Clean Water, Desks & Chairs for Tanzanian Students

My name is Ayden Ramji. My parents are Rizwan & Zahara Ramji.

The inspiration for this initiative comes from my personal experience, as my parents are from East Africa. After hearing the stories of their childhood, I started learning more about East Africa and became aware of the many challenges faced by children in that region. The lack of basic necessities such as clean water and proper classroom infrastructure was particularly striking.

Last summer, I contacted a Member of the House of Parliament in Tanzania to learn more about the situation of children in local villages. Through regular conversations with him, I learned about the circumstances of the children of Mwanza and the desperate need for desks in schools. He introduced me to the Trustee and Founding Member of The Desk & Chair Foundation (https://www.tdcf.org.uk/about-us/) based out of the UK. Together, we started discussing the situation of students in the small town of Mwanza, where my mother was born.

What I saw were heart-breaking pictures of young children sitting on bricks in the classroom trying to study. What I also learned was that children and women must walk great distances for water. and in some cases, they have to collect water from ditches. The risk for diseases is massive resulting in illness and premature deaths, especially in children. The time taken to collect water along with general illnesses due to waterborne infections results in children missing school and hence being sentenced to a lifetime of ill health and with no education.

This summer my family and I will travel to Mwanza and meet the kids impacted by your generous contribution.

The cost to build a well is $1,700 USD and the cost of a desk & chair is $53 USD. Please consider donating towards my goal of five (5) wells and one hundred and fifty (150) desks & chairs.

Based on your donation, a plaque (see picture above, upper right side) with your family's or child's name can be displayed on the front of the desk and on the finished well.

Donate a well, half a well, or a quarter of a well under your family name, or donate a desk and chair on behalf of your child to another child in need. Please indicate in the comment section how your plaque should read. You can also email me privately with the same information. Please note we can only do the plaque with donations in the amounts of $1,700, $850, and $425 for the wells and in increments of $53 for desks & chairs.

This initiative serves to bring about positive change for the students in Mwanza, ensuring their access to a brighter future.