On November 2, Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) Robert Raines signed funding agreements for six new community-led projects made possible by the Ambassador’s Special Self Help Fund.
The Ambassador’s Special Self-Help fund has been helping Tanzanians to develop their communities since 1965. It supports small-scale, community-led development initiatives across Tanzania.
According to DCM Raines, the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund is a valuable program that allows the United States to partner with community groups that are working hard to transform their communities and create positive change.
“I believe that real, lasting change comes when people join together at the grassroots level to make positive changes in their communities,” DCM Raines said.
The Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund was set up to give a boost to groups that have demonstrated this commitment, and for over 50 years the fund has supported small-scale community development projects in every region of Tanzania.
List of this year’s beneficiaries
Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Grant
Organization: Agro-Livestock and Welfare Advancement Rural Environment (AWARE)
$9,692
The project is to construct rainwater harvesting systems for 4 dispensaries in Kalambo District, Rukwa region. This will address water availability challenges for the community’s particularly marginalized youth, women, people with disabilities and people living with HIV. Through this planned project, 4 rainwater harvesting tanks will be constructed for four dispensaries Msanzi, Mkali, Katazi and Kasanga. Each tank will have a capacity of 20,000 liters and will be erected in dispensaries for roof top collection.
Organization: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania Bega kwa Bega
$10,634.27
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania Bega kwa Bega is the Tanzania partner of the U.S. based organization Saint Paul Partners, which has over 15 years of experience in water projects in the Iringa region. The goal of this project is to provide accessible clean water to the village of Magome in Iringa, Tanzania. The project aims to deliver water to the community’s top priorities: the primary school, dispensary, and the market/Lutheran church area through a gravity-fed system at several distribution points.
Organization: Disability Relief Services – Tanzania (DRS-Tanzania))
$9,781
The goal of the project is to see PWDs, youth and women in the Kigoma Region, engaged in modern farming by raising goats and growing crops that provide both fodder and food to improve nutrition and food security and incomes from agriculture.
Organization: Prophina Day Care Centre
$9,994.65
Promote education, and combat illiteracy by building two additional classrooms which will allow more non-school aged children to be supported in a learning environment, giving their parents the ability to work outside the home. The centre is working towards the long-term goal of becoming a primary school in 2024.
Organization: Olive Branch For Children
$2,703.03
To educate the community in Usangu on environmental sustainability through tree planting and educational resources.
Organization: Jumuiya ya Maendeleo Unguja Ukuu (Unguja Ukuu Development Organisation)(JUMAU)
$9,735.05
Promote education by building an additional classroom block at Unguja Ukuu Primary School. The additional block will add three classrooms, allowing more students to attend school at one time. 