Monday, January 16, 2017
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Korogwe Orphanage Centre(KOC)
Korogwe
Orphanage Centre(KOC)
Korogwe
Orphanage Centre(KOC)
PO
Box 96
Tanga
TANZANIA
korogwecentre@yahoo.com
Committee Members:
Chairman - Mr. Juma Mhina
(Village Chairman)
Secretary
- Musa Twaha Kitonge (Swahili and Culture teacher)
Board
member- LIBERARTHA HUSSEIN MASHIMBA-Co-ordinator
Coordinator - Benjamin
Kinyamasongo (Swahili and Culture teacher)
Board member - Maimuna
Hussein
Board member -
Mwanaisha Kallaghe
Board member - Salehe
Mzige (Accountant for the Municipality of Korogwe)
Teachers:
Rhoda Chedi
Mwajabu Athman
Rukia Mwasimba
About
Korogwe
Orphanage Centre(KOC)
Korogwe
Orphanage Centre(KOC)operates in Korogwe District, Tanga region, Tanzania.
Korogwe is located in one of Tanzania’s poorest regions, which is often
overlooked by NGOs because of its limited infrastructure and service provision.
The area is badly affected by HIV/AIDS and lacks the resources necessary to
provide assistance to AIDS victims or to develop effective prevention
strategies. Many children in the area have been orphaned as a result of the
HIV/AIDS epidemic, and are themselves infected with the disease. Many of these
have no relatives to which to turn, and must stay with already poor families in
the nearby villages of Kwa Msisi,Msufini,
Madumu, Chekelei, and Kwakole. Others are forced to wander the streets due to
lack of resources and parental guidance.
Most of these children
do not attend school. All suffer because of lack of family discipline,
inability to access skill-building programs or education, and insufficient nutrition,
clothing, and health care. The lack of these basic needs in turn makes the
children even more vulnerable to sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS infection, illness, and
labor exploitation.
KOC was formed in 2005
to combat the situation of local children and youths. The Korogwe Youth Vocational
Center, an offshoot of KOC, was established in May 2006 and is well positioned
to support orphans identified by the parent organization as at-risk. Together,
the organizations seek to support the orphans of Korogwe District in gaining
access to education, health care, and daily interactions necessary for the
development of healthy children and youths. To this end, the KOC presently
provides daytime nursery education and limited medical care. In addition, KOC
seeks to develop an arts cooperative of local widows who currently serve as
caretakers and who wish to market their goods online to raise operational funds
for the new school, increasing the project’s likelihood of sustainability, teaching the women how to be self-reliant by
training them in tailoring, pottery making, etc.
The
Children:
In Korogwe
District there are more than 500 orphans. The Centre currently supports 97 boys
and girls between the ages of 2 and 18. Of these, 10 are fully supported by the
Centre and the rest live with grandparents or other people in the local
community. With funding, by January, 2013 we expect the number of youth we are
supporting to increase to 200. The goal is to be able to support at least 250
youth at the Centre.
Besides
giving the children clothes, food, and shelter, Korogwe Orphanage Centre(KOC)provides
supplementary lessons for the children in its care as well as children from the
local community. International volunteers teach classes in English,
Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science twice a day.
Overseas
funding is being sought for the development of the site. The Centre has its own
building now. Some of the land has been converted to a vegetable garden, the
produce of which will be used and sold by the Centre.
Pre-School Project:
KOC has just finished the building of two classrooms and a
teachers' office, which is serving as a base for its activities and as a
Pre-School centre.
The two classrooms are large,
accommodating 45 children per session, and each contains a blackboard. There
are two toilets available conveniently as well(One for Children and the other
one for adults).
The Pre-School opened its doors to
the public in March, 2012. Already there are 200 children registered with KOC,
and 97 of them are able to attend the Pre-School every weekday. Another 45 (of
this 200), ages 7 to 15, receive limited financial support from the Centre for
tuition fees, books, uniforms, etc.
Future Aims:
1
To build and
facilitate a small primary school to accommodate children completing basic
education at the Pre-School centre and also older children.
2
To build and
facilitate a small secondary school to accommodate children completing
education at the KOC primary school and also older children.
