Hepatitis A + B. You should also seek advice on Malaria medication. Also, please be aware that HIV/AIDS is prevalent in Tanzania and that some of the children or adults at the orphanage may be living with the disease.

Please check with the Tanzanian Embassy in your country for the most up to date visa requirements, explain what you are planning to do in Tanzania and they should be able to advise you on the best visa to obtain for your trip.

Volunteer Roles at Hope Foundation Orphanage

Working with / supervising children

Hope have recently had a dining room built; lunch is around 1.30-3pm and dinner around 7.30-8pm, but outside of these times it can be used for activities and homework as well as religious education and prayer.

Some areas where volunteers can help include:

Supervising/playing with young children aged 3-6years from around 11am onwards after they return from Kindergarten.

Helping older children with homework after school / lunch, and helping with extra tuition.

Helping run / organize activities such as arts and crafts, games in the afternoons.

Vocational/Specific Skills

Volunteers who have a particular skill or profession can assist by teaching one or a group of students. Examples could be Carpentry, computer skills (although computer access is limited) car mechanics, building, tailoring etc.

Teaching Adult English

The staff and some of the teenagers at the orphanage are keen to learn more English and those who wish to can arrange small groups in the evenings or whenever convenient to help with teaching English skills. Previous volunteers began teaching in the evenings around 5pm (before it gets too dark) and had around 4-8 students each session. Their ages vary from 14-21 and levels of education can vary from only completing Foundation School to some time spent at Secondary School, so volunteers must be prepared for the different abilities. There are no real resources so volunteers should be creative with their teaching methods!

Home Visits

Hope arranges home visits; usually once a week on Thursdays, taking food or medication to those sick or suffering from HIV. Volunteers are asked to contribute towards this, perhaps with a bag or rice or sugar costing around 1500-2000tsh. If volunteers have nursing training this may also be of help in advice or making the patients more comfortable.

Housekeeping and Cooking

Volunteers can help with the daily housekeeping of the orphanage; cleaning, washing children’s clothes or helping with the preparation of lunch and dinner.

Secondary Tutoring

Some children are unable to afford to go to secondary school, volunteers can help tutor them at the orphanage; keeping their knowledge up to date until sponsorship money or funds are found for them to return to school.

Suggestions for Items that volunteers can bring
For the orphanage:
Games & Toys: Deflated footballs, skipping ropes, tennis balls, playing cards, educational games, simple board games, extra dice, jigsaw puzzles, toys for very young kids; ABC blocks, cars etc. Lego, stickle bricks.
Clothes and shoes for children of all ages and adults, football boots or trainers.

Arts & Crafts: Coloured/White paper and card, pencils, crayons, paints, paintbrushes, glue, blu tack, sellotape, safety scissors, beads, buttons, sequins, glitter, string.

Educational Materials: Reading books, school books, abacus, chalk board and chalk, exercise books.

Many of the stationary items can be bought in Moshi but some items can be expensive or of poor quality. Also be aware that there are 28 children so if you bring materials please ensure there is enough to be shared otherwise there may be squabbling!

For themselves:

Headlamp: it can get very dark at night and electricity is intermittent till a reliable source is found.

Cotton sheet or sleeping bag liner, (blankets and pillows are provided)

Good shoes if it is the rainy season as the hillside can be slippery.

Flip Flops for wearing in the washroom/toilet.

A warm jumper as it can get cold at night.

PREVIOUS VOLUNTEERS
There will be a section with information and advice from previous volunteers, contact details for them can be obtained from Hope Foundation, just contact us.

DONATIONS/SPONSOR A CHILD
To sponsor a child in the orphanage costs approximately 50,000tsh (£25/$40) per month, this covers food, clothing and a money towards school materials.
Sponsorship for children needing school funds; costs tbc, please contact us for details.
If you would like to make a donation or sponsor a child please contact us first.
VISITING
If you would like to visit please contact us first to check that someone will be here to meet you.
GIFTS IN KIND
If you would like to send us a gift please contact us first as there may be a charge for collection at the post office.

CONTACT US

Hope Foundation,
PO Box 163,
Marangu,
Moshi,
Tanzania.
Email: hopefoundationtz@yahoo.com

Tel: +255 754888487/+255 762747359