Every morning at 8:30 am, the sound of giggles and the pitter-patter of little feet can be heard gathering at the library steps of the Rift Valley Children’s Village (RVCV). Danny Joseph, now three-and-a-half years old and full of personality, often comes barreling down the path with a smile that lights up the world.

As we look back on the past year, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for each and every member of our extended TCF family who helped make our work possible! We have achieved so much together and are proud of the meaningful progress we have made.

At 3 years old, Marietha Simon is bright, curious, charismatic, and always eager to tell you about her latest adventure. Before the expansion of our Education Program, Marietha’s educational future would have lacked critical resources, classrooms, teachers, and books.

It is hard to describe just how far TCF’s Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) program has come in the last few years. When I first volunteered at RVCV in 2016, ECCE served only 16 kids between the ages of 3 and 6 years old.

Born and raised in TEC, a neighboring village, Anna Boay was eager to find a job as a teacher. Having heard about the potential of an opening at RVCV, she came home to submit an application and in 2020 became an integral part of our ECCE Program.

We have big news! Starting in January 2022, we are entering our third public-private partnership with the government to run Oldeani Primary School. As a school with over 700 students and only 6 teachers, the need for resources and leadership is significant.

When Belinda and Kalisti, both age 4, began the 2021 Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Program at RVCV they didn’t know their letters and numbers, couldn’t recognize most shapes and colors, and were shy around their classmates and teachers. After just four short months, their improvements have been quite impressive.

Looking back at 2020

For a community plagued by generational poverty, child-care is non-existent, forcing parents to make the difficult decision of leaving their young child home without supervision or providing for their family.

A fun new playground is sure to bring excitement to any group of toddlers, but our new playground had an impact that stemmed far beyond the sheer joy it created. 

When Prince Hamisi arrived for his first day of preschool at the Rift Valley Children’s Village, he was scared, shy, and did not speak any English. 

Cognizant of the strain that child care can place on families, six years ago, when a new mother teaching at Gyetighi Primary School had to split her attention between her new child and the classroom, the Tanzanian Children’s Fund (TCF) saw an opportunity to support teachers and their families by offering free daycare for their children.