3
To partner with
local businesses to provide the opportunity for vocational training.
4
To build a pool
for keeping fish (approximately one hectare)
1
To build two more
classrooms as part of the Pre-School.
2
To establish a
Pre-School centre in each of the wards of Korogwe Town.
3
To establish a
partnership with an overseas volunteering agency, enabling foreign volunteers
to help physically and financially with future development projects under the
guidance of KOC.
It is the greatest desire of KOC to gradually establish such projects
within each of the wards of Korogwe Town, thus giving stability and a
prosperous future to each and every child living in difficult circumstances
with no hope of living a decent life. Every one of KOC children are valued as
growing individuals and know that they have people to turn to when they are in
need.
Friends who have
contributed so far:
1
Local government
by providing 1 hectare of the 5 hectares that we have
2
Board members -
all board members make regular financial contributions to the needs of the
Centre and in particular the ten children that are fully within its care.
In addition:
(a) Mr. Mhina
(Village Chairman) - by organising and monitoring all day to day activities;
(b) Musa Twaha Kitonge (Swahili and Culture teacher) - by
promoting KOC, looking for volunteers and donors;
(c) Benjamin Kinyamasongo (Swahili and Culture teacher) -
by promoting KOC, looking for volunteers and donors;
(d) Maimuna Hussein
- by helping chairman;
(e) Mwanaisha Kallaghe - by helping chairman;
(f) Salehe Mzige (Accountant for the Municipality of Korogwe) - by helping KOC with accounts
3
Friends from Australia by doing local
fundraising to help with purchasing uniforms, books, etc. (Sheree Lette,
Miranda Wilkson, Katie Melinda from the organisation Friends of Korogwe)
4
Professor
Lene Buchert, Copenhagen, Denmark
5
Kelly
Conneen, Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA
6
Alice
Kells, Greenfield, Massachussetts, USA
7
Leigh
Hubbard, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
8
Professor
Herb Kells, Washington, DC, US
9
Laura
Kells, Washington, DC, USA
10
Larry
Leigh, Washington, DC, USA
11
Isobel
Pelham, San Clemente, California, USA
12
Rachel
Trego, Washington, DC, USA
13
Jelanie
Wilkins, Washington, DC, USA
14 Friends from Scotland by paying teachers' salaries
since we started (Priscilla Webster from the organisation LoadsaWeeminsinging)
15 Some good Samaritans - interested local community
members who help as they are able
International volunteers:
16 Jesca Smith
from UK.
17 Caleb Cottier
and Jack Turner from Canada.
18 Kay Mitchel
from Scotland.
19 Alison Colvin
from Scotland.
20 Kristen Rau from America.
21 Albert Van de
Ploeg and Evelyn De Kam from Holland - multiple visits over the course of
several years;
22 Priscilla Webster from Scotland - multiple visits over
the course of several years;
23 Shree Lette, Miranda Wilkson and Katie Melinda from Australia
24 Kerry Rush and Sarah
O'Hanlon from England
25 Various local organizations by contributing money and
in kind donations (e.g. clothing,food)
VOLUNTEERING FROM $10 A DAY.
Give yourself the
fascinating gift of helping people, just by being who you are, and bringing
them into your heart.
Korogwe Orphanage was
set up by local people using their own money which is now
exhausted. Income from volunteers is used to help meet the
costs of their care, food, education and health needs.
All the volunteer fee goes to the
kids. Unlike many programmes volunteers book their placements
and pay their money directly to the orphanages. There are no
expensive intermediaries whose administrative and marketing costs have to be
taken from the fee before the children benefit.
Korogwe Orphnage Volunteering promotes
volunteering to help 102 children living at the Korogwe,Tanga in Tanzania. They are about 500
children in Korogwe who have lost their parents as a result of the HIV/AIDS
pandemic.
Volunteers improve the life chances of the children through
teaching pre-school and primary school English and Maths, organising
recreational and sporting activities and helping with building and
decorating. In return they make many friends and experience what
life is like in a semi-rural community in one of the poorest
countries in the world. Over 50 volunteers, from ages 18 to 67, have
helped at the orphanages in the 5 years since volunteering first
began. They have come from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand,
many European countries, UK and USA.
