When was it formed?
Happy Children Tanzania was found by Ms. Zainabu Makombe since 2012 but was officially registered by the National NGOs Coordination Board in the year 2013.
Who formed it?
It all started while Zainabu Makombe was a teacher, serving various students including those from the less privileged families scourged by extremely poverty. Some of them coming to school bear feet at the same time going to bed empty stomach. Ms. Zainabu felt compassion and went to the extent of spending her little salary to buy shoes and food for them. Out of empathy for the less privileged children she took initiative to mobilize other compassionate individuals to register an NGO so that it can be an effective tool for support and advocacy for the children’s rights national wide.
Happy Children Tanzania now operates as a registered Non-Governmental &Not for Profit Making Organization. The registered name is Happy Children Tanzania registered as Charitable and Welfare Organization by the National NGOs Coordination Board given Registration No. 00007242 under NGOs Act, No.24/2002.
Role of the organization
Happy Children Tanzania’s role is to support the government effort to extend a helping hand to the less privileged families on the issue critical of the children rights. The emphasis is on a sustainable community as we draw attention to the link between Extremely Poverty, vulnerability and children injustice. We work on behalf of the poor demonstrating God’s love for all the creation believing that the weak and oppressed are not the objects of pity, but agents of change leading the struggle to eradicate poverty, dehumanizing, unacceptable living and children’s injustice.
Area of Coverage
Happy Children Tanzania is entitled to operate in Tanzania mainland, but currently our activities are carried out within Dar-Es-Salaam through outreach programs to various centers in Kinondoni, Ilala and Temeke municipals.
Though we have experienced an increased number of the needy since the inception of our services, but for the meantime we have decided to provide service for just a few children due to the inadequacy of funds. We are very optimistic and aspire to extend our services through outreach programs once the number of implementing partners improves.
Funding
Since inception in 2012 Happy Children Tanzania survives through monthly subscriptions and generous contribution from members, fundraising activities, donations from individuals, corporate and a few compassionate well wishers.
Services
Administration
The mandate of this component is to promote/ organize all necessary resources for the welfare of the needy through provision of support and directions needed for the registration process and household services.
Administration service is responsible for planning, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the overall programs of the organization. It further plays a major role in mobilizing resources, outreach and advocacy programs.
Day Campaign
In a big city like Dar-Es-Salaam where thousands of orphans and vulnerable children do not have proper care, providing an alternative living solution is an essential part of our organization work.
This comes as recognition that, while biological parents passed on, strike down by extremely poverty or scourged by Incurable Diseases, children often experience their own version of emotional punishment.
Our organization brings awareness to these children’s plight through various programs that build character and strong relationships. We provide services to various homes with a number of OVC who receives food hampers (balanced diet), cloths and school fees.
Psycho-Social Support
Our organization conducts regular house visits to provide Psycho-social support to vast majority households. We offer counseling and material support enlists volunteers to mentor households prior to their takeover and continuing after they are committed to take care of orphans. We provide professional counseling to; both orphans, youth and elderly households concerning domestic violence, child abuse, neglecting and exploiting children.
Session includes; Counseling about anger management, drugs and alcohol abuse, domestic violence issues and re-entry planning. Family support and reconciliation is the large part of our programs. Family support and reconciliation is essential bridge building project working among orphans and vulnerable children, their families and in the community to make it possible for caring volunteers and family members to become connected and reconnected with those behind bars in the love and mercy of God.
Outreach and Advocacy
We also undertake regular visits to orphans and vulnerable children’ homes for discussion, advice and provide material support. The role of this initiative is to provide education and advocacy for children rights, protection and optimal care. The ultimate aim of this initiative is to emphasize advocacy on behalf of OVC for their equal rights and opportunity to access all basic needs for their well being.
When care takers/households doing nothing or have little knowledge to prepare or equip children to handle the challenges from outside families, to address this issue our organization set in place programs which prepare OVC for the difficult transition from orphan hood and vulnerability to the equal community which includes referral to the relevant authorities for further professional advice concerning legal issues on foster care.
Achievement
Since inception in 2012, our organization is continuously deliver services to the needy regardless of the diverse circumstances.
- We reached out a big number of the less privileged households for interview and provide them with material support
- We managed to build a strong relationship with various households responsible for the care and protection of the orphans
- We conducted several training and logistical support to various less privileged people on how to generate income through small-scale economic projects.
- We have maintained a good relationship with the Local Government and aspire to establish a strong relation with the Department of Social Welfare and all other stakeholders for further technical support and professional guidelines on the issue critical of social welfare.
Activities Carried Out
Strategic Plan 2015-2017
The organization initiated a Three-Year Activity Plan (2015-2017). The plan is a part of the long-term strategy for legacy building of the organization. It provides the summary of the activities which were implemented previously, ongoing activities which need further development and the anticipated projects. The plan portrays the organization’s thematic areas of priorities in the bid to bring about quality social welfare programs and children justice in Tanzania.
These priority activities include:
- Providing humanitarian aid to disadvantaged groups widows inclusively, the service consists of; distribution of food hampers, cloths and school fees for orphans
- Raising the level of awareness and sensitivity of orphan hood, vulnerability and widow hood
- Creating awareness of orphans & vulnerable children rights and conducting sensitization on the widows justice at the community level
- Developing programs proposals to attract funding to finance social welfare programs
Summary of the activities to be carried out during this period;
- Construction of Children’s Health Center
- Micro-finance Project
- Street Children Project
- Poverty Reduction and Entrepreneurship
- Irrigation Farming Project for the youth
- Small-scale Business Project
Future Prospects
To mobilize funds towards:
- Construction project to build children’s health centre with full facilities
- Setting up a fully fledged resource centre
- Increasing the number of competent employees to meet the need for quality care of the orphans & vulnerable children under our care
- Initiating after-school programs to cater for other children from the less privileged families in the community
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