The Tanzanian Children’s Project (TCP) is a cooperative effort between Support the Poor a non-profit 501© (3) located in Clarksville, Maryland, the Knights of Columbus Columbia Council 7559 located in Columbia, Maryland and individual volunteers. Its purpose is to raise funds for the development of the Our Lady of Fatima Center for Children (OLFCC) orphanage center which will be located in the village of Mahida in Tanzania. This project has been approved by Bishop Isaac Amani of the Moshi Diocese in Tanzania and will be managed by Reverend Emmanuel Ndekusara Lyimo, parish priest of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Caritas Department in the Tanzanian Episcopal Conference will provide independent third party oversight of the project to ensure that funds earmarked for the orphanage center are used properly and that the projects are being constructed to the specifications required by the Diocese.

Eight villages including Mahida all located in the Rombo District of the Kilimanjaro Region in North Eastern Tanzania will be served by the orphanage which initially will house up to 60 children who are determined by a parish committee to be at the greatest risk of failure. Over 700 orphaned children live within this area that is situated on the Eastern slope of Mount Kilimanjaro. Rombo stretches from a reserve at 1800-2000 meters above sea-level to the Kenyan border at 900-1000 meters above sea-level. The region is rural, isolated due to an underdeveloped road system, and without adequate employment opportunities. Most people are farmers and the majority of the people in this area live in poverty getting by on less than one dollar a day.

To help reach these goals the Tanzanian Children’s Project solicits funds through donations of individuals, business and various organizations, and our own special fundraising events.  If you are particularly motivated and would like to take matters more into your own hand we encourage you to establish your own fundraiser as a member of our fundraising team. By doing so you will become part of the solution to solving the problems associated with global poverty in one community in Africa.  Contact (info@tanzaniakids.org) the Tanzanian Children’s Project today and offer your support and suggestions.