Volunteers' principal role is to teach English and
Maths to pre-school and primary school children. Although the
older children attend Korogwe primary schools, near the orphanage, there are
insufficient classrooms and teachers and children can only be taught for half
the school day. Volunteers teach at the orphanages for the other
half of the day and throughout the school holidays.
Few volunteers are trained teachers or intend to become them. Lessons are prepared from school books which follow the government syllabus. Each volunteer teaches one class in the morning for about an hour and another in the afternoon. This leaves plenty of time for lesson preparation. Classes are taught in English although the language of the children is Kiswahili. They will be happy to teach you their language in return for what you have taught them.
Few volunteers are trained teachers or intend to become them. Lessons are prepared from school books which follow the government syllabus. Each volunteer teaches one class in the morning for about an hour and another in the afternoon. This leaves plenty of time for lesson preparation. Classes are taught in English although the language of the children is Kiswahili. They will be happy to teach you their language in return for what you have taught them.
MAINTAINING CLASS DISCIPLINE IS NOT A PROBLEM
Unlike in many western
schools. The children are very keen to learn.
Helping the children to become fluent in
English. not only in formal lessons but through engaging them in
conversation, provides them with a skill which will benefit them greatly when
they begin their secondary education.
Recreational and
sporting activities are organised in the early evening and at
weekends. These have included card and singing games, football,
cricket, volleyball, ten-pin bowling and even a cut-down Olympic games with
sports such as the 3-legged sprint and the stone and spoon race (eggs are too
precious for an egg and spoon race!) to teach
Volunteers have also undertaken repairs and maintenance
tasks including repainting rooms and building bunk beds, benches and tables for
the classes.
VOLUNTEER ACCOMODATIONS
Volunteers stay in houses in a walled compound about a 10 minutes’
walk from the classrooms. The windows of the houses have louvered
windows, mosquito netting and are burglar-proofed.
A decorative grill with a gate secures the small veranda area outside
the front door of each house. At night a watchman is employed.
The houses are connected to the mains water and electricity
supplies but fragility of local infrastructure and maintenance skills mean
that cuts to both services are a common occurrence.
One house has been equipped for cooking with a fridge, electric
hotplates, a kerosene stove and a supply of cooking pots, plates, mugs and
cutlery. Meals used to be prepared by local staff but volunteers
have found that their needs have been better met by preparing their own.
Bread,rice, eggs,
beans, meat, vegetables and fruit can be bought in Korogwe town
Market, a 15 minutes’ walk from the compound, In Korogwe town there are some
supermarkets stocking a range of branded tinned and packet foods.
Bottled drinking water is cheap and available everywhere, as are soft drinks
and beer.
Bedrooms are lockable. There are single
bedrooms and larger rooms with two single beds in each house. Each
bed has a mattress, two sheets, a pillow and a mosquito net. There
are built-in cupboards for storage
The house has two cold water showers, two wash basins and
two toilets, one of which is western and one Tanzanian.
GETTING
TO KOROGWE
Getting to Africa
Most volunteers will arrive by air and should make for
Kilimanjaro International Airport or Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).
From Kilimanjaro/Dar es Salaam to Korogwe
Travel from both arrival points to Korogwe can be by bus. It
takes 6 hours by bus from Dar es salaam to Korogwe and it also takes 6 hour by
bus from Kilimanjaro Airport to Korogwe
VISAS
Nationals of most western countries are required to have
visas to enter Tanzania. Costs vary and you should check on the
website of the Tanzania High Commission or Embassy in your home
country. These should be obtained before leaving home although it is
possible to get them at the border crossing. Tourist visas last for
3 months only, beginning on the date of issue. These visas do not
permit working. Since volunteering is regarded as working,
volunteers are required to get a work permit on arrival in Korogwe(we will
help you to get one).
Those arriving at Nairobi airport and travelling on
immediately by air to Tanzania do not require a visa for Kenya. Those
travelling by coach require a Kenya transit visa. This can be
obtained at Nairobi airport or, if you wish to avoid queuing in Nairobi, prior
to departure from the Kenya High Commission or Embassy in your home
country. It covers you for your return journey into Kenya from
Tanzania.
