SIXTEEN YEARS OF IMPACT: Alumni Reunion at the Girls Centre in Arusha
From Nano Chatfield, Co-Founder:, The Girls Foundation of Tanania
One of the highlights during my visit in June to The Girls Centre was spending time with our alumnae. Eleven Alumnae traveled by bus (10-22 hours) to gather for our first Alumnae Reunion. I’ve known these young women since we started sponsoring them when they were 12 years old and just starting secondary school (8th grade).
TGFT Alumnae: Laurine, Veronica, Ewaldina, Hellen, Beatrice, Dr. Dorcas, Dr. Melanie, Upendo and Elizabeth
They have come a long way. They are now working as nurses; clinical officers; science and math teachers; program officers and social workers for NGOs focused on girls' education; a lawyer and adjunct professor at the School of Law in Dar es Salaam; accountants at various firms; businesswomen and entrepreneurs; and a Research Assistant at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, conducting research on mental health and well-being in local communities. (She just spent five weeks with the Hadzabe tribe, one of the last true indigenous hunter-gatherer communities.)
During the visit, we talked about their distinct professional journeys and the challenges they face in the workforce: the difficulty finding a room to rent in a safe neighborhood; their long commutes; a boss who's always traveling; or having to live apart from their husbands because they hold jobs in different places. Through the Alumnae WhatsApp Group, our alumnae are providing advice, support, and mentorship to one another. They're setting big goals and know it is in their power to reach them. They're thinking critically and articulating their opinions. They have no doubt about their worth.
Dancing and singing together, TGFT girls and staff open the Alumnae Reunion in celebration in the GIrls House.
Alumnae surprised us by presenting us with a gift of 175 textbooks for the Community Library. Furthermore, they asked our librarian what textbooks we needed at the library. They gifted specific textbooks that students had requested. We now have over 4,000 books in our library, and seven days a week, more than 240 students from our neighborhood come to the Community Library to study and learn. The value of small acts of generosity, both given and received, reminds us of our warm human kindness.
Four alumnae have joined the TGFT Savings & Loan Program. Hellen has taken loans to pay for her younger brother's school fees, contribute to renovations on her family's home, and purchase a plot of land.
Our alumnae have shown us they are mentally, emotionally, and physically capable of far more than they were often taught to imagine. By the end of the weekend, alumnae learned that no matter where their journey takes them, they belong to a lifelong sisterhood committed to their well-being and success. We've altered the destiny of their girlhoods.
Girl power on full display — TGFT girls dance in traditional skirts as staff and alumnae celebrate together
Sixteen years ago, Co-Founder Beth Rockefeller and I started with a dream, but it's the community that turns a dream into a reality. It's the impressive energy of our Senior Executive Director, Estahappy Mariki, who leads her dedicated staff in helping TGFT girls turn their potential into real options through skills, confidence, and purpose. Through our Sponsorship Program, TGFT alumnae gained the foundation for a life of growing, learning, and succeeding. We are so grateful for the friends, organizations, and foundations who've supported our aspirations.
Thank you for standing with us — and with the girls.
For more information, go to: https://www.girlsfoundationoftanzania.org
Alumnae Veronica and Hellen planting fruit trees at The Girls Centre.