Ujamaa Tanzania Foundation delivers 2 fundamental programs which provide extremely vulnerable children with long term care, education and emotional support in a family style residential home to create positive outcomes throughout their childhood and into adulthood.
Ujamaa Children's Home
Established in 2010, Ujamaa Children’s Home is a safe and caring residential home for extremely vulnerable children. Our children are raised in a family style home where they live together as siblings, a strong bond that supports them throughout their lives. We take a holistic approach to care, by providing long-term loving support, education and stability for children who have experienced trauma and loss. 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 would love to have you be a part of our journey.
Ujamaa Children’s Home is a small scale, niche care provider to give extremely vulnerable children a family when they don’t have one. Reunification is always recommended when it is a safe option and we ensure that children who should stay with their family do so. However there are circumstances when there is not a safe, committed family member and we provide for those children who have nowhere to go. In conjunction with the Arusha Social Welfare Department, 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 through kindness and support, so that they have the genuine opportunity to live happy and successful lives as adults.
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 would love to have you be a part of our journey.
Ujamaa Children’s Home is a small scale, niche care provider to give extremely vulnerable children a family when they don’t have one. Reunification is always recommended when it is a safe option and we ensure that children who should stay with their family do so. However there are circumstances when there is not a safe, committed family member and we provide for those children who have nowhere to go. In conjunction with the Arusha Social Welfare Department, 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 through kindness and support, so that they have the genuine opportunity to live happy and successful lives as adults.
Forward Together
From the very beginning knew we wanted to create a long-term impact and positive outcomes for our children, not just as they grew up, but also into adulthood. Our goal has always been to provide high quality family-style care so that our children can become happy, successful, and self-sufficient adults. We believe that a sense of belonging, and the security of a home is vital to the personal development of our children, and we always knew that our support would continue beyond the age of 18.
Our years of experience in Community Development show that many children who spend time in residential care are ultimately left as adults who were not fully capable of caring for themselves, and most ended up needing additional support services. While legally, children become adults at 18 years, they are not necessarily prepared to live independently, and we want to ensure that the young ones in our care are given the greatest opportunity for success. We consistently see young adults in our community who are forced out of residential care at 18 years, who end up on the streets or in dire circumstances. They simply don’t have the tools or development to succeed on their own. This increase the need for more programs for street kids and youth initiatives such as vocational training to help these teens and young adults. So we want to make sure we change this cycle for the young adults who have come through Ujamaa Children's Home and give them a real opportunity for future success.
This innovative theory, that we have known to be best practice for the last decade, is supported by the Victorian Government in Australia, which piloted a program in 2021 called ‘Home Stretch’ to provide care services for young adults aged 18-21yrs who have lived in residential care.
However, in our case, it is important to note that there are no government funded residential care programs in Tanzania, so this is something that we have created on our own.
Forward Together is a next stage semi-independent living space and support program for the young adults who have lived at Ujamaa Children’s Home, completed their Secondary School education and are over 18 years. We support them through various forms of higher education (University, College, Vocational Training etc) and provide for their housing, food, clothing, transport, security, healthcare, general needs, emotional support, and life skills training.
What we do is about changing the cycle of poverty - one child at a time - to create long term, positive outcomes for our children as they move into adulthood. Our children are the future of Tanzania and we support them to achieve their dreams. Some of our kids want to be nurses, some want to be teachers, some want to be civil 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!
Our years of experience in Community Development show that many children who spend time in residential care are ultimately left as adults who were not fully capable of caring for themselves, and most ended up needing additional support services. While legally, children become adults at 18 years, they are not necessarily prepared to live independently, and we want to ensure that the young ones in our care are given the greatest opportunity for success. We consistently see young adults in our community who are forced out of residential care at 18 years, who end up on the streets or in dire circumstances. They simply don’t have the tools or development to succeed on their own. This increase the need for more programs for street kids and youth initiatives such as vocational training to help these teens and young adults. So we want to make sure we change this cycle for the young adults who have come through Ujamaa Children's Home and give them a real opportunity for future success.
This innovative theory, that we have known to be best practice for the last decade, is supported by the Victorian Government in Australia, which piloted a program in 2021 called ‘Home Stretch’ to provide care services for young adults aged 18-21yrs who have lived in residential care.
However, in our case, it is important to note that there are no government funded residential care programs in Tanzania, so this is something that we have created on our own.
Forward Together is a next stage semi-independent living space and support program for the young adults who have lived at Ujamaa Children’s Home, completed their Secondary School education and are over 18 years. We support them through various forms of higher education (University, College, Vocational Training etc) and provide for their housing, food, clothing, transport, security, healthcare, general needs, emotional support, and life skills training.
What we do is about changing the cycle of poverty - one child at a time - to create long term, positive outcomes for our children as they move into adulthood. Our children are the future of Tanzania and we support them to achieve their dreams. Some of our kids want to be nurses, some want to be teachers, some want to be civil 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!
About us
"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 5 children in 2010 and we now have 20 children aged between 3-18 years living at Ujamaa Children's Home (with capacity for 24 children) and 4 young adults in the Forward Together program.
Ujamaa Tanzania Foundation - a registered INGO in Tanzania and is predominantly funded by the Ujamaa Foundation in Australia.
See more on 'OUR TEAM' page.
If you are interested in supporting the home or would like more information about what we do, please contact: [email protected]
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 5 children in 2010 and we now have 20 children aged between 3-18 years living at Ujamaa Children's Home (with capacity for 24 children) and 4 young adults in the Forward Together program.
Ujamaa Tanzania Foundation - a registered INGO in Tanzania and is predominantly funded by the Ujamaa Foundation in Australia.
See more on 'OUR TEAM' page.
If you are interested in supporting the home or would like more information about what we do, please contact: [email protected]
Learn more about our Ujamaa Family through this short video made in 2024