project

Kesho Leo children's village in Tanzania, East Africa. ('Kesho Leo' means 'tomorrow today' in Swahili).

how we’re helping

fws purchased two blocks of land, each measuring about three acres, in a village outside of Arusha, in northern Tanzania, East Africa.

We conducted initial research focusing on the local demographic and living standards of the area, to assess the needs and priorities of the community. Read about the findings of our study in the fws baseline report (2 Mb pdf).

In this community, we have employed 30 local Tanzanian farmers to build an eco-friendly children's village that will become home to 16 vulnerable women, their children and orphaned children (80 children all up).

This eco-friendly children's village is already offering early-learning education, health, social skilling and leadership programs that prepare children for successful social and educational interaction.

the structure

The children's village is being built with the combined efforts of a skeleton volunteer team and local labourers. The structure consists of:

• sleeping bomas under one continuous roof designed to maximise rainwater collection. Inside the bomas, there will be separate sleeping rooms, each accommodating five children and one house mama.
  

• a live-in manager's residence

• a nurse's medicine room (which will eventually become a health clinic for the wider community to use)
  

• an African-style kitchen area (complete with biogas cookers and passive cooling cupboards)

• an early-learning and community centre

• composting toilets, water-saving shower rooms and a grey-water laundry
  
  
• a secure lock-up container and computer storage room
  

• an open-air communal dining room

To see where we're at with the plans, check out our fws blog.

the concepts

We have also established a permaculture garden and farming plot (so each child can maintain their African culture by learning to grow and harvest local crops, and learn about the benefits of organic farming).

We’re housing a small compound for livestock (so each child can learn to rear cows, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks the way their parents would have taught them to).

On the environmental front, we have opted for solar power energy, having already established our biogas kitchen and massive rainwater harvesting scheme (which is especially significant given the ongoing water shortage in Tanzania). We are using our local contacts for advice as well as professionals in the area of international aid and the environment. To find out more see our environment page.

The Kesho Leo early-learning and community centre is currently used to educate Kesho kids as well as around 50 local kindergarten-level students. We plan to expand thenumber of education programs to the local community as soon as possible, so this centre quickly becomes an asset to the local people of Sinon.

the cost

To make Kesho Leo children's village a reality, our resources on the ground estimated that we would need to raise approx. $250,000 AUD to buy the land and complete the building phase of the project.  We are happy to announce that we have met this target and are now fundraising for a further $150,000 for the fit-out costs including all furniture, bedding, pots and pans, solar panels, etc.

We are currently offering a Families for Families sponsorship program, whereby international sponsors can pay a certain amount each month to ensure that all the needs of a Kesho family at our children's village are met.

the opening

Kesho Leo children's village will open its facilities to the first influx of residents - 8 vulnerable women and their children in August 2009.

Once these women and their children are settled, we will invite orphans into these families and then begin recruiting for our second influx of vulnerable women and children.

It is our plan that all Kesho Leo residents will benefit from food, water, shelter, accelerated learning, a deep understanding of their own culture, and not least, plenty of love and caring, and a very bright future.