Friends of Amani Tanzania (UK Registered Charity 1114281) Welcomes You
Reverse Birthday Gift - December 2021
Befriended by FOAT Trustee, Bridget Green in 2013 when she was studying for a PhD in Agricultural Economics at the University of Reading, Dr Anasia Maleko, a native of Tanzania, has become an established supporter of FOAT in many different ways.
Anasia’s birthday falls at the beginning of December. In 2021 she not only arranged for a cake for the children at the Amani Centre, but also one for the children at Buhangija School in Shinyanga.
This was a real treat for these children, many of whom have been abandoned at Buhangija by their parents because of the stigma and perceived ‘bad luck’ that a child with albinism is thought to bring to the family.
The Rev Stanley and some of the Shinyanga Church Community workers not only shared Anasia’s birthday cake and sodas with the children but they enjoyed singing and playing games with them. Just look at the enjoyment they all had by clicking the below link!
Latest News - August 2021
Buhangija Garden is thriving and self supporting
When the project to develop a community garden at Buhangija School for Children with Albinism was launched in March 2020, it was always the intention that this should be self supporting, providing both food for the children and an educational resource. Visiting the School in April 2021, Rev Stanley found the new staff team eager to learn and enhance their understanding of how to manage the garden and use it as a teaching aid.
Following some refresher training, the staff:
· elected a garden leadership team,
· identified what crops to plant and when,
· agreed how to manage the book keeping
· agreed plans to use the garden as an integral part of teaching, and
· involved the children in planting, harvesting. . . . and eating(!) the produce.
A visit to the School in June by church community worker Joan, showed just how determined the staff are to ensuring the on-going success of the project. They had used their own funds to install a pipe to link the garden to mains water supply so that even in the dry season when the water storage tanks are empty, the garden still has a regular water supply.
Rev Jacob with his wife Eliana, their daughter Ephracia and Shija and Lucia
Rev Jacob with his wife Eliana, their daughter Ephracia and Shija and Lucia
Rev Jacob with his wife Eliana, their daughter Ephracia and Shija and Lucia
Shija and Lucia welcomed into the school
Rev Jacob with his wife Eliana, their daughter Ephracia and Shija and Lucia
Rev Jacob with his wife Eliana, their daughter Ephracia and Shija and Lucia
The meeting provided an opportunity for counselling on how to care for a child with a disability, to meet other families facing similar challenges, to know there is a community of people who love them and want to continue to work with them to help reduce their challenges and to begin to build a local support network.
The outreach at Solwa will be used as a model for the other eight villages identified for outreach.
It will be helpful for families to meet together regularly, to do group activities for the purpose of sharing experience and encouraging each other to combat community stigma. It would be helpful for the children who are in a critical condition, to get treatment and support including taking them to hospital and paying for their treatment. This will need funds.
Note: Shinyanga is one of the poorest regions of Tanzania; the incidence of disability, particularly albinism, is high; the Diocese has no funds to support this work; the Tanzanian Government, while recognising the need to help these families, does not have sufficient revenue to do so. The only resource in Shinyanga provided by the Government is Buhangija Primary School (which is not sufficiently well funded to feed the children an adequate diet, hence the appeal in 2020 to establish the vegetable garden); the nearest hospital with facilities to assist these children is in Mwanza (four hours away by public transport) and there is no equivalent of the ‘Amani Centre’ to which the children can be referred for help. (The Amani Centre for Children with Disabilities is in Morogoro, 15 hours away by public transport!)
*Denotes hyperlink – click to watch short video
Latest News - 13 November 2020
The Garden at Buhangija School for Children with albinism
Since its inception in May of this year, the garden has continued to produce vegetables for the children. The papaya trees which were planted in June are now bearing fruit too. Papaya is not only a lovely tropical fruit but an excellent source of nutrition for the children.
