OUR VISIT TO TANZANIA
At the end of November, we travelled to Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo to visit our partner Strømme Foundation, and the Bonga programme - a journey that will stay with us for a long time.
We met girls and boys, parents and teachers, mentors, community facilitators, and project staff who together form the Adolescent Girls Education and Empowerment programme. One of the largest initiatives within our strategic focus on Girls’ Education in East Africa, it is built on a simple idea: that education, care, and opportunity can change the course of a life. Witnessing how this modest yet powerful programme transforms young lives was both humbling and deeply moving.
What truly defined the visit were the people we met
Under the generous shade of mango trees, we listened as girls and boys shared their stories—of everyday life, of hardship, and of resilience. They spoke of early pregnancies, abuse, poverty, discrimination, neglect, and of growing up surrounded by low expectations. And yet, what met us was not despair. It was determination. A quiet strength. A sense of belonging and community that carried hope forward.
What lingers most is the light in their eyes as they spoke about returning to school, learning a trade, and reclaiming a future that once felt out of reach. We met young people standing taller, speaking with confidence, believing again in their own worth. Again and again, they told us how the Bonga programme had helped them take back their future—and with it, their dreams – and they dream big.
The Bonga programme works on several levels:
The Bonga School supports children to stay in school through life-skills clubs that build confidence, resilience and friendship.
The Bonga back to school opens a pathway back to education for those who have dropped out, combining life-skills training with access to the government’s second-chance system.
The Bonga in Community offers vulnerable youths, who cannot return to formal schooling, the chance to learn practical skills and build a livelihood through vocational training.
JOEL JOSEPH
Joel Joseph greets us with a wide smile and an ease that feels earned. He is fifteen years old, finishing the Bonga Back to School program with top grades, preparing to take the next step into one of Dar es Salaam’s leading government secondary schools.
The confidence he carries today did not come easily. His childhood tells a different story. When Joel Joseph was still very small, his father abused his mother and forced her to leave. He grew up with his siblings, his father, and a stepmother, carrying a quiet longing for the mother he missed. At ten years old, that longing became too strong to ignore. He went to see her—without permission. When he returned, he was beaten and told to leave. He moved in with his older brother. School slipped out of reach. Childhood, too.
And yet, Joel Joseph is a remarkably bright young man. Through the Bonga Back to School programme, a door opened. Education returned. So did the possibility of a future.
When we asked him about his dream, he smiled with calm certainty.
“I will be President one day,” he said. “I want to show other children who have lived through hardship like mine that it is possible to overcome anything.”
We asked what it would take for him to succeed. He fell silent for a moment, then answered softly:
“That someone sees me.”
The Bonga way
The Bonga approach does something rare. It does not simply teach skills—it shifts how young people see themselves. It opens doors long thought closed. It restores dignity. It builds confidence from the inside out. It gives girls and boys the courage to say, aloud and without apology:
I can. I will.
Asma Ahmed
Asma Ahmed tells us how her parents refused to let her complete secondary school and instead forced her into marriage. “I am blessed with two healthy children, Salha and Modric. They are 5 and 3 years old,” she says, her voice steady with pride. She is now twenty years old.
“When I heard about Bonga, I felt that my moment had come - that I had to step into the opportunity,” she tells us. Her husband tried to stop her. “I gave him an ultimatum,” she says simply. “If you do not allow me to take part, I will walk away.” In the end, he agreed.
Through Bonga, Asma found strength - her own. “One day I will become a lawyer,” she says, “and I will work for women’s rights.”
Her words linger with us, carrying the quiet power of a young woman who has claimed her voice, her future, and her right to choose.
Irene Kenneth Patrick
During our project visit to Tanzania, we had the chance to meet Irene in Kitopeni. Seeing her once more was both inspiring and deeply moving. Irene welcomed us with the same strength and quiet determination that define her story. Irene has become a hairdresser and can now support herself and her son. She dreams of opening her own beauty saloon. Her commitment to creating a better life for herself and her son remains unwavering, and meeting her in person reaffirmed just how meaningful the support around her truly is.
Eliminata
Eliminata is vice chair at Mtongany Primary School. She is forty-four, a mother of four, and has spent eighteen years teaching. Every child at her school graduates. She told us how there is no secret formula; only love, commitment, and an unwavering belief in each child’s worth. Passion, practiced daily.
Kadir
Kadir dreams of becoming a DJ, a goal he talks about with both confidence and humour. For now, he is focused on finishing school and hopes to continue on to university — a step he sees as essential before pursuing his passion for music.
Mtongany Primary School
On our final day, we visited Mtongany Primary School and met children participating in the Bonga in School programme. The school has a well-functioning learning environment with a notably low drop-out rate, and several of the students shared their aspirations for the future and how the programme helps them stay engaged in their education.
Carrying the Stories Forward
We returned home with full hearts and a renewed faith in the quiet power of education. Their stories are testimonies to why this work matters - and why hope, once nurtured, has the power to grow.
The visit grounded us, reminding us why our purpose demands everything we have. The courage, resilience, and hope we encountered in Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo now travel with us, shaping how we listen, how we act, and how we continue our work.
Thank you.