Blog Posts - Sasamani Foundation

USAID X THE SASAMANI FOUNDATION

1/15/2020

Aaron, Gladness, Elias and Andy met on Dec. 2019 and discussed The Sasamani Foundation Initiatives among other important things.

Last month, our Sasamani team met with Aaron Miles, Deputy Director of the Office of Education at the U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Our education director, manufacturing director and the founder of The Sasamani Foundation were in attendance.

The group discussed education programs, resources, funding opportunities, and organizations with existing education initiatives in the country. The meeting was fruitful and our Sasamani team was able to share with Aaron our amazing programs and positive impact on the lives of students in the community of Bagamoyo.

Aaron shared many resources and funding opportunities for Sasamani in an effort to continue enhancing our award-winning Education program and ensure sustainability.

THANK YOU LETTER FROM KINGANI GRADUATES

11/18/2019

UNIFORM PROJECT: HEAR FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF MANUFACTURING

9/26/2019

EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE

The Employment initiative is one of many programs implemented by the Sasamani Foundation. Since 2013, it was known as Manufacturing Department but later on, it was changed to "Employment Initiative" as it offers employment to women in the society of the small and historic town of Bagamoyo located in the Coast Region of Tanzania.

Mwanahamis working on a uniform in the comfort of her home.

The department has ten (10) tailors who were recruited by the Sasamani Foundation. These tailors have locally established their working places on a small scale. They have operated their work from home, and did not have as much sales contrary to other successful tailors individual or groups who were having much to do in their shops.

The Uniform Project started in 2017 and was a result of the sales of bags sewed by these tailors and marketed in the United States through the Sasamani Marketing Department. The collection of hand-made bags are known as "The Amani Collection".

Sasamani tailors and staff distributing school uniforms to schools.

The Amani Collection features a series of bags that are sold for the price of $40. This amount covers the bag as it is and it includes a uniform price that enables a student in Bagamoyo to benefit from a school uniform who could not otherwise afford it.

Odetha working on a school uniform shirt in her home shop.

At first in 2018, we were able to sell 100 bags with uniforms, therefore, we automatically had to make 100 uniforms. This sale not only benefited 100 students from poor families but also the tailors in the Sasamani Foundation directly as they were paid for sewing the uniforms.

HOW WE RECRUITED UNIFORM BENEFICIARIES

The Sasamani Foundation can easily reach the registered students (56) but for the non-registered students, we need to request permission from the government to reach these students who come from vulnerable families and are in need of school uniforms.

Sasamani interns and staff distributing new school uniforms to primary schools in Bagamoyo.

We were able to locate these students in 3 secondary schools and 3 primary/grade schools.

65 Primary School Students benefited were from;

1. Pande Primary School

2. Miembesaba Primary School

3. Kidongochekundu Primary School

35 Secondary School Students benefited were from;

1. Kingani Secondary School

2. Kiromo Secondary School

3. Matimbwa Secondary School

Again this year 2019 we also had 100 bags sold therefore we had a second uniform project.

In this round, all the student beneficiaries were from Primary/grade schools.
We divided the uniforms into 4 Schools in Bagamoyo District for 25 students in each school.
Schools reached were;

1. Kerege Primary School

2. Mtambani Primary School

3. Kimele Primary School

4. Kiharaka Primary School

The School Administration in each school we reached was so happy and grateful for the provision of the uniforms to these students as they have quite a number of needy students.

In one of the schools we went, though they were grateful to what we have done to those students they also gave out their opinion if we can afford to provide shoes alongside the uniforms because the students were looking smart in their new uniforms but some of them were not wearing shoes.

Ernest, one of our tailors, showing a finished trouser.

The students were so happy to have new school uniforms as it was not something they expected to receive that particular time.

This project was a success to both students and the tailors as it put smiles on their faces each one in their own ways. With an achievement like this, we see the department going forward to higher levels.

OUR ED VISITS BAGAMOYO: HEAR FROM MEGAN MILLER

8/31/2019

Asma, one of our tailors, and Megan (our Executive Director) meeting for the first time.

