At first UWAKIKI members built a preschool that became a place of refuge for several orphans in the Kithaya region, providing them with basic knowledge as preparation for primary school. About 75 children (3-8 years old) join the lessons. They are put up by foster parents or with UWAKIKI members or their neighbours.
Besides school material the kids occasionally receive a dish, medicine and - after finishing the nursery school - a school uniform, which is a relic of the English colonial time and still common in Tanzania.
Target group
- mostly (half-)orphans (3-8 years old) whose parents had or have HIV
- detached and old people
- women
- HIV-infected and sick people
Duties and Responsibilities
These are the organisations most important tasks:
- care and education for pre-school-aged children (exempt from charges)
- free school supplies, health care and nutritional support for the foster families
- care and maintenance for old and diseased people as well as widows and widowers in the surrounding villages
- cultivation of trees for reforestation
- agricultural projects for ensuring food
- breeding of goats and chickens
School Lunch
School lunch has been served since its introduction in the summer of 2005. Depending on the financial resources available, pupils eat uji (porridge made from maize and water plus milk and sugar.) However, this meal cannot be guaranteed, because there aren’t always enough funds.
Continuation of this school lunch program would be desirable, so we could ensure that the children can eat at least one hot meal per day. And it’s hard to learn with an empty belly!