Summer is winding down, and in the U.S., students are heading back to school! In Tanzania, our students will also be returning to their university programs in the coming months. With this return to school, Project Wezesha faces a new batch of tuition bills. We’d love your continued support – a contribution toward the continuing education of the young men in our program: 2nd year university students: Lameck, Yohanna and Elias; 3rd year university students: Hamisi & Mayani; and, 4th year university student: Simoni. The average cost for one year of university for these young men is $1700 each.
We would love to find sponsors for these young men to ensure their costs are covered completely. One idea we’d like to present is “funding families” – small groups of friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues who collectively commit to raising $1700 to cover the costs of one student. If you’d like to create a “funding family” and sponsor one student, email us and we’ll help you get the information you need to share with your community and raise the money. We can provide images, stories, reports, and more about the young man you’ll be supporting. Email us today to get started: projectwezeshatz@gmail.com
We can assure you that there will be a profound impact from your investment. We have only seen positive outcomes since we began our scholarship program in 2009. Here are some inspirational updates we received this month from some current and former students: Lameck, Sospeter, and Dibeit. Continue reading “Seeking “Funding Families” to Support Students”
Each New Year brings a special time for reflection. Reflecting on my years working with Project Wezesha and Girls Education International brings a rush of memories – of miles walked between villages with Lucas, of schools we’ve visited, of students we’ve supported, of meetings with various leaders, of classrooms built, and challenges faced.
The year 2023 marks 15 years since I met Lucas, co-founder of Project Wezesha, advocate for all young people, family man, and dear friend. We call each other “kaka” and “dada” respectively, which means “brother” and “sister” – and it truly feels like we are family. We are the adopted “baba” and “mama” (father and mother) of two orphans in Kigoma that we’ve been supporting for many years. And we are affectionately known by many local villagers who have seen us work tirelessly in service to the mission of Project Wezesha as “baba kazi” and “mama kazi” – roughly: “father work” and “mother work.” I’ve seen Lucas marry and have two daughters. I’ve eaten with his family more times than I can count – singing, dancing, smiling, and chatting with his mama, baba, wife, children, siblings, nieces, nephews, and cousins. It is my most cherished blessing this holiday season to have these memories and my forever-connection to Lucas. 
We met George when he was a standard 7 student at Bitale Primary School. He and his classmate Ezra were among the top students of his class. They were selected for our scholarship program on the day this picture was taken. 
We’re at the half way mark of a new school semester and are eager to share some updates on our students. These updates are based on a report compiled by Lucas after many calls and personal visits with teachers, headmasters, parents and students.
Ismail joined our program years ago! He was among the first scholarship students that Project Wezesha admitted into the program. After secondary school, Ismail didn’t score high enough on the national examinations to go to high school, but he had the option of our continued support through vocational school. Since then, he has been immersed in his studies to become a mechanic and driver, which will open many doors to him in the Kigoma region, and well beyond! But without further ado, these are his words to you!