Unite expands program impact through new partnerships

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

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Unite Program Director Anty Marche, Unite Executive Director Anne Wells, Beyond St. Jude’s Manager Vivian Deus, Unite Environmental Scientist Clara Wilson Ngowi & Unite Board Member Dr. Nikki Gorman at The School of St. Jude in Arusha, Tanzania, in December 2021.

Collaboration, partnership, and the sharing of best practices and information to advance impactful work in service to those in greatest need… These are core principles of Unite. Here below, I am excited to share news of a number of new recent partnerships:

THE SCHOOL OF ST. JUDE (St. Jude’s)

The School of St Jude’s mission is to bring free, quality education to children living in poverty in Tanzania. Currently, St. Jude’s provides free education to 1,800 primary and secondary students and supports 100s of graduates with access to higher education. Unite is now working with “Beyond St Jude’s” to further serve their A-Level Form 6 graduates —all of whom are either seeking scholarships for university-level education and/or employment or enhanced employment opportunities across East Africa. To this end, Unite has granted St. Jude’s total access and use of Unite’s Soft Skills of Professionalism Curriculum, which features training modules covering such topics as self-awareness; communication, presentation, and listening skills; personal branding and the healthy and appropriate use of social media; networking; time management; applying for university-level scholarships as well as internships and career opportunities post-graduation; and preparing for interviews. Additionally, as part of this partnership, the students and graduates of St. Jude’s will now have open access to the Unite Passion Project video library, which features speakers from all around the world sharing about their work and how they achieved their dreams. Through these lessons and this broadscale exposure, we hope to help prepare these talented youth for a successful professional life after high school and/or university-level graduation. We will host the first Unite-led training workshops (alongside Unite travelers, partners, colleagues, and teammates) at St. Jude’s in June 2022.

“Over the years, St Jude students have excelled brilliantly in the fields of academics, sports, innovation, and many other extracurricular activities. An opportunity to further equip them with the 21st Century skills through the Unite Program will undoubtedly transform them into global citizens. We believe it's an opportunity to help our students and graduates become moral and intellectual leaders in community service, leadership, employment, and entrepreneurship.”

Simon Lucas, “Beyond St. Jude’s”

St. Jude’s Form 6 graduating class of 2021. Many of these students will participate in our Unite Pre-Professional Trainings in June.

THE GIRLS FOUNDATION OF TANZANIA (TGFT)

Unite is now working with the non-profit TGFT to expand the reach of our Unite Soft Skills of Professionalism Curriculum and Unite Passion Project. TGFT’s mission is to “educate Tanzanian girls to become informed and empowered leaders in their communities.” While TGFT will be using Unite’s curriculums on their own for the next few months, we will host our first Unite-led training workshop in July 2022, at the Henry Gogarty Secondary School in Arusha.

“Thank you so much for this opportunity. We want our students to become well-rounded leaders, which means we need to provide them with as many educational opportunities as we can. Girls need as many mentors and teachers to guide them, inform them, and inspire them… A good curriculum is worth its weight in gold. We need your curriculum. This is exciting.”

Nano Chatfield, Co-Founder and Chair, The Girls Foundation of Tanzania

Nano Chatfield (left back row) with some of the girls and staff of TGFT in Arusha.

Powerful statistics from TGFT

  • 95% of Tanzanian girls do not graduate from high school

  • Only 17% of girls enroll in secondary school

  • Fewer than 4% of high school-aged girls complete secondary school

In 2021, Unite was introduced to Phil Fusco, Director of the USA-based charity Phillips Love Bears, by our long-time friends and supporters at Saint Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southport, North Carolina. Phil and his wife Angela make and send teddy bears to orphanages and children in need all around the world — from Belize and Mexico to India and the Ukraine. The project was started for their son Phillip who was born in 1991 with a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome and sadly passed away in 2020.

To help support Unite’s artisans, Phil and Angela have engaged our Brave Widows (at fair market prices) to make the special shells that line their weighted and unweighted Teddy Bears and “Friends” as well as to make “teddy bear backpacks” for children to use to carry their special bears. We are grateful to Phillip’s Love Bears to providing a dignified source of steady work and income for the mamas enrolled Unite’s Brave Widow program. Additionally, Phillips Love Bears are now also supporting Unite’s young, wildly talented oil painter Maliondo Amini through the commissioning and publicizing of his art on their new online global marketplace. See www.phillipslovebears.com.

Click HERE to read a recent article in The Philanthropy Journal that discusses our partnership.

With six of Unite’s Brave Widows in December 2021.

Introducing our new class of Unite A-level Scholars

This Valentines Day, why not give the gift of education?

Our Unite team has been searching far and wide across all of Tanzania to find the top-performing Form 4 (lower secondary school) graduates from extremely impoverished and marginalized backgrounds who achieved the extremely difficult Division 1.7 - Division 1.10 on their Form 4 National Leaving Exams. Each candidate must submit essays, transcripts, videos, photos, and recommendations. Those who qualify are then interviewed extensively by our Unite selection committee.

Below please find 10 of our top candidates. We are seeking sponsors for each of these students. Our Unite sponsorship includes academic, social, health, and professional support (e.g. school fees; all school-related supplies; all personal items; access to a cell phone and laptop; transportation; health insurance; one-to-one mentor support; extensive trainings in critical life skills, the soft skills of professionalism, entrepreneurship, organic gardening, and environmental conservation); paid internships with Unite Food Program; career guidance; networking support; and more).

The comprehensive cost to sponsor a Unite Scholar for one year: $2,000

1/2 and 1/4 sponsorships are invited as well.

Sponsors receive regular updates about their scholars and are invited to send and receive letters — if desired. Please click here to sponsor or to make a general contribution to Unite’s education fund. The more money we raise, the more young people in need will be educated.

As a reminder, Unite the World With Africa Foundation’s board of directors covers our modest operating budget, so 100% of your donation will go directly to the program in Tanzania. Please call me at 314-239-3997 with any questions or to discuss any of these candidates.

GAUDENCIA DAUDI SIMON

Gaudencia, 20, is from Nyamwilolelwa village in Mwanza district, Tanzania. She is the fifth of nine children born to a father who works as motorcycle driver and a mother, who Gaudencia tells us is an alcoholic housewife.

When Gaudencia was eight years old a man in her village saw her and her mother singing and dancing at an event and decided to sponsor Gaudencia through primary school. The man sent Gaudencia to live with his sister in Morogoro; this woman later became Gaudencia’s guardian. Gaudencia completed primary school earning all As and was selected by the Tanzanian government to attend the prestigious government secondary school Tabora Girls for her O-levels (lower secondary school). Gaudencia’s parents were unable to help pay for any of her basic needs while at Tabora. Gaudencia was never able to travel home for any school holiday for the entire four years due to her parents inability to pay bus fare.

At Tabora Girls, Gaudencia served as cleanliness prefect and assistant to the school nurse. She graduated Form 4 in December 2021 and scored Division 1.7 on her national exam — making her one of the top 10 performing girls in all of Tanzania. Gaudencia’s teachers report that she has excellent leadership and communication skills and that she is humble, takes excellent care of others, and is very talented across many disciplines. Gaudencia also received a certificate of excellence for being the top student in English.

Gaudencia dreams of becoming a pediatrician.

ONESMO AMOS SHEDRACK

Onesmo, 19, is from the Kasangezi village in the Kisulu district of Kigoma Tanzania. Onesmo lives with his mother, a small-scale farmer; his father, who lost his sight and one of his legs to Type 2 Diabetes; and his eight siblings. The entire family is dependent upon Onesmo’s mother who grows maize, fruits, and ground nuts on their small family plot and raises piglets to sell.

Onesmo completed his primary education at Kakungure school and performed so well that he was was assigned in 2018 by the Tanzanian government to attend Mzumbe secondary school for boys in Morogoro for his O-levels (lower secondary school). Throughout his four years at Mzumbe, Onesmo never went home once as his family couldn’t afford bus fare. He also regularly went without necessary school supplies. Against all odds, Onesmo scored Divion 1.7 on his Form 4 national exams—making him one of the top 10 performing boys in all of Tanzania. Onesmo’s teachers report that he is a very hard worker, participates fully in all academic and extracurricular activities, and that he is a team player with excellent communication skills. Outside the classroom Onesmo loves to play football.