I became Executive Director of the Sasamani Foundation back in February, but it was just last week in early August that I had the privilege to visit our operation in Tanzania and see the work first hand. What an incredible experience it was!

We started the week meeting our in-country staff, Gladness and Elias, in person along with their beautiful families. Gladness graciously invited us to stay that evening in her home, a warm and inviting place in the outskirts of Bagamoyo.

Gladness is our Education Director and organized visits to each of the three secondary schools that we currently support. She guided us across dusty and bumpy dirt roads to each remote location where we met with teachers, staff, and our incredible students. While there, we distributed sports uniforms that our intern Wesley Morris had ordered for the students. The students tried on the uniforms and posed for pictures, clearly ecstatic about their new digs.

We had to say goodbye much to soon as most of the students were sitting for practice exams that week. The consolation was that we would see them again at the end of the week for an inter-school competition that Gladness and Wes had organized and that Sasamani was funding.

Students wearing their sports uniforms.

Elias (far-left), Megan (next to Elias), Erica (next to Megan), Gladness (next to Erica) and sasamani board members to the far right (Columbus and Didase)

Back at the office we organized additional donated gifts, including books that had been donated by one of our generous supporters. We were able to tour some of the local sites in Bagamoyo, including the beautiful beach, the colorful and bustling fish market, and the Kaole ruins. For dinner one evening we met with our Tanzanian board members and discussed the possibility of increasing our fundraising in-country and developing an "Africa for Africa" mindset. We stressed the importance of Sasamani becoming a self-sustaining organization, with more and more fundraising and management being done locally instead of overseas.

Towards the end of the week, we engaged a photographer to take still shots and videos of members of our employment program. Sasamani employs nine local tailors to make unique bags that are sold overseas, and the entire program is managed by Elias, our Managing Director.

Watching these talented people at their craft was captivating, and seeing the crisp, finished works was very impressive. Each time a Sasamani bag is purchased, proceeds are set aside to make a uniform for a student. This arrangement not only provides clothing for the children but also provides our tailors with additional fair-wage work. Last month in July, Elias spent several days distributing uniforms that our tailors had made to over 100 students.

The culminating event of the week was the inter-school competition, into which so many people had put their effort and hard work. It was impressive mix of debates, spelling bees, sports, food and fun! Everyone was a winner as the students were challenged both academically and physically while they tried their "level best."

Megan with one of our tailors, Mwanahamis.

Megan visiting schools and meeting Sasamani students for the first time.

The week was extremely fulfilling and has really invigorated me to try my own level best to raise more and more funds to support the amazing work we are doing. I invite you to see what we are doing with your own eyes and encourage you to join hands with us as we support our friends in Bagamoyo.

Megan and students playing a game during the Sasamani Inter-School event 2019.

WESLEY DEPARTS TANZANIA- INTERN REFLECTION

8/16/2019

With my time in Tanzania having come to an end a few days ago now, I've had the chance to really reflect and process the experience, and am now able to truly appreciate how rewarding it was.

Looking back on it, I'm so grateful to everyone on the team for entrusting me with the level of responsibility I had. I felt like more than just an intern, but rather, I felt like an integral part of the team. With Sasamani being such a young and dynamic organization with so many exciting projects constantly in the works, there was so much work to be done across all fronts, and I think it's truly special that I was able to contribute to so many different areas. Being involved with everything from event planning to social media marketing to fundraising kept me on my toes and kept my days exciting. No two days across the 8 weeks were alike.

Because my experience was so diverse, I know that having something like my time at Sasamani under my belt will be useful to have going forward in my professional career regardless of what my next steps are. Some of the things I was involved in were tasks that aren’t specific to the operations of an NGO. For instance, I played a big role in helping the team transition from physical documents and locally stored files to a cloud storage system via Google Drive.

