Moshi is a small town in Tanzania, about an hour drive south of the International Criminal Tribunal in Arusha. But this post is not about the endearing legacy of a genocide, or the incapacity of a court to bring to justice those responsible. Instead, this post is about hope – or at the very least – about a group of former street children building a life together at the Amani Children’s Home.
A few years ago I had gone there and was given a tour by one of the co-founders – Valerie – an American girl who had recently graduated from Duke University. At the time, the school was seeking funds to expand.
There was a small courtyard with a garden, surrounded by a kitchen, a sleeping hall, an administrative center, and of course a school with a tiny but growing library. The children would help work the garden, growing vegetables, tending the plants. Every once in a while I would receive in my email box an update and newsletter. So when I opened it, I was delighted to find that Amani is making it work. A grassroots initiative with the support of the local and international community is making a positive impact.
Today, new buildings have emerged, a better equipped school and a capacity to provide better health care for the children. Both boys and girls, who had been left on the streets, are getting the special attention and care they require. A group have even found sponsors to play soccer in the East Africa Cup, an annual youth football tournament for boys and girls from 12 to 16 years old.
Few have any family support mechanism, so social workers, both volunteer and paid, work to build a rapport and boost the child’s confidence. Some of the children come from the streets in Arusha and Moshi, and I imagine elsewhere. Because many have never had any formal education, Amani has created a non-formal education program where children learn Swahili, English, math, science, history, sports, and performing and visual arts.
Ultimately, the goal is to get the children prepared for independent living, or in some cases, to reunite them with their families where possible. Last year, graduate students from Columbia University wrote a 100 page report following their research at Amani how older youths can best make the transition from the school to life. But the challenges are numerous.
Opportunities in Tanzania are not widespread and many of the children who eventually leave live with traumas that can never really disappear. Amani supports many who have left the school and aid them in paying rent and food until they find something substantial and land on their feet.
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