Onesmo dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. “My dream is to become a neurosurgeon so as to change my family’s history and life in general. I wish one day to wipe away my father and my mother’s tears.”

VERONICA MOSES MNONJE

Veronica, 18, grew up in the Temeke District of Dar es Salaam with her father (a mechanic earning 2,000 TSH/day or ~$.80), her mother (a housewife), and her two siblings. When Veronica was 10 years old her family was evicted from their rented room due to failure to pay. Her father then abandoned the family and Veronica hasn’t seen him since. Still, Veronica managed to earn all As in primary school and was assigned to Tabora Girls secondary school for her O-levels (lower secondary school).

Throughout her four years at Tabora, Veronica’s mother begged extended family members for help to pay for Veronica’s school needs; however, Veronica often went without and stayed at school over the holidays due to lack of funds for transport home. Against all odds, Veronica scored Division 1.7 on her national exam — making her one of the top 10 performing girls in all of Tanzania. At Tabora, Veronica was selected to be Academic Prefect and she also worked on the school magazine. Additionally, Veronica received certificates of excellence in Chemistry, Biology, Kiswahili, and Civics.

In 2020, Veronica’s older brother passed away leaving his three young children in the care of Veronica’s mother, who survives by selling vegetables in the streets. The children’s mother abandoned the children after their father died and hasn’t been heard from since, so Veronica is now helping to raise her nieces and nephew when she is home.

Veronica dreams of becoming a nephrologist.

NICHOLAUS FAIDA MAKENZA

Nicholaus, 19, is from the Nyantolotolo village of Geita, Tanzania. Nicholaus’ father abandoned his mother and younger brother and sister in 2008 and took Nicholaus to live with him. His father soon remarried and the stepmother abused Nicholaus, eventually kicking him out of the house. At nine years old, Nicholaus found himself homeless, wandering the streets to survive. Eventually, he was taken in by the village chairman who, while poor himself and responsible for a large family, did what he could to help Nicholaus finish primary school.

Nicholaus was assigned in 2018 by the Tanzanian government to attend the prestigious government secondary school Tabora Boys for his O-levels (lower secondary school). Throughout his four years at Tabora, Nicholaus searched for jobs in town (masonry, digging wells and toilets, etc.) to earn money to meet his most basic needs. He received no support at all from his father or mother (his sister and brother never went to school at all due to his mother’s inability to pay), and he stayed at school over all school holidays. Against all odds, Nicholaus scored Divion 1.7 on his Form 4 national exams. Nicholaus’ teachers report that he has excellent leadership and communication skills and that he is very respectful and cooperative. Nicholaus also received special recognition for Outstanding Performance in Academics, Kiswahili, Biology, and Geography as well as for serving as Health Prefect.

Nicholaus dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon.

FAIDHA KHALID CHARLES

Faidha, 18, is from the Mvomero District in the Morogoro region of Tanzania. Faidha has one half sister, 21, who never finished school and has no job so she stays at home, one younger sister, 15, and a three year old younger brother. In 2020, Faidha’s father was diagnosed with a mental illness. Believing he was cursed as a result of witchcraft, his relatives took him away. Since then Faidha’s mother has been left alone to care and provide for the family. Unable to pay rent or meet the children’s most basic needs, Faidha’s mother took the children to live with an uncle in a small rented room without water or electricity.

Faidha completed her primary education at Kichangani “B” Primary school earning As in all of her classes. She was then chosen to attend one of the strongest government schools in the country, Kilakala Secondary School for Girls, for her lower secondary school (O levels). Throughout her four years at Kilakala, Faidha’s family was never able to provide sufficient funds for such things as stationary, personal hygeine items, or transport money to return home over school holidays. She graduated in December 2021 and scored Division 1.7 on her national exam — making her one of the top 10 performing girls in all of Tanzania. At Kilakala, Faidha was an active member of the Maadili (“Values”) Club. Outside of class, she loves to cook and read. 

Faidha dreams of becoming a food scientist. 

ELISHA GEORGE JOHN

Elisha, 19, is from the Nyalugusu village of Kigoma, Tanzania. Elisha is one of nine children born to his father, a village pastor and peasant farmer, and mother, also a peasant. Elisha is blind. When he was just seven years old, Elisha was diagnosed with retinoblastoma (eye cancer) and underwent surgery to have both eyes removed. His parents didn’t have the money to pay for the surgery so they collected donations from fellow church members and the doctors at Muhimbili Hospital in Dar es Salaam paid the balance of fees due.

Everyone told Elisha’s parents that blind children are not meant to go to school, but his parents perservered and sent him to Kigoma to a primary school for children living with disabilities. It was the first time Elisha had ever been away from his parents, and he relied on the kindness of his peers to get around, assist with his studies, and wash his clothes. Elisha finished primary school in 2017 and was chosen to attend the prestigious government secondary school Tabora Boys for his O-levels (lower secondary school). Classmates held his hand to guide him around the school for the first three months, after which time he could move on his own as he had memorized the campus. Elisha was awarded a certificate of recognition for his “high performance in academics despite his disability.”

Elisha dreams of becoming a journalist for such news outlets as BBC, CNN and Voice of America, and execute a mass education campaign about the “rights and talents of disabled people in Africa.”

VAILETH KOMBA

Vaileth, 17, is from the Pwani region of coastal Tanzania. Her father is a watchman at a petroleum company by night and a manual laborer by day. Vaileth’s her mother sells vegetables in the streets. Vaileth has two sisters, one who is 27 years old and one who is six. 

Despite never having the basic school supplies necessary due to her family’s poverty, Vaileth excelled all throughout primary school . Due to her extraordinary results, Vaileth was assigned by the Tanzanian government to attend the prestigious Kilakala secondary school for girls. At Kilakala, Vaileth consistently earned the highest marks possible in her classes. She graduated Form 4 in December 2021 and scored Division 1.7 on her national exam — making her one of the top 10 performing girls in all of Tanzania. Vaileth’s teachers report that she has excellent leadership and communication skills and that she is extremely hard working and a great team player.

Vaileth dreams of becoming a chemical engineer. 

SAJO MATHIAS NASIBU

Sajo, 18, lives in the Kinzudi village in Dar es Salaam with his mother and older sister. Sajo’s father was murdered in 2006, shot twice in chest. Sajo and his family still do not know why he was killed and no one was ever arrested for the crime. Sajo’s life has since been extremely challenging. His mother never finished school and survives by frying chicken legs and selling them in the streets. Sajo and his sister often go hungry.

Throughout primary school, Sajo was often bullied by classmates for being poor. Sajo received his primary school uniform as a donation from Save the Children and worked to earn money for himself and his family by acting in plays organized to educate people about human rights. Despite never having his basic needs met or proper school supplies, Sajo graduated with As in all his subjects and was assigned by the Tanzanian government in 2018 to attend Mzumbe Boys Secondary School in Morogoro, Tanzania, for his O-levels (lower secondary school). Sajo graduated Form 4 in December 2021 and scored Division 1.9 on the national exam. Sajo’s teachers report that he is cooperative, respectful, and a great team player with excellent leadership and communication skills. While at Tabora, Sajo was also an active member of our Unite Club Program at Mzumbe. While he is home, Sajo works to earn money for his family by tutoring local kids in his neighborhood.

Sajo dreams of becoming an engineer.

HAWA HAMIMU AMRI

Hawa, 18, is the oldest of two children living with her mother (who was abandoned by their father and earns money by making food to sell in the streets), grandparents, and aunt and uncle in a single tiny rented room of the extremely crowded Kariakoo marketplace district of Dar es Salaam. Kariakoo attracts people from all over the continent looking to do small-scale business and trading. Women and girls are especially at risk in this environment, and Hawa has faced relentless abuse and taunting from male strangers.

Despite her harrowing home life, Hawa completed her primary school at the government Uhuru school in Dar. She was bullied by her peers for never having her basic school necessities or uniforms. Against all odds, Hawa finished each year as one of the top 10 students in her classes.

As a result of her at-risk home life and outstanding academic performance, Hawa was chosen to attend the Sega Girls School in Morogoro, Tanzania, for her four years of O-levels (lower secondary school). She graduated Sega in December 2021 and scored Division 1.9 on her Form 4 national exam. Her teachers report that she is extremely respectful and a great team player. She also received certificates of excellence for outstanding performance in Civics and Chemistry.

