With no task too small or too large, Selestian Damas is RVCV’s best kept secret in accomplishing it’s mission of transforming communities, building brighter futures, and creating change in Tanzania.

Gretchen joined TCF’s team last November, and brings the “3 H’s”—Health, Humor, and Hope—to all of the patients at our Rural Community Health Clinic.

Six months have now come and gone as a long term volunteer at Rift Valley. What started out as strange and foreign has progressed into comfortable and familiar. 

In some ways, it seems like it was only yesterday that I was welcoming kids like Jackie and Lucy to the Children’s Village and into their new family.

Can you imagine being a house father for 21 teenage boys, handling disciplinary issues for two local schools, managing RVCV’s Kids Living with Relatives program, and helping serve as a support system for all of the children at RVCV?

School physicals are an important (and fun) part of my nursing responsibilities. This year at Gyetighi Primary school, I started the physical exams with the younger children in “Awali,” which is the Tanzanian equivalent of kindergarten. 

Updates from Gyetighi Primary School & Oldeani Secondary School

In mid-April, Standard 7 students across Tanzania took the mock regional exam. 

As part of our partnership with Gyetighi Primary School, we aim to equip teachers with the best available knowledge and resources to ensure that the 465 students that attend Gyetighi are receiving the education they deserve. 

For the past 12 years, TCF has been working in an impoverished area of northern Tanzania called Oldeani. For generations, local families have depended on subsistence farming and seasonal day labor at the three surrounding coffee plantations. 

At the Tanzanian Children’s Fund, there are very few titles more important than “mama.” 

We couldn’t be more excited – TCF is going to be a featured segment on the award-winning news program 60 Minutes this Sunday, May 1st!

Sitting alone on a plane for over a day allows for plenty of time for nerves to build.

We are very proud to announce that Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator, has recently reviewed TCF’s financial and governance practices, and awarded us 4 out of 4 stars!