Transforming lives in a remote Tanzanian community

Through Rotary contacts I went to the island of Ukerewe in Lake Victoria in 2008, with my wife Chris. This is the largest island inhabited island in the Lake accessed by a 3.5-hour ferry trip from the mainland town of Mwanza.
What we saw in the hospital in Ukerewe broke our hearts and prompted us into action!
Since then, we have led many teams of volunteers to the island and have renovated different parts of the hospital, updated facilities there, improved school amenities and have provided the community with substantial support.
Five years ago, we came across the challenges people with Albinism faced and launched a public education campaign to demystify the myths about Albinism which made their lives a bit safer.

The pandemic has made this poor community poorer – the brunt of the burden has fallen on the education system. Many schools are without basic amenities, overcrowded, have no water or sanitation facilities.
Pupils walk long distances to schools, many with no food or drink. Our farming project currently in 11 schools is helping to provide breakfast three times a week for almost 10,000 pupils. There are many more schools keen to have this sustainable farming programme costing about £2,800.00 for two years.

Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we have been able to use local vocational trainees to build 126 school desks and benches. The schools are short of many more desks and we are hoping to commission more each desk costs £16.00.
We have learned important lessons from our 12-year experience – there are no quick fix solutions for poverty, solutions for problems facing many poor communities lie within the community and one must be prepared for ups and downs. Persistence and perseverance almost always pays, and lives can be changed.
John Philip, Chairman