Haya dreams of becoming a cardiologist.

LUCAS PETER HENRY

Lucas, 20, is from the Majango ward of Tanzania’s Rukwa region. He is the second of three children born to his mother. Each of his siblings has a different father. When Lucas was seven years old his mother died. At that time his step-father left with Lucas’ older brother and hasn’t been heard from since. His sister was taken by her paternal grandparents, and Lucas went to live alone with his elderly grandmother. When Lucas was 15, his grandmother also passed away. From there Lucas went to work as a houseboy for a family with nine children, working and doing chores in exchange for room and board and the ability to complete primary school.

Lucas completed primary school performing exceptionally well despite never having his basic needs met. He was assigned by the Tanzanian government in 2018 to attend Mzumbe Boys Secondary School in Morogoro, Tanzania, for his O-levels (lower secondary school). Lucas graduated Form 4 in December 2021 and scored Division 1.9 on the national exam. Lucas’ teachers report that Lucas is cooperative, respectful, and a great team player with excellent leadership and communication skills. While at Mzumbe, Lucas was also an active member of our Unite Club Program, rising as a leader in all activities, particularly enjoying our Unite Hummingbird Environmental Program.

Lucas dreams of becoming an engineer.

2021 By the Numbers, Finale: Unite Hummingbirds & ANNOUNCING A NEW "GREEN" CAMPAIGN!

“There is a magic machine that sucks carbon out of the air, costs very little and builds itself. It’s called a tree. It is a tool we can use to repair our broken planet.” ~Greta Thunberg

The Unite Hummingbird program plants trees to combat deforestation and environmental degradation; builds and plants nutritious, edible school gardens to help combat malnutrition; installs water sources when and where necessary; and teaches students and communities about the importance of environmental conservation, reforestation campaigns, and organic farming practices. The program is led by Unite Program Manager and Environmental Scientist Clara Wilson Ngowi. Some 2021 highlights include:

Click HERE to see the Unite student club at Masasi Girls Secondary plant their trees and gardens.

Click HERE to see a video of the forest.

The “Greening” of Unite Food Program Headquarters in kunduchi, Dar es Salaam

Click HERE to listen to the birds and natural sounds at UFP HQ. Click HERE to see a video of the Unite Gardens.

Click HERE to see a video of the team planting fodder grasses.

ANNOUNCING A NEW HUMMINGBIRD CAMPAIGN FOR 2022

Unite is determined to put more and more energy and resources into tree planting to combat deforestation and environmental degradation and into the building out nutritious, edible school gardens to help combat malnutrition. We will continue to expand our work with our seven partner schools involved in our Unite Club program, and we are now seeking new partner schools for these campaigns. Our first “new” partner school with whom we will focus soley on reforestation and nutritious gardens is the Matim Government Primary School for the Maasai in the Arusha district of northern Tanzania. For this project, we are partnering with ECHO (for the indigenous trees and plant species and critical trainings) and A is for Africa (for ongoing oversight and project management). See the campaign below:

2021 By the Numbers, Part 5: Unite Club Program

Unite has established Unite Clubs in government secondary schools across Tanzania to prepare students to become effective leaders and positive change agents in their communities. Specific objectives of the Club program include: teaching students to think independently and develop their own solutions to life’s problems and equipping students with the essential “soft skills” of professionalism necessary for success in the international marketplace.

Highlights from 2021:

Click HERE to see Unite Scholar David Bitaho introduce the Unite Club Program to Tabora Boys School.

ELEMENTS OF THE CLUB PROGRAM

Click HERE to review the entire Unite Club “Soft skills” Curriculum.

Click HERE to learn more about the Unite Passion Project.

Click HERE to see a video of the Hummingbird tree planting campaign at Kibaha Boys School.

Click HERE to see the Matron of the Rafiki Children’s Centre in Tanzania thanking the Same Boys Unite Club for their support.

A very special thanks to the Unite Club Coordinators who help make all of this work, and impact, possible.

2021 By The Numbers, Part 4: The Unite Food Program Outpost

Unite built the Unite Food Program (UFP) Outpost in partnership with business owner and project manager Baraka Sadaam Saul. A rice and maize milling center (along with living quarters for the work team) was constructed and equipped to serve thousands of people living across five villages in the Sumbawanga region of Tanzania (not far from the Zambian border). Prior to the UFP Outpost, there were no services in the area and villagers had to walk extremely long distances to mill their maize and thresh their rice. In addition to the mills, Unite has purchased land on which we have built gardens that are providing essential fruits and vegetables to the community as well as providing fertile lands for Unite Scholars to rent, plant, and harvest their own organic crops (to then be resold back to UFP). Below please find a few additional Outpost highlights from 2021:

Click HERE to see the team at work.

Click HERE to see a video of the team at the Outpost.

Click HERE to see a video of the Outpost.

Click HERE to see a video of customers coming to the Outpost.

Click HERE to see the team in uniform at UFP Outpost.

Click HERE to see a video of the UFP farm, early days.

Click HERE to see a video of the team finishing construction of the farmhouse.

Click HERE to listen to Unite Scholar Isaac Mwimanzi speak about working the land at Nankanga.

Click HERE to see Day 1 of the Unite internship program at UFP Outpost.

Click HERE to see our Unite Scholars visiting Nankanga schools.

Click HERE to see the unpacking of the home good supplies.

Happy New Year: 2021 by the numbers, Part 1

From our Unite family to yours, happy new year. 2021 was a hugely successful year for Unite, and we are deeply grateful to each and every person who helped support our work, in ways both big and small. Together all things are possible. Here please find the first in a series that will capture a few “measurable” highlights from 2021, program by program. We begin with:

The Unite Scholars Program

In 2021 our Unite Scholars achieved all kinds of successes — from graduations, celebrations, and internships to earning scholarships, university admissions, new learning opportunities, securing opportunities for paid work (part time for those still in school and full time for a few who have graduated) and much more. Here, a few highlights:

Thank you to all all our Unite Scholar Sponsors & Unite Donors for your support of these extraordinary young people. Their futures are bright, thanks to all of you… and to our awesome mentor Joan Mnzava who is tireless in her efforts to support, care for, nurture, discipline, guide & love each and every one of our scholars.

Unite Mentor Joan Mnzava with Unite Scholar Neema Paul at the graduation ceremony for the scholars’ internship at Unite Food Program headquarters in Dar es Salaam, June 2021.

We did it! Thank you to everyone who made Unite's $25,000 matching grant possible!

Dear friends and supporters of Unite,

Thank you so very much for enabling us to reach our goal of raising $25,000 to receive a $25,000 matching grant! With these funds we will expand and grow the Unite Food Program by empowering more:

  • Small-scale farmers with a fair market value for their organic grains and multi-layered, hermetically-sealed, pest-resistant grain bags that allow for the safe storage of freshly harvested crops without spoilage for over a year;

  • Children and families with healthy, organic, tasty, and affordable staple food items; and

  • Talented young men and women — as well as elderly widow women — with gainful work opportunities.

To watch our Unite Food Program documentary, click HERE.

Please click on the links below to watch a few 1-minute videos to see a bit about how Unite Food Program (UFP) is impacting lives in Tanzania and to meet UFP teammates who make this work possible. Please know that I am leaving next month to join our Unite team in Tanzania and will be accompanied by Program Director Anty Marche and Board Members Tanya Murphy, Lisa Lawrence, and Dr. Nikki Gorman. If you have any questions about our upcoming trip or are in Africa and would like to meet with us in person, please email me at anne@uniteafricafoundation.org.

Asante sana. Thank you so much.

Click HERE to see how people around the world are feeding and “blessing” those in greatest need with the gift of Unite Food Program organic staple food products.

Stanley with Unite Program Director Anty Marche. Click HERE to hear Stanley talk about the importance of providing a secure market for the small-scale farmers.

Lazaro and Anty, Summer 2021. Click HERE to listen to Lazaro talk about why he loves working at UFP to “buy from the poor to feed the poor.”

Azamela working the land at Unite Food Program headquarters in Dar. Click HERE to hear Azamela, a food scientist, talk about how UFP is impacting society.

Richard “Richie” pictured with a certificate of excellence for completing the Unite Food Program intensive internship in June-July 2021. Click HERE to hear Richie talk about how UFP empowers him to work with all kinds of technology and freely express his creativity.