HEALTH
& SAFETY
Health
Volunteers need to check with their doctors the
current recommended vaccinations and anti-malarial tablets. A
complete course of vaccinations, depending on what the doctor recommends, can
take 6 weeks. The children have been tested and found not to have
HIV/AIDS. The most common illnesses experienced by volunteers arise
from failing to take precautions common to all tropical countries - ensuring
that water is boiled before drinking (unless from sealed bottles, which are
readily available), eating only food that has been freshly cooked, eating
fruit only after checking that the skin has not been punctured and then
peeling, and adopting standard anti-malarial precautions such as
taking tablets as prescribed, limiting the amount of body uncovered after
dusk and always sleeping under a treated mosquito net. Bathing in
settled water and rivers is not recommended due to the presence of Bilharzias.
SAFETY
Tanzania has been one of the most peaceful countries in
Africa since acquiring independence over 40 years ago. Korogwe and
Tanga is off the tourist track, where criminal gangs tend to focus their
activities, and away from any places which might be considered targets for
international terrorist attacks. The Christian and
Moslem communities in the town co-exist and volunteers have never felt
inhibited from wandering around the central areas of the town in daylight.
As with health, the safety precautions which
volunteers should take are common to most low-income countries.
"Mzungus" (white people) are considered to be wealthy in a country
which is one of the poorest in the world. The vast majority of
Tanzanians you will come into contact with are friendly and will be concerned
about your welfare. Should they observe undesirable people
showing an interest in you (typically pickpockets) they will chase them away or
warn you.
However, it is incumbent on volunteers not to place
themselves at risk by keeping money and valuables in secure places,
not holding large sums of money where they can be seen, taking care if
walking around with expensive cameras and not walking around after
dark. It is bad manners to take people's pictures without
their consent and their permission should always be asked to avoid any
confrontation. Market traders will usually
give permission if you have purchased something from them.
Others may ask for a small payment.
Tanzanians dress very conservatively. In
public places women should not dress in the more revealing fashions common in
their own countries. Skirts should be below the knee and trousers
are acceptable. Shoulders should be covered and bare midriffs
avoided. In public, men most commonly wear long trousers rather
than shorts.
You may wish to read your government's advice on
travel to Tanzania eg. UK, US,Canada, Australia and New
Zealand. This advice is commonly followed by commercial travel
agencies and insurance companies in deciding whether it is safe to operate
tours to Tanzania and provide travel cover.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Travel insurance, which provides adequate cover for
sickness and injury whilst you are away from home, is essential.
It is standard practice in volunteers' home countries
to check that applicants for jobs which involve contact with
children have no criminal record which indicates that they might
pose a threat to the children. This is done through carrying out a police
check. It is the belief of Korogwe Orphnage Centre that Tanzanian
children are entitled to be treated in the same way. The
procedures for obtaining the check vary between countries.
United Kingdom: An
enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check is required. This is
normally carried out by a CRB umbrella organisation and requires sight of
original copies of documents which identify you (e.g. passport or driving
license) and which provide evidence of your current address (e.g. utility bills).
Your local volunteer bureau should be able to provide you with the address of
an umbrella body in your locality. There is no
charge by the CRB for a check for a volunteer, but the umbrella body will make
a small charge to cover its own costs. Checks currently take around
4 weeks.
Republic of Ireland: The procedure
is operated by the Garda
Siochana. It costs 6.35 Euros and takes up to 40 days.
Australia: The procedure
is operated by the Australian
Federal Police . It takes 5 days and
costs$32.73. The fingerprint option is not required.
New Zealand: The procedure
is operated by the Ministry
of Justice. It takes 20 working days and is free.
United States: The procedure is
operated by the FBI. It takes 16-18 weeks and costs $18.
Canada: The procedure is operated by
the RCMP.
It takes 120 days . We can supply the letter required to
obtain a free check. Note the requirement for
applications dealing with vulnerable people.
Our Volunteer Notes additionally
contain a Code of Conduct which should be
followed. As well as protecting the children, it is also
important in protecting volunteers from any unfounded accusations of child
abuse
DATES, CHARGES AND
BOOKING
There are no set dates for arriving and departing.
