We are celebrating our 20th year working on sustainable projects in northern Tanzania and it’s all thanks to you!

In 1997 a group of Shady Hill School families traveled to Tanzania with Thomson Safaris. Some of the families visited the Sakila Primary School, where they were treated to songs, poetry, soccer games, and warm embraces by their Tanzanian hosts. They also witnessed how students had to cram 100 to a classroom, with dirt floors, no windows, no electricity, and very few books. This small group of Thomson guests were touched by the students that they met and by Tanzania’s limited educational resources. More than the lack of supplies and inadequate learning space, they recognized that the students they met were hungry to learn. With the goal of addressing this widespread problem, this dedicated group of travelers, along with Judi Wineland, Co-Founder of Thomson Safaris, started the nonprofit organization Friends of Tanzanian Schools.

Friends of Tanzanian Schools went on to complete six classrooms, three teachers’ houses, and a computer room at the Sakila Primary School. We also fundraised to install electricity. Impressive, but that was just the start. Our humble roots at the Sakila Primary School have spread across northern Tanzania, where we have completed projects at 21 schools!

More than 20 years later, our name has changed to Focus on Tanzanian Communities and our focus on sustainable community-based projects has expanded to include women’s empowerment projects, healthcare initiatives, and delivering clean water to small communities. We still invest heavily in education, and our support is still primarily drawn from Thomson Safaris guests who are touched by those who call Tanzania home.

Please join us in celebrating 20 years of extraordinary projects by making a gift to FoTZC today! We appreciate your support!