Hosiana teaches daily lessons to women in the community about health, hygiene, sanitation, and proper nutrition for themselves and their families. Click HERE to hear Hosiana discuss how she is educating the local community around UFP headquarters in important health matters.

Click HERE to learn about how UFP has built a secondary business selling the maize bi-product: grits.

A Matching Grant Enables Expansion and Sustainability for The Unite Food Program

Dear friends and supporters of Unite,

I hope and pray this finds you healthy and well. If you haven’t had a chance to watch our new Unite Food Program documentary, click HERE now. The short film was created by our team in Tanzania and America and explains the “why and how” of Unite’s rapid and exciting evolution. For those of you have followed since our inception — which is now more than 13 years ago — this film is a “must see.” And now,

with a $25,000 matching grant, we have the opportunity to expand the Unite Food program and make it self-sustaining.

While I tend to shy away from making bold and direct asks for financial support, I humbly invite your participation in raising these critical funds.

Since launching the Tanzanian-women-owned Unite Food Program (UFP) in early 2021, we have invested more than $100,000 to build-out of a fully-operational and compliant food processing plant (along with investments in working capital, offices, toilets, protective walls and security systems, water, power, and more) at the UFP headquarters in Dar es Salaam. We have purchased ~100,000 kgs of organic maize and rice from more than 50 small-scale farmers across Tanzania and engaged a full-time professional staff of 13 along with dozens of part-time workers (most of whom are widow women) who help procure, transport, clean, pack, sort, and sell food items. Currently the UFP organic food products are being sold at dozens of retail and wholesale outlets around and beyond Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

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The funds from this campaign will be used for the following directed investments:

40,000 additional Kgs of organic rice & maize. (Cost: $10,000)

Maize being delivered in Dar es Salaam.

Maize being delivered in Dar es Salaam.

3,000 reusable Agro-Z® grain storage bags to keep the harvest safe and secure. (Cost: $5,000)

AgroZ® Bags are multi-layered, hermetically-sealed, storage bags that protect grains against insects and pests without the use of pesticide dusts.

AgroZ® Bags are multi-layered, hermetically-sealed, storage bags that protect grains against insects and pests without the use of pesticide dusts.

A Bajaji “tuk tuk” to transport UFP staffers & UFP customers through the highly trafficked streets of Dar es Salaam. (Cost: $5,000)

A Bajaji can transport up to four people at a time.

A Bajaji can transport up to four people at a time.

A three-wheeler motorcycle-truck to transport products to retail and wholesale customers. (Cost: $5,000)

A three-wheeler motorcycle truck covered to protect cargo.

A three-wheeler motorcycle truck covered to protect cargo.

A generator to ensure that UFP can operate uninterrupted. (Cost: $15,000)

UFP generator.jpg

A 40-foot shipping container to provide secure inventory storage. (Cost: $10,000)

UFP container.jpg

You are most welcome to Unite Food Program Headquarters in Dar es Salaam.

To arrange a visit or to inquire about an upcoming Unite tour, please email anne@uniteafricafoundation.org or call me direct at +1.314.239.3997 (USA).

Our Unite Food Program documentary is finally here!

Unite’s long awaited documentary introducing our new Unite Food Program is finally here! Please click HERE to watch our 10-minute film that explains the “why and how” of Unite’s evolution. A very special thanks to our Unite team around the world as well as to all of our supporters who help make this work possible. Together, all things are possible.

What's it like to volunteer with Unite?

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to volunteer with Unite, this is a story for you.

“This experience was a 10/10!
I literally could not have asked for a better trip!”

~Drew’s text to his family on his last day in Tanzania.

MEET DREW WARREN

Drew Warren, 22, traveled to Tanzania this summer for a three-week-long volunteer posting at Unite Food Program (UFP) headquarters in Dar es Salaam. His focus with UFP was working with Ibra Kawa, Unite’s photographer and videographer, and Richard Munisi, Unite’s animator, to create a short film about Unite Food Program to help Unite grow our USA-based donor base and secure a larger market across East Africa. Drew brings to Unite a unique perspective having worked an intern with the renowned STX Entertainment Film Studio in Los Angeles where he worked on trailers and films.

Drew (above left) with his fellow Unite filmmakers Richie Munisi and Ibra Kawa at Unite Food Program Headquarters in Dar es Salaam in July 2021.

Drew (above left) with his fellow Unite filmmakers Richie Munisi and Ibra Kawa at Unite Food Program Headquarters in Dar es Salaam in July 2021.

“The Unite team is composed of some of the most incredible people I have ever come across. Unite has inspired me in so many ways, and I hold this experience close to my heart. My time with Unite is far from over, and I hope to remain closely involved with the Unite Food Program and the organization as a whole. Unite is creating meaningful change in Tanzania, and I am proud of the work that the team has completed. Thank you all for the unconditional support. Thank you specifically to my parents for opening my eyes to how other people live their lives.”

~Drew Warren


”Drew is highly adaptable, encouraging, and supportive. He is knowledgeable, articulate, leads by example, and has great insights about videography. I trusted him and looked forward to his guidance and advice.”

~Unite Photographer and Videographer Ibra Kawa

Click HERE to see a clip of UFP Environmental Scientist Clara Wilson Ngowi welcoming Drew and introducing him to the team.

Click HERE to see a clip of UFP Environmental Scientist Clara Wilson Ngowi welcoming Drew and introducing him to the team.

Drew at work

During his three weeks with Unite in Tanzania, in addition to his movie-making escapades with Ibra and Richie, Drew helped with the production and processing of our UFP organic maize flour. He learned to work the mill machine, carried and arranged 100-kilo bags, transported the products to retail and wholesale locations, participated in direct sales of UFP products, and much more.

Click HERE to see a video clip of Drew and UFP teammates overseeing
the delivery and unloading of a shipment of organic maize from the Lake Rukwa district.

Click HERE to see a clip of Drew hauling maize.

Click HERE to see a video clip of Drew operating the UFP maize mill.

(Left) Drew with Unite Food Program teammate Stanley Arthur arranging bags of organic maize flour. (Right) Drew with UFP teammates Lazaro Mahulo and Salvius Nchimbi driving our three-wheeler to deliver UFP organic food products to buyers across Dar es Salaam.

(Left) Drew with Unite Food Program teammate Stanley Arthur arranging bags of organic maize flour. (Right) Drew with UFP teammates Lazaro Mahulo and Salvius Nchimbi driving our three-wheeler to deliver UFP organic food products to buyers across Dar es Salaam.

Drew’s Blessings

In keeping with Unite’s mission to serve and care for those in need, Drew was able to “bless” a woman the team encountered while she was struggling to walk alongside the road with UFP organic grains. Drew also blessed Unite teammate Richie, who was next in line for our Unite garden banana harvest. Giving is SO good!

Click HERE to see a video clip of Drew blessing a handicapped woman with organize maize and beans from Unite Food Program.

Click HERE to see a video clip of Drew blessing a handicapped woman with organize maize and beans from Unite Food Program.

Drew at play

At Unite we work hard — very hard — and then we take time to relax, connect, enjoy, and celebrate our achievements.

(Left) Drew with Unite teammates Lazaro, Azamela, Rhoda, Richie, Stanley, and Ibra (out of frame) visiting Budya Island for fun and adventures. (Right) Drew showing the team his moves during one of his many Unite dance parties.

(Left) Drew with Unite teammates Lazaro, Azamela, Rhoda, Richie, Stanley, and Ibra (out of frame) visiting Budya Island for fun and adventures. (Right) Drew showing the team his moves during one of his many Unite dance parties.

Some thoughts about Drew

Drew and Anty.jpg

“I was just blown away by Drew’s character and how he got along with everyone. His personality, respect, work ethic, empathy, generous heart, and love for others made everyone just adore him. He is a fine young man, and the entire Unite team in Tanzania is looking forward to seeing him back again hopefully one day soon.”

~Anty Marche, Unite Program Director

Drew and team.jpg

“Drew Warren is a hard working, fast learner who is flexible and able to cope with a challenging environment. He works well in a team and has excellent communication skills. He is a good and caring person.”

~UFP teammate, Lazaro Mahulo (above left)

“Having Drew in the team makes a huge difference. He always finds a way to get it done and brings to the team lots of encouragement and fantastic ideas.”