If you want particular dates the earlier you
apply the better. Preference will be given to those who wish to
stay the longest because it is important to the children that there is some
stability in the volunteers they come into contact with. Normally
the minimum period is 4 weeks, but some volunteers stay for 3 months or more.
Charges are set by the Director and begins with US Dollars 300 for a month.
This
money covers accommodation and includes a contribution to the orphanage running
costs. Volunteer income is a major part of the money used to pay
for the care, clothing, feeding, health and educational needs of the
kids. All volunteers are encouraged to raise aditional money for
the orphanages before they come because their needs outstrip what the basic
cost provides. Whilst you may see particular needs whilst you are
there,and wish to take some spare money with you, major cost items such as
secondary education, buildings and building maintenance rely on funds built up
over time by Donations towards such things can be made directly
through our website in UK pounds, Euros, and US, Canadian, Australian
and New Zealand dollars. Information is also available on
how donations from UK and US tax payers can be made tax efficient
through
The payment does not cover travel to Korogwe,
travel and health insurance, police check, visas and living expenses in Korogwe
(other than the cost of accommodation and the utility and security services
provided)
LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL
ORIENTATION
In Tanzania ,Swahili Trainers
and Translators Co.Ltd (SWATT) www.swahilitrainers.com offers one week of Language and Cultural orientation in
Dar es Salaam or Korogwe . This week long intensive language and cultural
immersion program includes: Swahili language training, lessons on history,
culture, ways of life, visits to local villages/towns/markets, guided city
exploration of Dar es Salaam and Tanga and local tourist attractions. This SWATT
program aims to submerge you in Tanzanian culture, history and ways of
life to vastly improve your time as a volunteer in Tanzania . When you
understand the life and culture around you, your experience is richer and more
rewarding.
If you choose to participate in this one week Language and
Cultural immersion course, your volunteer program will begin the Monday
following this one-week of Language and Cultural Immersion taught in and around
Dar es Salaam/Korogwe. This experience should not be missed! So many
international travelers wish they could have an opportunity such as this to
receive a briefing on customs, language and history.
Language fee covers Language and cultural training, food and accommodations
for 7 days, training materials (books, paper, papers), cost of local sight
seeing/tourist sites, recreational activities, cultural programs and additional
activities, travel related expenses (one week orientation),for more information
visit www.swahilitrainers.com
For further information on volunteering at the orphanages, and how
to apply, email us at korogwecentre@yahoo.com and we will send you our Volunteers Notes.
Volunteering Adventures
Many of our volunteers choose to combine their volunteer projects with some form of adventure travel enabling them to make the most of their trip to Africa whether it is climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania or visiting Serengeti. Many of our volunteers return saying how much the trip has changed their lives for good. They never could have imagined the things they would see and the experiences they had. This kind of trip also sets you head and shoulders above the rest with job prospects enhancing your CV. Our volunteer projects and adventure trips are extremely worth while as they give you a one of the best opportunities to see the rest of the world.
Many of our volunteers choose to combine their volunteer projects with some form of adventure travel enabling them to make the most of their trip to Africa whether it is climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania or visiting Serengeti. Many of our volunteers return saying how much the trip has changed their lives for good. They never could have imagined the things they would see and the experiences they had. This kind of trip also sets you head and shoulders above the rest with job prospects enhancing your CV. Our volunteer projects and adventure trips are extremely worth while as they give you a one of the best opportunities to see the rest of the world.
Our Mission:
Korogwe Orphnage Centre(KOC) serves
to give disadvantaged children in and around Korogwe an opportunity to learn,
grow and develop their talents within a safe, nurturing and dynamic community.
It’s difficult to attend to the
needy in our communities if we don’t know exactly what our GIVING status and
attitudes are. What do we perceive in the word GIVE? KOC strongly believes that
everyone has something to give to the needy; If not cash maybe time, expertise,
material or experience.
