Ujamaa Children’s Home is a safe and caring home for extremely vulnerable children. We raise our children in a family style environment where they live together as brothers and sisters, a bond that will remain for the rest of their lives. We take a holistic approach to care, by providing long-term loving support, education and stability for children who have suffered great trauma. We do this by having highly trained staff, maintaining small numbers and a close-knit family.
We give our kids the opportunity to create the life they want by providing Primary and Secondary Education as well as support with further study (university, trade school) based on what they want to do. We don’t stop supporting them just because they turn 18 years. This is a long-term commitment and we are excited to see our children grow into the exceptional adults we know they have the potential to become.
Ujamaa Children’s Home is a small scale, niche provider to give extremely vulnerable children a family when they don’t have one. We understand that reunification is always the best option when it is possible, however, there are some circumstances when it is simply not safe. In conjunction with Social Welfare, we assess cases to ensure that children are truly in need before they come into our home. We provide an integral service for children who have endured dire circumstances and we give them a brand-new life filled with kindness and support with the potential to live happy and successful lives.
"Ujamaa" (pronounced oo-jah-maa) is a Swahili word that means extended family and is based on the individual working for the good of the whole community.
Founded in March 2010 by Australian women, Carley Mchome and Lucy Bradlow, the idea was simple – to give children in need the love, security and support of a family and a place to call home. It started with 2 young girls and we now have 22 children aged between 6-21 years. Our home has capacity for 25 children.
At Ujamaa Children’s Home we ensure that our kids grow up in a safe and nurturing environment where they receive full education and ongoing support into adulthood. Our experience has taught us that often vulnerable children are taken into large, poorly managed organisations where they are not given proper care and sent out to fend for themselves at 16 years old – only to find themselves in trouble again. This increases the need for more programs and support; street kids programs, vocational training programs and youth initiatives to try to help these teens and young adults to support themselves in the world. What we do is about changing the cycle of poverty - one child at a time. Our children are the future of Tanzania and we support them to achieve all their dreams. Some of our kids want to be nurses, some want to be teachers, some want to be mechanical engineers and pilots...and one exceptional young man who wants to be the President of Tanzania. With the right education and personal development - we know they can do it!
Ujamaa Children's Home is a project of the Ujamaa Tanzania Foundation - a registered INGO in Tanzania and is predominantly funded by the Ujamaa Foundation in Australia.
If you are interested in supporting the home or would like more information about what we do, please contact: ujamaa.children@gmail.com
Learn more about our Ujamaa Family with this Short Documentary: "My Home is my Family...The Story of Ujamaa Children's Home" Written and Directed by Carley Mchome in 2017