~UFP teammate, Stanley Arthur (above right)

Reflections from Drew’s parents: Andy & Tracy Warren

“Drew is a lucky human being. He’s had so many blessings in his life, and we think his experience in Africa is among the most wonderful. We have been so proud to view pictures of Drew with a true and effervescent smile on his face. The glean he gets from helping others is unmistakable. Drew’s Unite experience will forever broaden his view on humanity and our vastly diverse world. He truly adores the Tanzanian people and the joy they find in everyday life. The mission of Unite will be in his heart always.

Drew has experienced first-hand the tremendous difference that Unite is making in the lives of Tanzanian people. Unite’s mission is held in the highest regard for all those involved. Along with their hard work, there is a genuine joy and pride in what is being accomplished.”

To learn more about volunteering with Unite,
email anne@uniteafricafoundation.org.

Note:

  1. All volunteer candidates must go through a careful review and evaluation process to determine eligibility for placement with our Unite team in Tanzania.

  2. We match talent to need.

  3. An awesome work ethic, an open heart, and a mind eager to learn are the most important qualities we seek in Unite volunteers.

THANK YOU DREW! WE LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU!

Unite Scholars complete internship with Unite Food Program (Part 1)

Last month, over their school holiday, a number of Unite Scholars participated in internship programs at the newly constructed Unite Food Program (UFP) Headquarters in Dar es Salaam and at our Unite Food Program outpost in Nankanga village in southwest Tanzania. They learned about agro-business, customer service, teamwork, organic food processing and gardening, and so much more. This post features highlights from the scholars’ internship at HQ. The next post, Part II, will cover their experiences in Nankanga at the outpost.

“In order to save the society, we need to find problems and create solution. Unite Food program is the perfect example: buying grains from the poor to feed the poor.”

— Unite Scholar Ashura Amiry 

A number of Unite Scholars who completed Form 5 and a few who graduated Form 6 (A-levels, higher secondary school) spent two weeks at UFP headquarters in Dar this June working alongside UFP teammates. “I learned so much about achieving my dreams and that, no matter what, I always need to keep on dreaming. Without dreaming we become like birds without wings who will never be able to fly.” —Unite Scholar David Bitaho, rising Form 6 student at Tabora Boys Secondary School. 

A number of Unite Scholars who completed Form 5 and a few who graduated Form 6 (A-levels, higher secondary school) spent two weeks at UFP headquarters in Dar this June working alongside UFP teammates. “I learned so much about achieving my dreams and that, no matter what, I always need to keep on dreaming. Without dreaming we become like birds without wings who will never be able to fly.” —Unite Scholar David Bitaho, rising Form 6 student at Tabora Boys Secondary School. 

The internship at UPF HQ began with the receiving, unloading, and processing of more than 33,500 kilograms of organic maize purchased from small-scale farmers in the Iringa district. (To date more than 70,000 kilograms of organic maize have been purchased from small-scale farmers across Tanzania and delivered to UFP HQ).

The internship at UPF HQ began with the receiving, unloading, and processing of more than 33,500 kilograms of organic maize purchased from small-scale farmers in the Iringa district. (To date more than 70,000 kilograms of organic maize have been purchased from small-scale farmers across Tanzania and delivered to UFP HQ).

Click HERE to see a one-minute video of the unloading process.

First, the maize is unloaded from the transport packages and laid out to dry in the sun to remove any last bits of moisture that could eventually lead to rot.

First, the maize is unloaded from the transport packages and laid out to dry in the sun to remove any last bits of moisture that could eventually lead to rot.

Next the maize is “winnowed,” which means that any unwanted dirt and/or debris is carefully and painstakingly removed by hand so that the final maize that is loaded into the air-tight Agro-Z storage bags is pure and clean.

Next the maize is “winnowed,” which means that any unwanted dirt and/or debris is carefully and painstakingly removed by hand so that the final maize that is loaded into the air-tight Agro-Z storage bags is pure and clean.

Once packed in the hermetically-sealed, multi-layered, pest-resistant Agro-Z bags, the maize is arranged in the storeroom where it will remain safe and fresh for up to five years.

Once packed in the hermetically-sealed, multi-layered, pest-resistant Agro-Z bags, the maize is arranged in the storeroom where it will remain safe and fresh for up to five years.

Click HERE to watch a one-minute video of the team sorting and cleaning the maize and preparing and packing the Agro-Z bags.

In addition to sorting and packing the maize, our scholars worked alongside our UFP team to “beautify” the UFP campus. They prepared the land for fodder grasses, spent time weeding and harvesting the on-site Unite garden, and even crafted and painted personalized clay pots in which they planted decorative flowers to line the gates and the interior walkways.

UFP co-director and environmental scientist Clara Wilson Ngowi demonstrates to the team how to make clay pots, which will be used to decorate and enhance the HQ campus. Each scholar was able to make, paint, and personalize his/her own pot — leaving a personalized “stamp” on UFP HQ.

UFP co-director and environmental scientist Clara Wilson Ngowi demonstrates to the team how to make clay pots, which will be used to decorate and enhance the HQ campus. Each scholar was able to make, paint, and personalize his/her own pot — leaving a personalized “stamp” on UFP HQ.

The team received truckloads of topsoil, which they used to level and prepare the campus grounds for the planting of the fodder grasses.

The team received truckloads of topsoil, which they used to level and prepare the campus grounds for the planting of the fodder grasses.

Unite Scholar Ashura Amiry, Unite Program Director Anty Marche, and Clara Wilson Ngowi demonstrate to the team how to separate and plant the fodder grasses.

Unite Scholar Ashura Amiry, Unite Program Director Anty Marche, and Clara Wilson Ngowi demonstrate to the team how to separate and plant the fodder grasses.

Click HERE to watch a one-minute video of the team planting the fodder grasses.

In addition to their hands-on labor at HQ, the scholars and team received two days of business training led by UFP advisor Romanus Mtunge (Tanzania Program Director for CUSO International) and local accountant and bookkeeper Mr Leo.

UFP Advisor Romanus Mtunge stressed to the scholars the importance of creativity, persistence, self discipline, commitment, staying true to one’s word, careful budgeting, risk taking, and the ability to learn from mistakes. 

UFP Advisor Romanus Mtunge stressed to the scholars the importance of creativity, persistence, self discipline, commitment, staying true to one’s word, careful budgeting, risk taking, and the ability to learn from mistakes. 

Professional accountant Mr. Leo led the team on lessons in bookkeeping and budgeting.

Professional accountant Mr. Leo led the team on lessons in bookkeeping and budgeting.

Additional topics covered during the two-days of training included financial planning and accounting; sales and marketing; staffing and logistics; customer service; compliance and tax laws; leadership; and more.

Additional topics covered during the two-days of training included sales and marketing; staffing and logistics; customer service; compliance and tax laws; leadership; and more.

“Mr Romanus talked to us about how to be a successful entrepreneur. He highlighted three basic things: Being practical with your money; realizing that building a business is a huge commitment; and being precise and honest with your word.” - Unite Scholar Luther Kavishe

“Mr Romanus talked to us about how to be a successful entrepreneur. He highlighted three basic things: Being practical with your money; realizing that building a business is a huge commitment; and being precise and honest with your word.” - Unite Scholar Luther Kavishe

Following their in-class business trainings, our scholars were placed in small working groups with UFP teammates and sent out into the field to conduct market research. Each teammate was tasked with interviewing shopkeepers and restaurant owners to complete at least 10 questionnaires that addressed such topics as which types of flour the customers were currently using, what price they were paying for their flour, what they liked and disliked about their products, what they are needing and wanting, and what would motivate them to buy from UFP.  

The team at UFP HQ. June 2021

The team at UFP HQ. June 2021

On the final day of the internship, the team welcomed special visitors Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond (co-founder of Fannie Lou Hamer House, a retreat space for black artists in America) and Lawrence Mwantimwa (founder & CEO of Africa Young Leaders Connect, a Tanzanian NGO that provides youth with leadership empowerment solutions). Dr. Redmond and Mr. Mwantimwa shared stories with our Unite Scholars about their personal career paths, some of the challenges and successes they faced along the way, and about the importance of hard work, focused vision, collaboration, and serving one’s society at large.

