Social Work Students in Tanzania

In the last year, thanks to you, we have raised over $13,000 between here and other efforts to support social work students attending the Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (HKMU) in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. We are so profoundly grateful, but our work is not done. We are continuing our efforts to raise funds to provide tuition, room & board, and school supplies such as books and technology to assist these students in their studies. YOUR HELP MEANS EVERYTHING!

For everyone who has made a donation to support our efforts, "Social Work Students at HKMU in Tanzania," we thank you at this time of giving thanks in the year. For all others who might like to donate to support the second year of studies for these hardworking and committed young people, we are continuing our GoFundMe campaign.

Our ICW team made a trip to Tanzania in August of this year. We met some of the HKMU students and learned from them about their studies and their field work and their hopes for their futures in Social Work in Tanzania.

Please watch a 3 minute video produced by Yasmina Ahdab, part of our ICW team, who made this recent trip to Tanzania. In this video you will meet a few of our students, in person, and hear their stories.

We in ICW are committed to supporting these students in Tanzania. We hope you will consider making a donation toward their success in reaching their professional goals to support themselves and their families and their country of Tanzania.

Through the Lens of a Volunteer

Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (HKMU) and their Department of Social Work, offers various courses, awards and certificates that are extremely valuable to recipients and graduates for future employment and workforce development in Tanzania.

Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (HKMU) was established in 1997, being among the first private universities to be accredited in Tanzania in the year 2000, it has since then received local, regional and international recognition. 

It was the idea of Professor Hubert C.M Kairuki, and his wife, Kokushubira Kairuki, to establish the University, moved by the situation in Tanzania after independence in 1961, whereby diseases, poverty and ignorance were declared the country's key enemies. 

To learn more please click here 

Social work is a unique profession focusing on field work in action, and the power to make a difference among people and communities. Social workers pull communities together, help individuals and families find solutions, help relieve suffering, advance changes in social policy, promote social justice and foster human and global well-being

Social workers are found in many places, including public agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations, private businesses, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, police departments, courts, and private practice.

Can a group of social work students in Tanzania change the future of their country in the middle of a global pandemic? An example of one of the many social services which social work students can provide is, in fact, during a pandemic by providing the critically important information on the importance of vaccinations. We believe that social work students are just the right group of young people to lead with the outreach to their own communities and those around them. Through their social work training they will develop the skills to motivate family, friends and their fellow Tanzanians to get vaccinated to protect them from the COVID 19 virus and its variants. This is a critical time for Tanzania as vaccines are just beginning to arrive in country. Just as in the US and around the world there is a great deal of resistance to getting vaccinated. The trained communication and listening skills of social workers has never been needed more than now as the world looks for ways to meet the challenge of dealing with this global health crisis. This is just one example of the many invaluable services that these students will be able to gain from their studies as they step out into their communities as social workers.

We, in InnerCHANGE WORKS (ICW), have known Dr. Theresa Kaijage, the Chair of the Department of Social Work at HKMU, for over 20 years, and have worked together on project and program development for many of those years.

Theresa J Kaijage, who retired from ISW in 2010 and joined HKMU in 2014, is now Chair of the HKMU Department of Social Work. Theresa J Kaijage has an MSW from Washington University, USA, as well as MPH and PhD from University of Pittsburgh, USA. She also is founder of WAMATA (Walio katika Mapambano na AIDS Tanzania) and has initiated several projects and programs in Africa. Kaijage Consultants for African Family Health (KC), and Para-Social Work in Africa and HIV/AIDS Program, are among such initiatives that have been associated with her social work passion for Tanzania and Africa, in general. She speaks Kiswahili and English.

InnerCHANGE WORKS (ICW) is hosting this campaign. Your donations will come through our non-profit so that you can take this as a tax-deductible contribution using the 501c3 non-profit status of ICW.

All of the funds will be sent to HKMU where Dr. Kaijage will manage the funds for the selected social work students to support tuition, housing, food, and school supplies such as books and technology needs. 

100% of the proceeds go to support the students.

$25 contribution: provides food for one student for a week

$50: provides food and some school supplies

$100: student can buy a smart phone which is required to complete all of their academic internet activities

$1500: fully funds a student for one year of the graduate program

Please know that any and all donation denominations are welcomed, every penny makes a difference to these students, and we thank you. Stay tuned for updates.

The mission of InnerCHANGE WORKS is to design, develop, and implement culturally congruent, sustainable, and community-based programs that meet the basic human needs of health, education, and economic opportunity, both locally and globally.