The seed of what would become Project Zawadi was planted when Brian Singer was a math teacher while in the Peace Corps in Tanzania. He began to help a family with 4 orphaned children by providing school supplies, clothing and food.  Realizing he couldn't personally pay all of their expenses, he contacted family and friends to request donations.  Thus, the idea of starting a non-profit was formed.  In 2000, Brian Singer and Karen Stupic joined forces with Tanzanian Michael Mussa to start the 501(c)3 non-profit PROJECT ZAWADI to support education in rural Tanzania. Its volunteer Board of Directors is comprised of Peace Corps volunteers, educators, philanthropists, Tanzanians and others with a passion for helping.  

 

 

A few years later, Brian, Karen and Michael started ACCESS 2 TANZANIA, a for-profit social enterprise that places Project Zawadi at the heart of its social mission.  Access 2 Tanzania supports Project Zawadi by providing in-kind and financial support that more than covers fundraising and administrative costs.  This means that 100% of your donations will go directly to programs and facilities in Tanzania.

 

 

Project Zawadi works hand in hand with a local community partner in the village of Nyamuswa.  With a population of approximately 10,000, Nyamuswa was chosen due to its remote and isolated location, great need and lack of resources.  (It is rare for international donations to reach most rural communities).  In cooperation with their local partners, Project Zawadi has been extremely successful in meeting its goals. 

 

 

EXPANDING HORIZONS is a fundraising program developed by Rhonda and Melissa Barona as a result of their travels to Tanzania.  Their school visits were eye openers that convinced them they needed to take action.  Rhonda described a visit to one school....."We entered a barren, dirt schoolyard where there were 4 small, dilapidated buildings that appeared to be abandoned. These were the classrooms that housed 300 students in kindergarten through 7th grade. That's 75 students crammed into one classroom with one teacher traveling between multiple rooms.  Each classroom had a dirt floor, 3-4 children at each "desk" and bare, dingy walls with not so much as a blackboard.  Each child had one workbook and a pencil. Otherwise, we saw no textbooks, notebooks, teacher's materials or any of the myriad of other educational supplies you'd expect to find in a school.  In the middle of each room was a pile of sticks the students had picked up on their walk to school. Would you believe some students walk 5 miles one way every day! The sticks were used to build a fire to cook the lunch provided by the school, the only meal many of the students would have that day." (Please click on the school photos on the Home Page)