On the final day of the internship, the team welcomed special visitors Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond (co-founder of Fannie Lou Hamer House, a retreat space for black artists in America) and Lawrence Mwantimwa (founder & CEO of Africa Young Leaders Connect, a Tanzanian NGO that provides youth with leadership empowerment solutions). Dr. Redmond and Mr. Mwantimwa shared stories with our Unite Scholars about their personal career paths, some of the challenges and successes they faced along the way, and about the importance of hard work, focused vision, collaboration, and serving one’s society at large.

And then, it came time to celebrate! Unite’s lead mentor Joan Mnzava (top left) presented each scholar with a personalized certificates and gifts of organic honey.

And then, it came time to celebrate! Unite’s lead mentor Joan Mnzava (top left) presented each scholar with a personalized certificates and gifts of organic honey.

Following the awards ceremony the team danced, sang, and ate cake!

Following the awards ceremony the team danced, sang, and ate cake!

Click HERE to see a video clip of the final organic maize flour product prepared for delivery.

Unite Passion Project WINS the Brewbike Future Fund Award

Founder and director of the Unite Passion Project Lila Wells (currently a rising junior at Northwestern University in Chicago) has been working part-time with the cold brew coffee company BrewBike since January 2020, first in campus operations and then in marketing and now with social media. BrewBike’s mission is “to empower the next generation of leaders through entrepreneurial experience.” Lila submitted her presentation (below) to the Brewbike Future Fund team of judges early this spring and was recently chosen as the winner of this student competition, which is designed to empower “the next generation of entrepreneurs to chase their dreams and do the good they are meant to do in this world.” The grand prize of $3,800 will be allocated towards growing The Passion Project through the launching of additional Unite Clubs in secondary schools across Tanzania. Congratulations Lila and thank you to the BrewBike Future Fund!

The AWARD-WINNING presentation

Hello and thank you for taking the time to listen to me talk about one of my passion projects today. Fittingly, its name is the Unite Passion Project – and venture has been a highlight of both my sophomore year and college career more broadly.

Hello and thank you for taking the time to listen to me talk about one of my passion projects today. Fittingly, its name is the Unite Passion Project – and venture has been a highlight of both my sophomore year and college career more broadly.

My name’s Lila. I’m a sophomore undergraduate at Northwestern University double-majoring in Sociology and Legal Studies. And that, I’m passionate about. But it took me a while to get there. First quarter freshman year, I was an aspiring Chemistry major who thought that the lab was my future. That, I believed, was my passion. Until I took my first college Chemistry Course and realized that my interests and talents most definitely lied elsewhere. This realization was something I thought had more to do with me than my access to career knowledge more broadly. It seemed like all of my peers around me knew what they wanted, what their futures would be. But as I began to converse with people I admired, I found that – as young people – choosing a course of study and future career path is something inherently mutable and subject to change. Frankly, it’s something we as 17, 18, 19, and 20 year olds often don’t talk enough about. Aren’t perhaps prepared enough for.

My name’s Lila. I’m a sophomore undergraduate at Northwestern University double-majoring in Sociology and Legal Studies. And that, I’m passionate about. But it took me a while to get there. First quarter freshman year, I was an aspiring Chemistry major who thought that the lab was my future. That, I believed, was my passion. Until I took my first college Chemistry Course and realized that my interests and talents most definitely lied elsewhere. This realization was something I thought had more to do with me than my access to career knowledge more broadly. It seemed like all of my peers around me knew what they wanted, what their futures would be. But as I began to converse with people I admired, I found that – as young people – choosing a course of study and future career path is something inherently mutable and subject to change. Frankly, it’s something we as 17, 18, 19, and 20 year olds often don’t talk enough about. Aren’t perhaps prepared enough for.

I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working with the international NGO Unite the World With Africa Foundation – which aims to empower extraordinary yet impoverished and marginalized Tanzanian youth and women with quality education, health, leadership, and business development programs – all aimed to foster independence and long-term success. I’mlucky to have been mentored by Unite’s incredible Tanzanian leadership team, and to call members of the organization’s flagship program – the Unite Scholars – my good friends. And as I was talking with one of them, Imani Faustine, this past June he brought up a question that brought me back to my freshman year dilemma. He asked the following – can you have more than one dream? The answer is, of course, yes, but its something that – especially in Tanzania – students often aren’t encouraged to do. Their school system, operating similarly to the British system, steadily hones in on one to three subjects throughout a student’s pre-university path. Once you’ve reached your A-Levels, your course is practically set. Or so we think, right?

I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working with the international NGO Unite the World With Africa Foundation – which aims to empower extraordinary yet impoverished and marginalized Tanzanian youth and women with quality education, health, leadership, and business development programs – all aimed to foster independence and long-term success. I’mlucky to have been mentored by Unite’s incredible Tanzanian leadership team, and to call members of the organization’s flagship program – the Unite Scholars – my good friends. And as I was talking with one of them, Imani Faustine, this past June he brought up a question that brought me back to my freshman year dilemma. He asked the following – can you have more than one dream? The answer is, of course, yes, but its something that – especially in Tanzania – students often aren’t encouraged to do. Their school system, operating similarly to the British system, steadily hones in on one to three subjects throughout a student’s pre-university path. Once you’ve reached your A-Levels, your course is practically set. Or so we think, right?

Imani’s question and my dilemma, as well as ideas brought up by the remaining 41 Unite A-Level Scholars are ultimately what created this venture, the Unite Passion Project. The Unite Passion Project operates where other programs don’t: government A-Level schools in Tanzania. Through a comprehensive curriculum emphasizing soft skills as well as an open source library speaker videos, this program addresses challenges that are otherwise not discussed—career readiness and professional development. These skills are vital for students coming of age in a time where the traditional path (school, one career, retirement) is becoming less and less common. The Passion Project addresses an endemic lack of career exposure by showcasing the passions, career paths, and activities of students and professionals from around the world, as well as how they have leveraged their resources and strategies to attain their dreams. We focus on amplifying Tanzanian excellence, and currently have 107 speaker videos on the platform, reaching over 1,300 students in six Tanzanian upper secondary schools.

Imani’s question and my dilemma, as well as ideas brought up by the remaining 41 Unite A-Level Scholars are ultimately what created this venture, the Unite Passion Project. The Unite Passion Project operates where other programs don’t: government A-Level schools in Tanzania. Through a comprehensive curriculum emphasizing soft skills as well as an open source library speaker videos, this program addresses challenges that are otherwise not discussed—career readiness and professional development. These skills are vital for students coming of age in a time where the traditional path (school, one career, retirement) is becoming less and less common. The Passion Project addresses an endemic lack of career exposure by showcasing the passions, career paths, and activities of students and professionals from around the world, as well as how they have leveraged their resources and strategies to attain their dreams. We focus on amplifying Tanzanian excellence, and currently have 107 speaker videos on the platform, reaching over 1,300 students in six Tanzanian upper secondary schools.

The Passion Project videos are viewed and discussed in depth in Unite Clubs within each school. The clubs have a tripartite focus, ecology, altruism, and intellect. The first, ecology, stresses environmental reforestation – and sidenote, our Kibaha Club planted over 400 trees this spring. The altruism tenet is all about giving back to each school’s surrounding communities, often through donating time to local projects. The last tenet, intellect, is where the Unite Passion Project videos – to encourage honest, strategic and thoughtful debate about the future.

The Passion Project videos are viewed and discussed in depth in Unite Clubs within each school. The clubs have a tripartite focus, ecology, altruism, and intellect. The first, ecology, stresses environmental reforestation – and sidenote, our Kibaha Club planted over 400 trees this spring. The altruism tenet is all about giving back to each school’s surrounding communities, often through donating time to local projects. The last tenet, intellect, is where the Unite Passion Project videos – to encourage honest, strategic and thoughtful debate about the future.

Starting last summer, I began to build a Tanzanian and American team through my contacts at Unite as well as through my university to embark on this project. I have spoken about this venture on Work With Engaisi, a Kenyan podcast, as well as at Emory University. This project has also been featured in the Greens Farms Academy magazine, Westport News, the Audira Labs newsletter, and BBC’s Voice of America Swahili.

Starting last summer, I began to build a Tanzanian and American team through my contacts at Unite as well as through my university to embark on this project. I have spoken about this venture on Work With Engaisi, a Kenyan podcast, as well as at Emory University. This project has also been featured in the Greens Farms Academy magazine, Westport News, the Audira Labs newsletter, and BBC’s Voice of America Swahili.

