Most of us have heard about the plight of people in developing countries. We hear staggering numbers about AIDS orphans and refugees of war.  These media reports create a sense of sadness and incredulity in us, but unfortunately they rarely offer concrete solutions.

As a concrete way to make changes in one small part of Africa, Tobias Magatti, from Shirati, Tanzania, and his wife Lenora, a physician, decided to found a nonprofit organization complete with a board of directors to help teenagers get an education.  The purpose of Tanzania Education Aid is to provide scholarships for students who are entering secondary school.  

A committee of seven leaders was formed this last summer in Shirati, under the direction of Tobias Magatti while he was visiting family.  These community leaders have volunteered their time to help distribute and collect scholarship applications from eight primary schools in the Shirati area.  This committee includes four women and three men.  Four of them are local teachers, one is a businesswoman, and another is a local politician.  They come from different clans and church denominations in order to avoid conflicts of interest in the nomination of students.  Magatti also met with some of the primary school classes and teachers.  These eight primary schools have approximately 250 students ready to graduate.  Many students have responded with hope and gratitude, including students who are outside our area or age group. 

There is such a great need even for older students to receive scholarships.  We hope to expand both the area and the age group from which we choose recipients if we can get enough funds to support them in the future.

At this time we have tax exempt status for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization,  We hope to give our first scholarships away in January 2007 when this year’s primary school graduating class will be ready to start secondary school.  The students will designate on their applications which school they hope to attend and the required tuition, books, and boarding fees.  Our budget is estimating an average of $300 per student per year.  The U.S. dollar goes a long way in Tanzania!