The original objectives of the Tumaini Trust have been met. The purpose was to provide secondary schooling for my former pupils as the local secondary school had closed. Through your generous donations and sponsorships 30 pupils were enabled to study at private boarding schools and a vocational training centre. Some were also assisted through university. A local secondary school has now been open for some years now and the fees are affordable for most families. The Trust now intends to diversify and help to provide small scale sustainable participatory development schemes in the Kilimanjaro region. This area is extremely beautiful and fertile, although there are few jobs. Many villagers leave to find work in the cities. If some work can be provided locally, villagers could then have a choice of whether to stay or seek work elsewhere.
I am working with 2 former pupils and local villagers to develop these projects. Our first initiative is a sponsored tree planting project consisting of two different elements:
- to sponsor villagers to collect seeds from indigenous trees and then grow saplings which will then be planted on common land
- to provide villagers with hass avocado saplings and training so that they can cultivate the saplings and then benefit from the harvest when the tree bears fruit.
This project would help to offset carbon emissions as well as provide local people with an income.
We are still at the planning stage and will provide an update shortly.