So, where are we now? The Unite Passion Project currently has 107 speaker videos on its platform (both on YouTube and offline through Tanzanian-mediated channels). Our six partner Unite Clubs have over 1,300 members in total, and we have added over 12 comprehensive modules emphasizing soft skill and pre professional development. This spring, I have built a team of five undergraduate students from Northwestern, DePaul University, and Brown, and together we reached out to over 200 potential speakers – garnering over 40 thus far to add to our collection. I revamped and relaunched our website and work collaboratively with Tanzanian Unite Club Coordinators to establish a feedback mechanism between our audience and speakers. This venture is my life, and it has been the opportunity of a lifetime to connect with professionals young and old from around the world through a simple question: what exactly is your passion?

So, where are we now? The Unite Passion Project currently has 107 speaker videos on its platform (both on YouTube and offline through Tanzanian-mediated channels). Our six partner Unite Clubs have over 1,300 members in total, and we have added over 12 comprehensive modules emphasizing soft skill and pre professional development. This spring, I have built a team of five undergraduate students from Northwestern, DePaul University, and Brown, and together we reached out to over 200 potential speakers – garnering over 40 thus far to add to our collection. I revamped and relaunched our website and work collaboratively with Tanzanian Unite Club Coordinators to establish a feedback mechanism between our audience and speakers. This venture is my life, and it has been the opportunity of a lifetime to connect with professionals young and old from around the world through a simple question: what exactly is your passion?

I was accepted to the Winter 2020 cohort of Propel this past December through Northwestern University’s Garage Entrepreneurial Incubator. Propel seeks to empower female entrepreneurs, and in my time there I developed five partnerships for the Passion Project. I’ll describe a few of interest. The first is crisis training with Dr. Kenneth Wolf a cinical psychologist who consulted with the government in crisises like 9/11 and the Oklahoma City Bombings. Dr. Wolf will be training our Unite leadership cohort and a select group of Unite Club students on how to effectively identify, assess, and address traumatic situations in their communities at large.  The second involves Winnie Nyato, a Tanzanian native and Evidence and Insights Manager at Girl Effect. She is working with us to bring a ‘Somo Session’ to our Kibaha Boys Unite Club, which will involve  intensive career training and talks from young Tanzanian professionals, who will demonstrate firsthand the opportunities, challenges, and obstacles faced when entering the job market. Another Tanzanian native, Adam Mkaka, has partnered with us to bring our comprehensive speaker series and career development program into Tanzanian refugee camps. We have also included Hussein Mussa’s Afrika Sihami videos in our club repertoire. Afrika Sihami – which in Swahili means ‘We Don’t Leave Afrika’ aims to inspire and educate through positive and empowering stories of East African history. These videos will be paramount in demonstrating Tanzanian and East African excellence. 

I was accepted to the Winter 2020 cohort of Propel this past December through Northwestern University’s Garage Entrepreneurial Incubator. Propel seeks to empower female entrepreneurs, and in my time there I developed five partnerships for the Passion Project. I’ll describe a few of interest. The first is crisis training with Dr. Kenneth Wolf a cinical psychologist who consulted with the government in crisises like 9/11 and the Oklahoma City Bombings. Dr. Wolf will be training our Unite leadership cohort and a select group of Unite Club students on how to effectively identify, assess, and address traumatic situations in their communities at large.  

The second involves Winnie Nyato, a Tanzanian native and Evidence and Insights Manager at Girl Effect. She is working with us to bring a ‘Somo Session’ to our Kibaha Boys Unite Club, which will involve  intensive career training and talks from young Tanzanian professionals, who will demonstrate firsthand the opportunities, challenges, and obstacles faced when entering the job market. Another Tanzanian native, Adam Mkaka, has partnered with us to bring our comprehensive speaker series and career development program into Tanzanian refugee camps. We have also included Hussein Mussa’s Afrika Sihami videos in our club repertoire. Afrika Sihami – which in Swahili means ‘We Don’t Leave Afrika’ aims to inspire and educate through positive and empowering stories of East African history. These videos will be paramount in demonstrating Tanzanian and East African excellence. 

I’ll stop there because this is truly the important part. Where your funding would go. To the right is David Bitaho, a Unite Scholar and incredible leader who is currently studying at Tabora Boys School in Tanzania. He and his classmates have expressed interest in starting a Unite Club – and after many many many Whatsapp and email correspondences, we’re excited to embark on this new club launch. But we need some funding to do so. 

I’ll stop there because this is truly the important part. Where your funding would go. To the right is David Bitaho, a Unite Scholar and incredible leader who is currently studying at Tabora Boys School in Tanzania. He and his classmates have expressed interest in starting a Unite Club – and after many many many Whatsapp and email correspondences, we’re excited to embark on this new club launch. But we need some funding to do so. 

The price breakdown for the Tabora Boys club costs are as follows: 2000 USD for laptop screens, a projector modem, and microphone speaker to facilitate video viewing and discussion. 500 USD for club notebooks, pens, and academic materials for the year. 500 USD for all necessary materials for a Unite Garden, a factor of our ecology tenet which includes tree planting. And 600 to 800 USD for teacher coordinator stipends, phone bundle allowances (such as minutes), communication, and club events with the community.

The price breakdown for the Tabora Boys club costs are as follows: 2000 USD for laptop screens, a projector modem, and microphone speaker to facilitate video viewing and discussion. 500 USD for club notebooks, pens, and academic materials for the year. 500 USD for all necessary materials for a Unite Garden, a factor of our ecology tenet which includes tree planting. And 600 to 800 USD for teacher coordinator stipends, phone bundle allowances (such as minutes), communication, and club events with the community.

With this funding, the Unite Passion Project could launch the Tabora Boys School club to reach over 300 additional students. This career exposure is paramount and, speaking from my experiences as a student, it truly makes a world of difference by broadening the scope of what is possible to achieve.

With this funding, the Unite Passion Project could launch the Tabora Boys School club to reach over 300 additional students. This career exposure is paramount and, speaking from my experiences as a student, it truly makes a world of difference by broadening the scope of what is possible to achieve.

To shop Brewbike, get some truly awesome cold brew, and support the Future Fund, click HERE.

To make a tax-deductible donation to help us reach more students in need with

our Unite Passion project and unite Club student program, click HERE.

Lila on a Zoom call with David Bitaho to share the great news that his dream of starting a Unite Club at his school (Tabora Boys) will now come true!

Lila on a Zoom call with David Bitaho to share the great news that his dream of starting a Unite Club at his school (Tabora Boys) will now come true!

Asante sana kwa muda wako, or thank you for your time.

Asante sana kwa muda wako, or thank you for your time.

Introducing The Unite Food Program: Buying from the poor to feed the poor

Maria John Kwanga is a Unite Scholar. She is picture above (right) with her parents and two of her brothers working their family’s shamba (small farm). Maria and her family are why, in part, we are launching the Unite Food Program.

Maria John Kwanga is a Unite Scholar. She is picture above (right) with her parents and two of her brothers working their family’s shamba (small farm). Maria and her family are why, in part, we are launching the Unite Food Program.

Whether it be her high-pitched, sweet, sing-song voice, her sparkling eyes and wide smile, her extraordinary faith (“I thank God I woke up this morning” is how she starts most conversations) or her huge heart (“I love you soooo very much” is how she ends most conversations), Maria John Kwanga, 21, is one of the brightest, most lovely and endearing young women anyone could ever have the pleasure of meeting. As a fully-sponsored Unite Scholar, Maria John is currently performing extremely well in Form 5 at the high-quality government Mtwara Girls Secondary School. She is a leader among her peers, guiding more than 100 students in the school’s Unite Club, through which Unite provides leadership training, career preparedness workshops, and exposure to a global network of powerful change agents through our Unite Passion Project. Maria John’s teachers report that she is highly motivated, empathetic, disciplined, and curious. Unite is challenging Maria John, and all of our 40 Unite Scholars, to work hard, dream big, think creatively, question the status quo, and do everything necessary to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Then Maria John goes home... to her large, loving, and extended family in the extremely rural and near inaccessible Makulu village in Dodoma, Tanzania, and the situation is dire. Her family lives in a hand-made earthen structure, which is currently eroding. (Unite is raising money to have it rebuilt.) Her parents, siblings, and many extended relatives survive in this harsh, arid environment by engaging in daily backbreaking labor -- preparing the earth, planting, tending, and harvesting-by-hand subsistence and cash crops. With no means to safely store food or protect their harvest from spoilage or pests, small-scale farmers like Maria John’s family have little choice but to sell at depressed market prices their only possession of value. Too often, what they earn is not enough to buy seeds for the next season, pay school fees, cover the cost of any kind of healthcare, or even prevent their families from going hungry before the next season, the most vulnerable time being between December and March when food prices skyrocket.

