Dear Friends, I am writing to share some exciting news! The Tanzanian Children’s Fund and the Rift Valley Children’s Village are poised to start a new chapter. As a partner in building futures and a member of our family, I wanted you to be among the first to hear about it. First, a bit of […]
On July 15th, we celebrated our 620 fabulous microfinance clients at TCF’s Annual Microfinance Day! The theme of this year’s celebration was Breaking the Cycle of Poverty, designed to not only celebrate our clients’ successes over the past year, but to further educate them on how they can use their increased incomes to permanently free […]
As we watch 2-year-old Raif do his infamous waddle-run across the soccer field, it’s hard not to imagine what he will be like when he grows up. What will be his favorite subject in school? Will he be an academic, an artist, an athlete? What will he study in college or at university? Will he […]
After their secondary school graduations, a celebratory vacation, a 10-day crash MBA course, a computer training program and getting their driver’s licenses, our 11 Form 4 grads are ready for higher ed!Find out where they are headed and what they are up to in their first big steps toward independence: India Msee – has started […]
In every country across the world, child care is both a necessity and a barrier to employment for most families. In the Oldeani region of Tanzania, where the average annual income falls below $300, the need for both parents to have the freedom to pursue economic opportunity is even greater. Cognizant of the strain that […]
On Saturday, April 1st, the community center at the Rift Valley Children’s Village (RVCV) was packed as Education Director, Tim Kerr, and ESL Instructor, Jenna Thompsen, rushed to put up extra tables and chairs when more than double the expected applicants showed up for interview day. With the hopes of being selected as one of […]
Have you heard the parable of the man and the starfish? One day a man was walking on the beach and came across hundreds of starfish that had been stranded on shore. They were drying out and slowly perishing, so one by one, the man began picking them up and throwing them back into the sea. A young boy saw him doing […]
Investing in teacher training is one of the many ways we are working to improve the quality of education at our schools. In order to build our teachers’ computer literacy, Jenna Thompsen, RVCV’s English as a Second Language teacher, has designed and launched computer classes for a group of teachers at Gyetighi Primary School. Teachers are learning basic computer vocabulary, […]
When we held our first parent-teacher conference at Gyetighi Primary School ten years ago, I was shocked to see only a handful of people show up. It was hard for me to imagine parents not being interested in the opportunity to support their children and see firsthand what kind of education they were receiving. Clearly, I was new […]
TCF’s Malengo Mamas and Babas are unsung heroes and are perfect examples of how “the ripple effect” is taking place in our community. The men and women in this group volunteer their time to ensure the safety and well-being of the children in their villages. Malengo means “we have a plan” in Swahili and is used as […]
When a mother walks into the Rural Community Health Clinic seeking medical care for her child, Nurse Gretchen doesn’t just see an opportunity to treat the child, she also sees the opportunity to improve the health of his caretaker.In addition to being treated for any current health issues, every mother or father accompanying a child […]
Vincent Thlemu is a perfect example of TCF’s work coming full circle. During his first year of secondary school, Vincent’s legal guardian passed away, leaving him unable to afford to go to school. Not knowing what else to do, he went to see a woman who he had heard was helping hard-working students continue their education. After telling “Mama […]