Going forward, it'll be useful for the team to all be accessing the same live versions of files so everyone can quite literally be on the same page. I created a sponsor and student information database that will be stored on the Team Drive and worked with Gladness and Elias to familiarize them with Google Drive and Google Suite.

In addition to the contributions I made, being with Sasamani did a lot for my understanding of the issues of poverty and economic development. The burning questions that have floated around the back of my mind most of my academic career revolve around how we can empower people to improve their economic situations. But I think that one thing my experience this summer has shown me is that, until now, I had a somewhat myopic view of how this can be achieved. I've learned that it's not as black and white as I once thought it to be. There are a million and one factors that combine to create the issue we know to be global poverty. Working with Gladness on the education initiatives cemented this idea in my mind. Understanding the realities that our sponsored students live every day has been so eye-opening.

What's more, breaking out of my comfort zone a bit as I contributed to these different projects, going as far as teaching classes (something I never thought I'd do in a million years), has been quite rewarding. So not only did I expand my thinking, but I also got to try some new things, and I really can say I enjoyed it.

A huge Thank You to Andy and everyone on Team Sasamani for having me and making my summer so enriching. I look forward to seeing all of the great work you all do going forward and I wish you nothing but the best!

TIHUT DEPARTS TANZANIA- INTERN REFLECTION

8/15/2019

Sanje Waterfall 2019

I look out through the window to take a quick last glance of the beautiful Dar Es Saleem as the plane takes off from the Julies Nyerere Airport. The past few weeks in Tanzania flew by! I completely can’t fathom the fact that my time in TZ has come to an end. In my previous blog, I shared some of the things I have been working on at Sasamani. I took a look at my previous blog and I realized I haven't shared much about the fun weekends I spent in different parts of Tanzania. Like the beautiful trip Wes and I took to Zanzibar. I loved how kind and welcoming the people in Zanzibar were. Sun-set trips, delicious Tanzanian dishes, Bongo flavor music, beautiful view; Zanzibar had it all. For my last weekend in TZ, we took a 12 hours trip to Ifakara, a rural town in the south-central part of Tanzania, to visit the Udzungwa National Park. I complained for a bit when I realized tourists pay twenty times the price Tanzanian's pay, but I guess that's how the business world of tourism functions. Hiking 3kms to the base of the Udzungwa waterfall was tiresome, to say the least. The park consists of the peculiar waterfall, Sanje waterfall. The waterfall displays the map of Africa showing clear demarcation of boundaries as it appears on a piece of paper. It was mind blowing! The hike was totally worth it. On my last week, I went around to our three partner schools to have a session on Menstrual Hygiene Management. Although I had previous experience with training for Sanitation and Hygiene Management, I worked with Gladness to frame the session for the students in Bagamoyo. I prepared handouts, a few materials for demonstration and ice-breaker games because the students were a tad uncomfortable to get straight to the topic. After my first session 63 female students at the Kingani Secondary School, I decided it would be best to have a translator in the room because most students were more comfortable asking questions in Kiswahili. At Kingani, I stayed a bit late because it was my last day at the school. We sat down and talked with the students. They were kind enough to show me around their hostels and study rooms. The situation in public schools in Ethiopia is not that different from the public schools I have been to in Tanzania. We sat in circles and they were asking me about how I ended up studying in the States. We started talking about college applications and ended up talking about life in East Africa. Before I knew it, it was already 7 p.m, so I had to head home. Saying my goodbye to the students was quite emotional. "Madam Tihut, you are my role model," says Ester who is one of our Sasamani students. I held it in when I saw her tears as she hugs me. Once I got to the car to get back home, I just let it all out. As much as I loved our attachment, it made the goodbyes pretty hard for all of us.

Tihut posing with students after the Menstruation Sanitation workshop.

I also conducted a session on Menstrual Sanitation at Matimbwa and Kiromo Secondary Schools. The training was the most satisfying work I did at Sasamani. I have dreamt of providing sessions on Menstrual Sanitation for students in the rural regions of Southern Ethiopia. However, I was denied the opportunity because my parents were against the idea of me traveling to the rural regions to give out the training. In Bagamoyo, it felt fulfilling to stand in front of 63 students in each of the three schools discussing and taking questions during the training. It’s surprising how menstrual hygiene management is such a basic topic yet most of these students were not aware of it.