Photos of the Disability Training in Shinyanga
One of the buildings at Solwa Medical Centre - before the renovation
One of the buildings at Solwa Medical Centre - after the renovation
One of the buildings at Solwa Medical Centre - after the renovation
One of the buildings at Solwa Medical Centre - after the renovation
One of the buildings at Solwa Medical Centre - after the renovation
One of the buildings at Solwa Medical Centre - after the renovation
Blessing Ceremony on 19 September
Blessing Ceremony on 19 September
Blessing Ceremony on 19 September
Blessing Ceremony on 19 September
Blessing Ceremony on 19 September
Blessing Ceremony on 19 September
1st July 2020 Update
The garden at Buhangija is thriving
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
The garden at Buhangija is thriving
First Crops have been Produced
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
The garden at Buhangija is thriving
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
Conducted by the Anglican Bishop of Shinyanga, Bishop Johnson Japhet Chinyong’ole.
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
Conducted by the Anglican Bishop of Shinyanga, Bishop Johnson Japhet Chinyong’ole.
Presenting the Bishop with harvest
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
Presenting the Bishop with harvest
Plenty more to Harvest!
Yesterday there was a joyful service of blessing for the garden
Presenting the Bishop with harvest
Buhangija Residential School, Shinyanga
Towards the end of March 2020, the Rev Stanley Sewando reported on the plight of the children of Buhangija, a residential school for children with albinism in Shinyanga. People with albinism in Tanzania face widespread persecution and most of the children resident at the school have been abandoned by their parents. With the fear of Covid-19, food prices had soared and the already very meagre local support they used to receive at Buhangija, had dried up. As a result, the 250 children were facing starvation. There was an immediate need to provide food over the next few months. Going forward, the plan was to develop a plot of land adjacent to the school as a vegetable garden. This would help to feed the children, as well as giving them an opportunity to learn new skills, and any surplus produce could be sold locally.
At the beginning of May 2020, assisted by a friend, FOAT Trustees Bridget and Leslie launched an appeal to donate towards emergency food supplies and for the establishment of a vegetable garden. Stanley Sewando filmed a short video (which you can watch by clicking here) to launch the appeal.
By early June 2020 some £8,000 was raised which enabled:
· Emergency food supplies to be delivered to the school on a weekly basis from the start of May*
· The purchase of 2 x 10,000 litre water tanks
· The purchase, supply and fitting of drip-feed irrigation pipes to the one acre garden plot https://youtu.be/4O6Pdkbk7Xc.
· The supply and construction of fencing around the plot
The children, staff and School Board have been involved throughout the process, with some of the staff and board members contributing funds for water to fill the tanks as the rains had all but finished by the time the tanks were installed. (You can watch some of the work going on here: scything , ground clearance, clearing land. Preparing pipe connectors, Competing to finish the task, Connecting side arms, and Run the irrigation hoses. Watch as the technician instructs a teacher and girls to position the irrigation pipes and secure them in place by tying the end of the pipe to a stick: Technician instructs teacher and girls, Teacher teaches girls, Girls practice what they have learnt.)
In due course, the Buhangija Community Garden will become the responsibility of the School to run and maintain. As soon as COVID-19 restrictions allow, there will be detailed discussions and a formal handover of responsibilities from the Diocese.
Click the links to see Masunga and Silverster expressing their thanks to the Bishop and their appreciation for the love shown to them by Friends in the UK and the Anglican Church in Shinyanga.
We have received the excellent news that the garden has attracted widespread interest in the local area. The municipal education officer in Shinyanga has instructed his staff to ensure the long-term sustainability of the garden by helping with any problems that may arise, such as providing water for irrigation and the school will use the garden as a learning tool for the children, teaching them important skills. In addition, we are delighted to hear that many other schools have come forward, wanting to learn from the Buhangija experience.
Most importantly of all, the project is helping to break down the preconceived ideas about disability and has raised awareness of what people with disabilities can achieve.
In due course, the Buhangija Community Garden will become the responsibility of the School to run and maintain. As soon as COVID-19 restrictions allow, there will be detailed discussions and a formal handover of responsibilities from the Diocese.
Children clearing the land
Taking Delivery of the Water Tanks
Taking Delivery of the Water Tanks
Taking Delivery of the Water Tanks
Taking Delivery of the Water Tanks
Taking Delivery of the Water Tanks
Three weeks after planting the seeds
Three weeks after planting the seeds
Three weeks after planting the seeds
Weekly food delivery in June
Three weeks after planting the seeds
Three weeks after planting the seeds