KOC is opening doors by working
with both loneliness and poverty simultaneously. Many organizations dealing
with orphans only serve their basic needs, but not their broken hearts. Upon
losing parents or relatives, plenty of psychological problems may arise when
orphans mature; it’s a time they feel most the absence of their parents, and we
feel it’s the right moment to think of their future and take them closer by
putting their interests, needs and aspirations into consideration. We urge
our community to focus on creating opportunities for the kids to succeed. It is
well understood that education is a necessity in the world today. How does the
community create enough opportunities for the needy to pursue? Who is behind a
specific kid pushing him/her to reach a dream?
We emphasize the community to diversify their mindset from thinking that orphans and vulnerable children are to be employed as home workers with low wages. We urge people to view orphans and vulnerable children with high expectations, capable of learning anything if only given the chance.
We emphasize the community to diversify their mindset from thinking that orphans and vulnerable children are to be employed as home workers with low wages. We urge people to view orphans and vulnerable children with high expectations, capable of learning anything if only given the chance.
These kids have many talents which are
constantly underutilized and underdeveloped; KOC works on cultivating and
developing the talents these kids posses.
As a KOC family” we create a home
atmosphere to make kids achievements possible, helping them set their goals,
identify opportunities, and change world. We create a safe environment for them
to decide what they want to do on their own, and prepare them to be good
leaders in making social justice possible.
Our Vision:
KOROGWE ORPHNAGE CENTRE’S vision is to see a Tanzania in which orphans and vulnerable children are integrated into a healthy, productive and caring community, and given tools they need to establish themselves as agents of change in their own communities and future leaders of country’s economic and human development.
KOROGWE ORPHNAGE CENTRE’S vision is to see a Tanzania in which orphans and vulnerable children are integrated into a healthy, productive and caring community, and given tools they need to establish themselves as agents of change in their own communities and future leaders of country’s economic and human development.
We prepare our kids to view being
called orphans as not something negative, but something they can turn into a
positive understanding, and become volunteers. It makes them forget their own
loneliness and find themselves being responsible for others.
We put an emphasis on health care
as the first capital of every human being, hoping it will spread back to community
they came from. KOC strongly believes that caring for others should start
by everyone becoming an active part of their community, not only government, religious
institutions or others organizations, if we are to live in a peaceful world.
OUR TEAM
JUMA MHINA and MUSA KITONGE are
Co-founders and Executive Director s of Korogwe Orphanage Centre(KOC).
JUMA MHINA and MUSA KITONGE
strongly believe that the two issues- Orphans and Poverty- should be addressed
and handled separately; They are two different phenomena of which have to have
independent solutions and strategies.
We believes that the most difficult
moment for orphaned children is when they are going through maturity, when they
painfully feel the absence of significant people who can guide them through the
challenges of life and growing up. They have built an organization that hopes
to guide them through these troubled times.
LIBERATHA
HUSSEIN MASHIMBO is KOC’S Director
of Finance. It her great responsibility to track all of KOC’s financial
information from donors, and our income-generating business projects. She also
prepares our quarterly and annual fiscal reports for documentation and
presentation to the board.
DONATIONS
Thank you for your interest in supporting KOC! Your donation
will have a profound impact on the growth and success of each and every one of
KOC’s children.
There are several ways to financially support our work:
BANK ACCOUNT
SWIFT CODE: CORUTZTZ
Bank name:CRDB Bank
Bank name:CRDB Bank
Account number: 0152264165700
Account Name: Korogwe children centre
Branch name: Korogwe
Donate Via M-PESA and
TIGO-PESA(In Tanzania
Only):
You can contribute to KOC through mobile banking with:
You can contribute to KOC through mobile banking with:
Vodacom
M-Pesa account 70004
TIGO-PESA Account 19681
Or Call us!
Mob: +255 754 611044,+255 755693117
Mob: +255 754 611044,+255 755693117
CONTACTS:
1.
Name: JUMA MHINA
Title: Founder and Managing Director
Phone: +255 755-693117
2.
Name: MUSA TWAHA KITONGE
Title: FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
Phone: +255 754-611044
3.
LIBERARTHA HUSSEIN MASHIMBA
Title: Director of Communication
Phone: +255 715404039
Email:
4.
Name: SHEREE LETTE
Title: Friend of Korogwe
E-mail:
shereelette@hotmail.com
5.
Name: HERB KELLS
Title:
Friend of Korogwe
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
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