COVID-19 fund for KYGN school in Tanzania

Kilimanjaro Young Girls In Need  is a Tanzanian NGO whose aim is to improve the opportunities of young girls in the Kilimanjaro Region. What started as a small community project is now a registered school providing education, health care and safe house accommodation to some of the most disadvantaged children in Tanzania.

Moshi local Annamaria Kanondo is the Founder and Project Director of KYGN. In 2006 she visited the Mabogini area close to Moshi, and was struck by the conditions in which young children, particularly girls, were living. In this region poverty, abuse, abandonment, and the loss of parents often create unsafe home environments and force many girls to leave school and escape home, living on the streets and looking for work at very young ages. Besides that, many children in Mabogini also suffer from HIV. 

Using her own savings and money donated from her family and friends Annamaria set up a small school in the Mabogini area to provide primary education to children who would otherwise never receive it. The school quickly had huge demand and grew to over 300 children, girls and boys. KYGN also acts as a social service in the area, working with social workers and a doctor to support at risk families. They organise weekly home visits to check on the families and provide medical care. Recently, KYGN opened a safe house where 50 children can be offered a secure and safe home while a long term solution is found.

In these Corona times, the situation in Mabogini is even more complicated. In Tanzania, children aren't allowed to go to school anymore. As many parents don't have jobs these days, poverty is growing, and so is food shortage. Most families don't have running water at home and are not able to protect themselves against COVID-19, which could be very dangerous for the most vulnerable people, especially those who suffer from HIV. KYGN tries to help their children and families by providing homework, nutritious food and hand sanitizer. They continue doing weekly home visits to the families in Mabogini. The children from the safe house have all been re-homed in teacher’s homes.

Annamaria and her team are working really hard to help all of their children, but we need more funds to pay for the purchase of food and hand sanitizers. Every donation counts and can save lives!