About TAFCOM

TAFCOM is a non-profit organization founded by Nie Mashafi and Jonas Kyanfura, a Tanzanian couple who live in Pasua. TAFCOM offers many programs to the residents of Pasua focusing primarily on families and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. The Children’s Center (described below) is their largest project. Nie and Jonas sold their only car to purchase the land for their Children’s Center.


Summary
TAFCOM currently operates a children's center in the Pasua neighborhood of Moshi, Tanzania, which provides nursery school education as well as informal learning and support to destitute and orphaned children within Pasua. TAFCOM covers the cost of school fees for the children who attend the school. Since the current facilities are inadequate, the aim of this project is to build a center that drives community development through education.


What is the issue, problem, or challenge?
In Tanzania, children who are unable to attend nursery school miss the opportunity of mainstream education. In Pasua, the poverty level is high and HIV/AIDS is widespread. As a result, there are many orphaned and destitute children. Due to prohibitive costs, these children miss educational opportunities and also the chance to work their way out of poverty to create a brighter future for themselves and their community. The existing infrastructure is uninhabitable and makes learning difficult.


How will this project solve the problem?
In this project TAFCOM proposes to build proper classrooms equipped with desks, tables, and chairs. This will guarantee a higher literacy rate and quality education for the children. Higher performance standards will lay a good foundation on the journey of breaking the vicious cycle of poverty.


Potential Long-Term Impact
The project will facilitate and improve the learning condition of more than 500 children and help them improve their standards, rise out of poverty, realize their purpose, and give back to their community in the future.


Project Message
The only way TAFCOM could break the poverty cycle is to equip children with education.
- Nie Mashafi, Project Coordinator


Donations can be made in two ways:
1.      WECU Credit Union – 100% of your donation goes to TAFCOM
Make a check payable to Marian Jacques. On the memo line put TAFCOM. On the back write For Deposit Only and the account number: 105073. Checks can be mailed or dropped in the Night Deposit.
WECU                  121 Emmaus Rd.                              Marysville, OH 43040
If you would like to specify how your donation is used or want a receipt for charitable tax deduction, email me at marian.jacques@gmail.com. Also email me if you would like to receive updates of my trip.
2.      Global Giving
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-bring-hope-to-tanzanian-children/
I obtained most of my information from this site. However, only 85% of your donation goes to TAFCOM as they charge a 15% fee.


THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!


Funding Information
Total Funding Received to Date: $6,015
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $8,985
Total Funding Goal: $15,000


$10 = 1 bag of cement                                                               
$50 = 1 truckload of sand
$100 = 170 bricks
$200 = Water installation
$500 = 50 bags of cement


Other needs include:
  Basic School Supplies (notebooks, paper, pens, pencils, crayons, chalk, etc.)
  $5 = Porridge for one child for a month. (Porridge is fed once a day at the Center.)
  $10 = 1 Mosquito net (Malaria is still a major problem.)

Why Tanzania??

In 2008 my daughter spent the summer in Tanzania as part of a volunteer experience working with TAFCOM.  She loved her experience and returned on her own the following summer. I went to visit her and was enraptured by the experience. I felt very drawn to the people and culture and decided that I might want to spend a serious amount of time volunteering with TAFCOM and other organizations in Tanzania and Africa.  So I returned in 2010 to make sure I could do this by myself. I am now retired, my house is sold and I will return to Tanzania in February. I will be spending 6 months in Africa, mostly in Tanzania volunteering for TAFCOM. Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. 


TAFCOM is a local non-profit founded by a Tanzanian couple, Nie and Jonas. They live and work in Pasua. TAFCOM has many programs and I will share more about TAFCOM in my next blog. 


Selling my house and possessions was bittersweet having lived there for 23 years; but it has also been very liberating. I will leave the US on Feb 20 arriving in Tanzania on Feb 21st. I am staying 6 months and sandwiching my stay in between 2 half marathons. I have run 4 in Columbus so far and will run a Kilimanjaro half on Feb 26^th and end my trip on August 26^th running a half marathon at Victoria Falls. After that I plan to meet my aunt in Ireland the end of September for a 2 week trip and then who knows……….

It is hard to express how excited I am and how “right” this feels. So many things have happened that show me this is what I should be doing. Someone recently asked me if I have had second thoughts. I laughed because the thought has never even entered my mind.  

I am so grateful to my kids as they are very supportive. I am grateful to Neal for his inspiration for my running, which not only keeps me physically fit but is the best mental health booster I know!!  I am especially grateful to Lee Ann. If it weren’t for her trip to Tanzania and her encouraging me to visit I don’t know if I would have chosen this new path. She helped me reawaken my “Free Spirit”.  I was so impressed by the culture and especially how gracious people are even in the midst of their poverty. I am so blessed and fortunate to have the time, resources and good health to be able to embark on this new adventure.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

My wish for all of you is that 2012 brings you more joy than sorrow; more harmony than discord; and that the world knows more peace than conflict, more prosperity than hunger.