I would be in a classroom for three to four hours with a translator taking questions from the students.

During my last week, I also conducted one-to-one interviews with 36 Sasamani Sponsored students from Kiromo, Matimbwa, and Kingani Secondary Schools. The purpose of the interview was to check-in with the students and get a general sense of their well-being and academic progress. One of my responsibilities as an intern was to digitalize the files we have at the office. Therefore, after conducting the interviews I updated the responses online so that our Board of Directors can have a general sense of the statistics we have on our Sasamani Sponsored Students. When I started interviewing the students, I thought they would be uncomfortable sharing some personal details with me. However, I think I already had established a rapport with most of them during my time at the schools. In fact, I recall the time when I went to the shop to grab a few things and I was having a hard time describing the items in Kiswahili. Fortunately, I run into one of the students from Kingani and she translated for me. She was kind enough to walk me all the way to the house to make sure I didn't have trouble on my way. The students were not only cooperative in class but outside too!

Tihut hugging a Sasamani scholar.

I headed to Dar to spend some time with Dr. Mori and her family for my last two days in Tanzania. One of the best parts about interning for Sasamani is that once we stepped out of the office, we got to have some family time. Every night after dinner, we sat around the table and prayed together. We also did a bit of singing. After dinner, we would sit in the living room watching the African Cup. Magnus, Dr. Mori’s youngest son, and I lost our interest in the games once Benin lost the match. I didn't even bother to watch after Nigeria lost too! In Dar, I was also able to see some of my families who are expats in Tanzania.

Tanzania really did feel like home in ways I didn’t expect, except the fact that I never rode the motorcycle at home. But, it was actually the to-go ride when I went to most of the schools in Bagamoyo. Although I was scared of being at the back of a motorcycle at first, it was one of the highlights of my stay in Bagamoyo.

For my last day in Dar, Dr. Mori took me to the University of Dar Es Salaam for the last time and I met with a couple of international students from Sweden, the States and China. I was curious about applications to study abroad at UDSM, so I went to the Office of Internationalization and Advancement to learn more about the process. Who knows, I might study abroad at UDSM! That actually sounds like a plan, if it's feasible. I have been on the Study Away Committee at Conn College, and I hope I could share a bit about how Study Abroad works at UDSM. Maybe Conn students (including myself) can study abroad at UDSM in our junior year.

This is probably my last blog, but I have a lot more to share about my time in Tanzania. For now, I would like to restate how grateful I am to have been a part of the Sasamani team. I look forward to contributing in all sorts of ways that I could possibly help with the amazing work of the team. It wasn't just working at the office, and filing paper works but I also spent family time with everyone I stayed with. I strongly hope I will visit sometime again. I have learned lessons and experienced the beautiful culture of Tanzania. Thank you for all the good lessons that will stay with me for a lifetime!

Asante Sana,

Tihut Getabicha

Tihut facing the Sanje waterfall.

INTERN REFLECTION BY: WESLEY MORRIS

7/17/2019

Wesley at the Sasamani Foundation office.

I can't believe that my time in Tanzania will be coming to an end in just two weeks. The time absolutely flew by. It probably feels that way because I've been so busy in recent weeks. Since getting here, I've had the chance to be a part of so much of the great work that the team at Sasamani does on a daily basis; I didn't think that I would have been able to see and contribute as much as I have in such little time. In all honesty, I was concerned that two months would be too small of a time frame to be able to adjust to the new environment and then get any sort of momentum going. But that hasn't been the case. Since day one, Elias and Gladness have been a great help in making sure I felt comfortable every step of the way, and have allowed me the freedom and autonomy to pursue efforts in the areas I was most interested in contributing to.

