THE Tanzania Women Research Foundation (TAWREF) facilitated the construction of 116 low cost houses for orphaned children and children living in difficult conditions between 2012 and December, 2018.
This was revealed by the TAWREF Executive Director, Ms Dafrosa Itemba, during a ceremony to lay a foundation stone of another house which is being constructed in Kiterini area, in Kahe, within Moshi district.
“The motive of TAWREF to facilitate the construction of these houses for those who are in need of good shelter, is to join the government efforts meant to achieve the Millennium goal number 11.10,” she said, adding that the houses were constructed in four different districts in Kilimanjaro region, 70 of them in Moshi district.
She said the new house which is still under construction was built for two orphaned children, Asnath and Mesia, whom she said are currently staying with their grandmother.
“These two children are staying with their grandmother after they lost their parents, and this house will assure them of a good, safe and permanent residence, something which will enable them concentrate on their education,” she said.
Ms Itemba unveiled that TAWREF was constructing the house with support from Scotland based non-governmental organization, Vine Trust. “Apart from their donations, we have also received students from Scotland who have come to join hands physically in the ongoing construction of this house, just as they did in the previous projects,” she said.
Between June and July this year, TAWREF received a total of 15 secondary students from Scotland who joined hands with TAWREF staff and other masons to build the house at Kiterini.
"We appreciate the donations made by our donors, because we have increased the number of houses which we build every year; the number has risen from five houses a year in 2012 to the current 10 to 15 houses a year," she said.
Speaking during the occasion, Moshi District Commissioner, Mr. Kippi Warioba, who officiated over the event, said the move by TAWREF and the donors, including the students, should revive the spirit which Tanzanians had in the past of working together in helping each other in the community.
“In the past our parents and forefathers used to join forces in helping each other to get good accommodation facilities, or even cultivating farms of those who were in need,” he said.
Mr Warioba further said that the act of the students from Scotland who came to assist in construction of the house should remind Tanzanians to revisit their past tradition of joining forces in helping each other in the community.