So, it is no surprise that when Maria is not in school, she spends her days hauling water and working in the shamba. There is little time for anything else. The situation is much the same for the near 30 million Tanzanians who survive on less than $1.9 a day.* This is a herculean problem with no quick or easy solution, but one that must be addressed in any and all ways possible. 

Our response to this crisis? The Unite Food Program.

For the past few months, our Unite teams in America and Tanzania have been working in partnership with Tanzanian entrepreneur Upendo Kiondo and environmental scientist Clara Wilson Ngowi to launch the new social enterprise Unite Food Program (UFP), which is designed to empower small-scale farmers with a means of storage and a secure market for their crops at fair market prices as well as to provide organic, healthy, tasty, and affordable staple food options to all Tanzanian people. We have secured a partnership with A to Z Textile Mills Limited to provide UFP partner farmers with advanced technology—multi-layered hermetically sealed, pest resistant grain storage bags—which allows UFP to safely store freshly harvested crops without spoilage for more than a year. Additionally, we have opened, to date, one UFP “Outpost” in the extremely remote village of Sumbawanga in western Tanzania not far from the Zambian border, and we will soon launch our second “UFP Outpost” in the Katavi region.

Will you help us?

An angel donor has generously provided a $25,000 matching grant to fund UFP Phase 1. Please consider a tax-deductible gift of any size to help us reach our $25,000 goal so that every dollar donated can be DOUBLED!

CLICK HERE TO GIVE

or send a check to Unite The World With Africa Foundation, 49 Whitney Street, Westport, CT  06880. 

Unite’s Program Director Anty Marche (with headscarf), UFP Director Upendo Kiondo (front in pink), Environmental Scientist Clara Wilson Ngowi (back right in pink), and Logistics Leader Gaudence Moshy (front left) traveled across large swaths of Tanz…

Unite’s Program Director Anty Marche (with headscarf), UFP Director Upendo Kiondo (front in pink), Environmental Scientist Clara Wilson Ngowi (back right in pink), and Logistics Leader Gaudence Moshy (front left) traveled across large swaths of Tanzania in January 2021 meeting with small-scale farmers and Unite Scholars and their families to assess the quality of crops and establish key partnerships for UFP.

THE SECRET SAUCE:Hermetic Storage Technology (HST) AgroZ® Bag

Designed and manufactured by A to Z Textile Mills Limited in Arusha, Tanzania, the AgroZ® Bag are “multi-layered hermetic storage technology bags designed for the storage of maize, sorghum, rice, millet, and beans to protect against insects pests without using any pesticide dusts.” A single 100kg bag can safely store food items for more than a year and be reused up to three seasons, providing farmers with a secure, portable, and affordable option through which to store their harvests, for personal use and to use for cash crops. Unite is excited about UFP’s partnership with A to Z, which is one of the largest manufacturing companies in East Africa. In addition to providing the AgroZ® Bag, A to Z will also produce UFP’s packaging materials and provide agro-business training materials and expertise for our Unite Scholars and their families as well as all UFP partner farmers. A to Z is most widely known for its design and manufacturing of the Olyset®Net insecticide-treated mosquito net. Unite has worked with A to Z in past years to supply villages with these bed nets. A to Z also partners with such leading international organizations as the CDC, Acumen Fund, PSI, and USAID, among many others, in the global fight against malaria. 

A to Z bags.jpg

WHO BENEFITS FROM THE UNITE FOOD PROGRAM?

Small-Scale Farmers

Receive a secure market for their organic crops at an above-market price; two extra AgroZ® Bag (gifted by Unite) to use to store their crops to provide food for their families and to serve as a “bank” for future needs and emergencies; and trainings in agrobusiness optimization techniques and approaches.

Unite Scholars & their Families

Receive, as possible, a market for their cash crops; access to UFP Outpost agro-business machinery (rice & maize mills, tillers, tractors) as possible; and real-world experience in agrobusiness by working with UFP in various capacities.

Entrepreneurial Tanzanian Women 

Unite Food Program is and owned and chiefly operated by Tanzanian women. And while we do have a few great men involved, UFP aims to employ and empower as many women as possible throughout the entire UFP supply chain... Farm to table.

Unite Brave Widows

Receive employment opportunities to assist with UFP food processing, packaging, and distribution. They will also sell UFP products in their Unite Brave Widow storefront.

Consumers

Receive organic, high quality & affordable UFP food items, all grown and stored with no chemicals or pesticides

Unite the World With Africa Foundation

Receives a percentage of UFP’s net profits through UFP’s corporate social responsibility campaign (CSR), empowering Unite to further our mission. 

Unite Scholar Pili Gabanza is pictured here working her family’s shamba (farm) in the Katavi region of Western Tanzania. The Unite Food Program (UFP) will soon provide a secure market for Pili’s family’s maize and rice harvest at a fair-market pric…

Unite Scholar Pili Gabanza is pictured here working her family’s shamba (farm) in the Katavi region of Western Tanzania. The Unite Food Program (UFP) will soon provide a secure market for Pili’s family’s maize and rice harvest at a fair-market price. UFP will also provide them with air-tight, pest-resistant grain bags in which they can safely hold back and store a portion of their crops to feed themselves throughout the year and to serve as a “emergency” fund (food that can be held and later sold, when prices rise, to deal with any family needs or emergencies).  

UNITE FOOD PROGRAM OUTPOST #1: Sumbawanga, Rukwa Region, Western Tanzania

In December 2019, 22-year-old orphan Baraka Sadam Saul applied for a spot in our Unite Scholars Program. Unfortunately, he scored Division 2 on his Form 4 leaving exam (Unite requires Division 1), so he was not chosen. However, Unite’s Program Director Anty Marche sensed great potential in this young man and, independent of Unite, she began investing in Baraka, little by little, over time. After receiving and repaying many multiple small loans (of $25-$50 each), Baraka was able to purchase a small maize mill machine to fill a huge need in his rural village of Sumbawanga where there was no mill to process the local crops and the local farmers were suffering. 

The UFP team visited Baraka and his young brother Uwezo in January 2021 (see their first in-person meeting here) to draw plans, clear the land, purchase supplies, and begin laying the foundation for UFP’s first official “Outpost” food processing plant, storage, and sales location. Inside the now completed structure (below), Baraka and Uwezo now operate their maize mill and a new UFP rice processing machine. The building also includes a bedroom for Baraka and Uwezo as well as a small kitchen and toilet. Baraka and Uwezo have provided full-time employment to three more young men and, to date, have served more than 600 customers from six surrounding villages. Currently we are in the process of purchasing a UFP power tiller machine that will “live” at this UFP Outpost to be used by Baraka and Uwezo as well as by Unite Scholars when they are home over school holidays. The tiller will facilitate more efficient farming of surrounding shambas as well as the transportation of crops, allowing the UFP team to “pull” in new customers and further grow this small-but-already-thriving business. 

I extend my sincerest thanks to every person who has supported Unite The World With Africa Foundation over the years; to our team of advisors for their time, generosity, and expertise; to our Board of Directors for their remarkable commitment and for making it possible for 100% of every donor dollar to be allocated directly to our programs in Africa; and to the courageous souls I have met along the way who have given up everything to live and work on the frontlines. There are billions of people on Planet Earth in desperate need, and those we serve are most worthy and deserving. They—and you—fuel my passion and help me resist any occasional tug of fatigue or allure of apathy. 

May we continue with our individual and collective efforts to love, heal, and honor one another and ourselves. The stakes are high. All outcomes are possible. Thank you for your time and for your continued support of Unite. 

Yours in service,

Anne Wells


UNITE THE WORLD WITH AFRICA FOUNDATION, INC. IS A 501C3 TAX-EXEMPT PUBLIC CHARITY. EIN: 47-2329890. 
CONTACT: ANNE WELLS, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR ANNE@UNITEAFRICAFOUNDATION.ORG * 314.239.3997 USA

Souces: OPEC Fund for International Development & Borgen Project