Mazingira

It is possible to support the project by sending financial contributions to:

Flemish Esperanto League, Frankrijklei 140, BE-2000 Antwerp, Belgium;
account number 000-0265338-43 (IBAN: BE66 0000 2653 3843; BIC: BPOTBEB1)
please mention: Mazingira (+ orphan and number/ school / micro-credit / wells).
Don't forget to send your contact information (preferably also by e-mail) to mazingira @ kono.be

All donors will be informed 4 times per year about the projects’ evolution in order to enable them to be sure about the good use of their donations. This is stipulated in the organization’s by-laws. Measures have been taken in order to avoid misuse of funds. For example, the Mazingira’s Board of Directors is never allowed to withdraw funds from their bank account without the written approval of the head of Bunda district. They are also controlled every year by the state of Tanzania.

Orphans

In Bunda, there are 9669 orphans and children separated from their families. In Salama, the region to be helped first, there are 838 such children.

Why are there so many such children? First of all AIDS and other diseases cause many victims among adults. But there is also an other important phenomenon. Many young people become sexually active very early, with the consequence that young girls become mothers very early in life. They cannot or don't want to raise their babies and leave them with grandparents or on the street. On the other hand, if the child is lucky enough to stay with the grandparents, these are often too poor to send them to school. Besides, since the average lifetime is 45,9 years, those children, often still too young, are left behind alone. The causes of the problems have to be and are dealt with, but in the meanwhile, those children have got to have an opportunity to get formal education.

How are the children selected? For those living in a community, it is the community that decides which children are to be considered first.

How you can help:

Tell everybody you know about the project, e.g. by popularizing this webpage, talking about it at work or with friends and family, etc.

It is also possible to make a money donation:

• €30 per year during maximum 7 years for a basic school child. The funds will be used for school uniform and shoes (2 pairs), and school material.
• €20 per year during maximum 7 years for a pupil of basic school. The funds will be used for school uniform and shoes (1 pair), and school material.
• €50 per year during maximum 4 years for a secondary school child. The funds will be used for school fee, school uniform and shoes (2 pairs), and school material.

If you see Mramba, it is possible to select a child based on the descriptions children made themselves. When transferring the donation, please mention the number of the child. If you don’t do so, a child will be selected for you.

School

Every year in Salama 720 children successfully finish the elementary school and wish to go to highschool. But there is place for only 160.

Therefore Mazingira whishes to construct a new high school with 16 classrooms, administration room, laboratory, library, toilets and 12 houses for teachers and their families. The teachers live in the school and there are well taken care of so that they wouldn't leave. From time to time it will be possible that 2 teachers share one house. Their salaries will be paid by the state. In the beginning only a limited number classrooms will be built, and afterward, depending on the donations received, more will follow.

A house for a teacher costs €15.789, of which the community pays €4.873; the remaining €10.916 has to come from donations.

Micro-credits

They are hardly small businesses. To stimulate that Mazingira wants to start a micro-credit system. A micro-credit is a very small loan. The first ones will be given to women, because experience shows that this gives the best results. Also it’s women who work the most. Then, young people will be considered.

How does it work?
Suppose 5 women want to take a loan. First they have to guarantee one another the repayment if one of them can't pay back anymore. Then they have to find 9 other groups of 5 women who guarantee the repayment. After that, each woman has to save €3,5. That way they indicate that they can manage money and it is also an extra guarantee for repayment. Only after that they receive €50. And in the following 57 weeks they have to repay €1 and save €0,50. The later is again an added guarantee. Every week new money comes in which is again used to lend as fast as possible. In this way the project grows.

One can only begin with a big group (10 groups of 5 women). So 50 x €50 = €2500 is needed to begin with. Mazingira would like to start with 2 groups, so they seek €5.000. For this project it's also possible to lend money instead of donate. Mazingira accepts loans from €100 up, and will pay 4% yearly. Repayments will be possible not earlier than after 2 years. In spite of the above mentioned guarantees, we cannot guarantee the whole and immediate repayment.

Wells

In the villages of Salama one has to walk at least 4 km in order to get water, and that water often is of a poor quality. During the dry season it's even further away and one has to wake up at 3 AM, to stay in line and receive maximum 10 liters of water for one family. The water is fetched by women and children.

Tanzanio sets a goal that everybody should find water within 400 meters and there should be at least one well for every 50 families. For Salama this means that 47 more wells are needed! Explorations showed that there is enough ground water but only from a depth of 30 meters.