PROJECT-SUPPORT TANZANIA

Association NUKIA, Zug, Switzerland

Country / Place

Tanzania, Dar es Salaam

Tanzania is a country in East Africa. It is located on the Indian Ocean and borders Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the DR Congo to the west and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. With almost 56 million inhabitants, it is the fifth largest country in Africa by population. The state capital is Dodoma, but the largest city is the coastal town of Dar es Salaam.  

The suburb of Mapinga is located around 40 kilometres north of Dar es Salaam.

General

NUKIA is an association that was founded in Switzerland in 2020 with the aim of working in partnership with locally recognised organisations directly on the ground. This requires a great deal of trust in the people responsible and ensures the long-term sustainability of the projects. So far, they have supported various projects in Tanzania: from a children's home and a health centre to family and social engagement with games, fun, sport, and culture. For them, sustainability means supporting children, families, and young people on their path to independence.  

Beneficiaries

The organisation works closely with its local partner Mama Leah in Tanzania. She knows the living conditions, worries and needs of the local population best. Together they learn from each other and work jointly to find the best solutions for all the challenges that constantly arise.

Maisha Bora children's home
Mama Leah founded the Maisha Bora children's home in 2021. Maisha Bora means ‘good life’ in English. She rented a house in Mapinga to provide a safe and loving home for 8 children. Thanks to Maisha Bora and NUKIA, all the children from the home are able to attend a good school and enjoy a good education as well as a family home, healthy food, and security. The children are either orphans or come from very difficult family backgrounds for whom the social services have asked for a place in the home.

Mapinga Primary School
Mapinga Primary School is a state school that NUKIA mainly supports with catering. Mum Eshi and Edina cook porridge for the children every day in the blue container. The girls and boys often came to school hungry and tired. With this simple cup of porridge, they are strengthened and can participate better in class. At the moment, over 700 children at two schools are already receiving meals every day. The organisation also provides school uniforms and school materials to children, whose parents cannot afford them, so that they can attend school at all.

Vocational training
After their official schooling, the organisation is keen to help young people take their first steps into the world of work. Tuwapende Watoto, also an NGO, offers various apprenticeships and so some young people do an apprenticeship there. As adults are no longer legally allowed to live in a children's home, Mama Leah has created space in her home and built an extension so that the young people still have a home. This resulted in a shared flat for the apprentices.  

Health project
Their nurse Winrose is transferring at the school knowledge to pupils, parents, and teachers on the topics of hygiene, health, and nutrition. Education about various health topics is a large part of prevention. If children are absent from school due to illness, she visits them at home and, if necessary, takes them to the doctor. NUKIA also covers many of the costs of health insurance for pupils from several schools.

Project-support

Project: Maisha Bora children's home / Food distribution

The Maisha Bora team takes good care to ensure that the children are fed a healthy diet. They buy fresh fruit and vegetables at the market every week. This means that not only the children in the children's home have something healthy to eat every day, but often a few neighbouring children also come and are supported in this way. In return, their parents occasionally help with work at the home.

For the very poor children at Mapinga School, there is a Saturday club at the children's home every Saturday. They come to Maisha Bora to sing, dance, learn, play, receive extra tuition in English, and are given a healthy lunch.