Alex, Leor and Zac's trip to Tanzania
As a charity we like to have a MWH team member visit the projects and development partners at least once a year. This helps us monitor project progress, assess impact, and identify potential new initiatives for schools. Recently, our chairman, Alex, along with two committed MWH supporters, Leor and Zac, travelled to Tanzania from January 30th to February 4th, 2023, to see the progress of ongoing projects.
During their visit to Tanzania, they met our amazing development partners in Tanzania, Ndoto in Action (NIA), who took them to visit 9 of our partner schools as well as 3 additional schools we don’t currently work with. Such visits to our partner schools provide a great way to assess the impact of our ongoing projects and identify areas where more work can be done.
The schools visits involved meeting with teachers and families to discuss ongoing and future projects for each school. MWH and NIA work collaboratively with the schools to gain a deeper understanding of the local context and to listen to the needs of local communities. By working together, we can design and implement projects that are tailored to address these specific needs, which can lead to more impactful and effective outcomes.
They were also able to attend the opening ceremony for the completion of 8 classrooms at Maweni Primary school, where the community, students and wider team celebrated the completion. Prior to the renovations, the classrooms were in very poor condition and were overcrowded and now 433 students will be able to learn in well-equipped and safe classrooms.
We caught up with Alex, Leor and Zac to see how they found their trip…
How did you find your trip?
“Seeing the work we have done is incredible but also taking time to understand how much more there is to do and where we can improve is most important” - Alex
“The trip was filled with incredible people and the NIA team on the ground in Tanzania are some of the best you can meet - driven, charismatic and empathetic. The children face every possible obstacle to getting a good education and an opportunity at life, but after meeting them and seeing their joy and gratitude for all the work Made with Hope is doing, it has inspired me to get more involved so the charity can help more schools who will benefit from their amazing work.” - Zac
“In a nutshell, it was and still is an emotional rollercoaster ranging from shock and disbelief when seeing the challenges the students face everyday in order to get an education, to laughter and joy when spending time with the students, community and wider team.” - Leor
What was the highlight of the trip?
“Meeting the local school children and their families and being hosted by them in their schools and homes. Visiting a MWH school and the pride that the children have in the school, it’s amazing to see.” - Zach
“Seeing the real difference Made With Hope makes in the region and spending time with the students and local communities” - Leor
“Seeing the opening of 8 classrooms at Maweni and spending all day throwing a ceremony and party for the community and children” - Alex
Why should other people support Made With Hope?
“MWH and NIA take the time to understand what the communities want and need, then work with them to ensure that the buildings are culturally appropriate and will be utilised by the school, rather than enforcing their own ideas of what “should” be happening.” - Zach
“It's rare to find a charity where 100% of your money goes to the cause and the money is spent quickly and impacts thousands of children’s lives” - Alex
“MWH makes a real difference in the region. Focussing on projects that matter and making the most of every donation to help these students realise their dreams” - Leor
We are grateful that Alex, Zach and Leor were able to visit on behalf of the Made With Hope team, and a huge thank you to NIA for facilitating the school visits! Collaboration is crucial to ensure we develop and create the most impactful projects for the children and families in Tanzania.
If you would like to read more about the projects and our partner schools, why not check out our projects and impact page, or read about more about project updates on our blog.
Written by Jess Pace