Passion Projects INTL - Covid19 Crisis Response
The situation in Tanzania has become somewhat of a perfect storm.
Not only is COVID-19 also causing economic turmoil, and locking down the country to some extent, but there was also a drought through the previous year that has caused the price of food to be increased due to a bad crop.
Additionally, as I am sure you can imagine, the accessibility of medical attention and testing is not sufficient, meaning that there could be a very large amount of cases that are not being reported.
We have always been really proud of our operating budget, and how we have managed to sustain an organization for over 5 years, without having to formally fundraise to push our vision. We have an incredible sponsorship base that we are extremely grateful for.
COVID-19 has flipped the script.
Although we can continue to operate with our budget and complete the activities that are essential to our charitable activities, we feel like in these times, we need to try and do more.
Education has always been our focus, and at this time, the schools are closed. There is uncertainty around when they will be reopened, when the "stay home" recommendation will be lifted, and for many, where the next meal is going to come from.
The lockdown is expanding. Uganda (their neighbour) recently determined that many organizations need to stop their door-to-door aid as a way to slow down the spread, so I believe it is only a matter of time that this will also occur in Tanzania.
Many people live day to day. They NEED capitalism. They NEED business. They NEED to work to live. There won’t be an EI cheque or rent support for many people within Tanzania.
Our goal is to raise enough money to cover food for all of our families that will need some extra support through these times.
The total cost for a sack of maize is approx. $75,000 TSH (approx. $50.00 CAD). For 1 kg of rice, it is $2,000 TSH (approx. $1.50 CAD). Our goal is to provide every family that will be in desperate need with half a sack (50kg) of maize (approx. $25.00 CAD), and 20 kg of rice (approx. $30.00 CAD). We also want to keep a float of food in case other families, who have been able to provide for themselves throughout the years, are covered if they can't continue to do so themselves.
Although I know there are a lot of places to donate towards, please consider how badly this is going to impact the developing world, where they do not have the same medical systems and economic support as we do.
The organization can and will do whatever we can to support through these times. This event could not have been planned for, and although we could jump into covering the overhead, we do not want to run the risk of not being able to provide school fees for a student of a sponsor that may have been impacted badly in their own country, and can't pay for the next year of schooling.
This leaves us with a tough decision, but a decision we know we have to make. The decision is to help, and to help now.
We are asking people to consider supporting this cause if they can, as assistance in covering these costs will relieve the organization of a lot of pressure over the next few years.
Thank you so much for your consideration and support.
Warm regards,
Passion Projects International
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