A large part of my time in Bagamoyo has been spent visiting secondary schools where we have sponsored students. At Kingani and Kiromo secondary schools, I had the privilege of being able to support teachers in the instruction of topics in Mathematics and Accounts to students in Form 4 who were participating in an extra-class program aimed at preparing them to sit their national exams this fall.

Wesley during a meeting with a teacher at Kingani Secondary School.

Since schools resumed regular class schedules earlier this month, the bulk of my time has been spent planning and working out logistics for what will be the foundation’s first and hopefully annual inter-school event. With this event, we will be bringing together over 400 students and faculty from the three secondary schools in the area that we work with: Kiromo, Kingani and Matimbwa. Our aim with the event is to bring students together in a setting that challenges them and promotes friendly competition, and which also gives them the chance to have fun with some peers they normally would not have the chance to interact with.

The day's events will include a debate, a spelling bee, sports and other games. We will be launching a fundraising campaign for the event this week, so look out on social media for a chance to make a contribution to what will likely be the first chance many of these students have ever had to interact in a setting like this!

Tihut, Gladness and Wesley posing in front of waterfalls.

Zanzibar 2019

In addition to contributing to the Foundation's initiatives and getting to do such fulfilling work, since being here, I've loved being able to explore Tanzania on the weekends. I spent a weekend discovering Dar es Salaam and the many things it has to offer, from beautiful Coco Beach to Mwenge Woodcarver's Market. Last weekend, Tihut and I had the chance to take a quick trip to Zanzibar, which was nothing short of stunning, and as I type this, we are driving back from a weekend spent in the Morogoro region, where we visited the Udzungwa waterfalls. Tanzania boasts so much beauty, both in its people and its natural resources, and I will definitely be coming back someday!

Zanzibar 2019

7/15/2019

High School students enrolled in forms 5 and 6 visited the Sasamani Office to collect their tuition fee pay slips, school books and toiletries in preparation for the start of classes on July 8th.

INTERN REFLECTION BY: TIHUT GETABICHA

7/10/2019

Tihut preparing paperwork at the Sasamani Office in Bagamoyo.

Karibu to my first blog! After spending 3 weeks in Tanzania, I have picked up a few Kiswahili words. I doubt I can have a fluent conversation, perhaps I can throw out two sentences? I haven’t gotten use to the language, but I have befriended the mosquitos in Bagamoyo! My favorite food in Tanzania is Pilau. I am most certainly taking the recipe to cook it someday. Pilau dates back to Indian origin; an import that has been adapted for East African kitchens. Pilau is a popular dish that is cooked throughout East African Countries.

Working at the Sasamani Foundation has been a remarkable experience so far. I enjoy the flexibility of our job descriptions and the leeway we are given to focus on our area of interest. I am specifically interested in outreach programs to network and partner with other local and international NGO's in the area. These past few weeks I have been searching for partnership opportunities with the USAID mission in Tanzania. A few weeks ago, I was at a dinner hosted by the U.S. embassy and I ran into Aaron Miles, the Deputy Director of Education at USAID Tanzania. I have been exchanging emails with Mr. Miles on activities of the USAID that closely relate with what we do at Sasamani.

Sasamani Team at the Saba Saba exhibition, an annual international trade fair in Dar es Salaam.

Last week, our Sasamani team took a trip to Saba Saba exhibition. The exhibition is an annual international trade fair that takes place in Dar Es Salaam. The trip was planned to outreach to other various non-profits operating in Tanzania. At the fair, we networked with a government organization named SIDO-Small Industries Development Organization. The objective of SIDO is to develop small industry sector in Tanzania by providing start-ups loans and training on marketing strategies.

They offer mentoring and marketing workshops for tailors, which could be of great use for the ten local tailors we have in Sasamani’s employment initiative. I spoke to the SIDO staff manager for the Bagamoyo district, and we are scheduled to meet with the regional manager on Friday at our Sasamani Office in Bagamoyo to discuss corporate partnership between SIDO and Sasamani.

