We are constantly growing our programs in an attempt to create holistic change for this community, but one of the challenges we still face is ensuring that our community is aware of all the programs we offer. Elizabeth lives in a neighboring village and learned she was pregnant with her second child in August of 2021.

One of the biggest challenges facing students today is the walk to school. Most Oldeani Secondary students walk over two hours to school each day. In a country where 23% of all sexual assaults occur on the walk to school, this unmanageable commute puts our students at significant risk.

Ruth Hamza is a 58-year-old entrepreneur from Oldeani who has been living with epilepsy for 10 years. As part of TCF’s commitment to improving our community’s health and well-being, we have been working to expand knowledge surrounding chronic illnesses.

In 2022 we are taking huge strides in deepening our impact in education to better serve more students in our community. In addition to expanding our school partnerships, we have kicked off our Teacher Training Program.

India, who is pursuing a Clinical Medicine degree, spends her school breaks interning at our Rural Community Health Clinic. Through hands-on experience, India has gained a wide variety of practical skills.

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.

Secilia, one of TCF’s scholarship students, grew up in Oldeani town with six siblings. While in her final year of secondary school, Secilia Kalisti witnessed a mother in her village go into labor and immediately wished she knew how to help.

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.

For two weeks straight, any visitor may have mistaken Rubundo House for an art studio. Up to twelve Rift Valley Children's Village kids could be found gathered there engrossed in their paintings.

One of the strongest indicators of student success and engagement is the student-teacher ratio, or the number of students to every teacher in a school. This number refers to more than just class size as it reflects a teacher’s workload and their availability to offer services and care for students.

Eli Frida Safari, watched as her sister Christina took out loans, started a business, repaid her loans, and enjoyed economic freedom. Inspired by her sister’s success, in 2015 Eli opened up her own shop with a loan from REAP.

In the months leading up to her delivery, TCF also provided Hosiana with transport to her monthly prenatal program visits, ensuring that she did not have to walk three hours to receive the care and education she needed.

Multiple teacher trainings have taken place at OSS and GPS over the last few months, with the plan to continue these sessions bi-monthly throughout the rest of the year. Trainings have been aimed at helping teachers incorporate new techniques to best reach a variety of learners.

“It’s much different here at RVCV than in other communities; no other students my age get the chance to be given an internship designed for their college studies. Because everyone here takes the time to know what I’m interested in and support my decisions, I feel valued and cared for every day,” explains Faraja.

The changes to our pandemic response brought on by the Delta variant.

An average day for a student at a secondary school in rural Tanzania involves a lot of listening, reading, and note taking. Although auditory and visual learners may feel at home in this environment, this leaves those that understand best by doing, touching, and moving at a disadvantage.

With access to increasing loans and foundational business support through our Rifty Economic Advancement Program (REAP), average incomes in the Oldeani community have more than doubled. Over the last month, we’ve seen the tangible results of this as loan repayments from community members have increased by 4%.

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.