I have also been working on drafting a grant proposal for Vocational Skill Project for our 3 partnered schools. The Vocational Skill Project is a program that will be designed to provide preparatory vocational education to address school drop-outs, and unemployed youth living within villages of Bagamoyo district with a vocational training scheme. This project aims to provide the necessary training for students with zero experience to compete at an entry-level. I talked to Dr. Mori what the process would look like if we were to get the green light in order to launch the Vocational Skill Project.

Saba Saba International Trade Fair 2019

According to Dr. Mori, the program would have to go through the Ministry of Education and the Vocational Educational and Training Authority of Tanzania to be approved as an accredited program. I personally believe the idea is a great prospect for our long term goal to build a Bagamoyo Community Center. However, as of now, instead of launching a Vocational Skill Project we could certainly look into partnering with other local NGO’s working on vocational training and education.

Tihut teaching at the Kingani Secondary school.

Thus far, I have visited Kingani, Matinbwa and Kiromo Secondary Schools to give short workshops on Menstruation Hygiene Management for students. I also facilitated discussions and demonstrations on sanitation tips during the menstrual cycle. I have also spent my time teaching at Kingani and Kiromo Secondary schools. Little did I know I had a passion for teaching. I enjoyed leading classes at both schools. In Kingani, I teach Economic Integration and English.

Teaching English can be a tad frustrating especially when it’s not your first language. But, I give myself 3-5 hours to go over the topics I cover in class because the last thing I want to do is confuse my students. The fact that English isn't my first language also has its perks because I learned it as a second language just like the students in Kingani. In Kiromo, I teach Civics focusing on regional integrations within Africa. I also have had the chance to help with shelving books in the Kingani library because I have some experience as a library shelver in a public library.

Kingani Secondary School classroom.

Outside of class, I spend time getting to know the students. I teach them a few unordinary things about Ethiopia like the fact that we have 13 months, not 12. Their facial reactions when they hear this is priceless! Most of them ask me to write their names in Amharic (which is the national language in Ethiopia). In the process of getting to know them, I would like to think I have established a rapport with the students. Next week, I will be interviewing Sasamani students to check-in with them about their academic, financial and health status.

Tihut posing with Sasamani students and the headmaster of Kingani Secondary School.

I can't believe my stay in Tanzania will come to an end in just a week. It's shocking! I have had an amazing experience in such a beautiful country. I continue to blame myself for not visiting Tanzania when it's only four hours away from Ethiopia. I'm trying to convince my parents to visit Zanzibar for their next anniversary! Look at me feeling like a blogger already when I have zero experience with blogging! Stay tuned for my next blog.

SUMMER INTERNS ARRIVE TO TANZANIA: MEET TIHUT GETABICHA

7/1/2019

Tihut at The Sasamani Foundation Office on Thursday, June 27th.

Tihut Getabicha is currently a rising sophomore at Connecticut College. She was born and raised in Ethiopia and attended international high school. Tihut has always been passionate about the empowerment, health, and well-being of women and girls. In fact, while in high school, she completed a project on the normalization of menstruation in the rural regions of Ethiopia. She has personally experienced and focused her studies in the societal barriers that prohibit and limit women to advance in society.

Through lived experiences, Tihut has developed a keen perspective and deep understanding of the significance of women's empowerment and the importance of self-reliance. The Sasamani Foundation hopes that this internship opportunity will allow her to empower others and in turn feel empowered by serving a greater purpose in continuing the fight for women's rights.

Her professional experience includes but is not limited to community action work, campaigns, United Nations, non-profit organizations, sustainability, Institutional Equity and Inclusion, Social Justice/Activism, Seeds of Africa volunteer, etc.

The Sasamani Foundation welcomes Tihut to Bagamoyo! We are thrilled to have you in Tanzania and working with you this summer.

Tihut teaching an Economic Integration course under the History and Civics department.

Tihut teaching an Economic Integration course under the History and Civics department.

Tihut on her way to meet school administrators at the school she will be teaching for the next few weeks.

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