BlueForce Inc. made it to Maisha Bora

Located in Bagamoyo, Tanzania is a small relatively new orphanage called Maisha Bora (meaning Good Life in English). Maisha Bora was established after a local nonprofit closed its orphanage due to high operational costs. Madam Leah, previous employee, could not allow these children/youth to be abandoned without a safe place to live; therefore, she started Maisha Bora with backing from Swiss nonprofit NUKIA for these children to have a safe home and daily meal.

Currently, the orphanage houses eight children/youth aged 8-20 y/o and supports 45 who live either with their grandparent/s or in its disability home. The orphanage buys school uniforms and supplies for children/youth attending school as well as prepare at least 2 meals a day for all 53 children along with send food home to those who live with their elderly grandparents. Not only do they support young-to-middle aged children but also after secondary school, their youth are assisted to attend vocational school in Dar es Salaam. Typically, these youth are raised by their grandparents and have been the caregivers/breadwinners for their elders as opposed to enjoying childhood.

BlueForce Inc. (BF) staff living in Tanzania was recently introduced to Maisha Bora. ?BF staff visited Maisha Bora over three days to meet the orphanage’s supervisor and children/youth. Two children/youth’s stories resonated during the visit: one - a nine-year-old girl was abandoned when her 14-year-old mother died during childbirth, and the father left the village when he found out she was pregnant due to his older age; and the other was the 20-year-old autistic young man who has lived in Madam Leah’s care since he was found wandering the street at primary age. They cannot pinpoint his age due to his inability to speak, but they estimate his age around 20 y/o.

The BlueForce Charitable Giving Committee approved $1,500 for 3-months - $500 per month - of food. Thanks to BF’s donation, staff was able to buy 200 kg of rice; 50 kg beans; 10 liters cooking oil; 25 kg sugar; 60 eggs; 5,000 grams, powdered milk; 4 cartons spaghetti; 50 kg corn flour; 2 kg margarine; 3.2 kg peanut butter; and 6 x-large plastic food storage containers for $800 USD. The remaining cash of $200 USD was given to Madam Leah for perishable items such as vegetables and meat. This amount of food will cover 2-to-3 meals a day over 2 months; broken down this is 10-15 cents a day spent on food, reaching at least 53 children/youth and their families. On top of the $1,000, BF staff added over $300 on transportation to cover the cost of renting a car and bajaj to deliver the food from Dar es Salaam-to-Bagamoyo. In 2 months, BF staff will buy and deliver the 3rd month’s food ration with the remaining $500.

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The donation was given at an opportune time as Maisha Bora is saving funds to construct a new house since they have outgrown the house they reside. Maisha Bora staff live by strong values mirroring BF’s; they are dedicated to help children/youth who were abandoned and are helpless. From a helpless child-to-a-mature youth, staff teach them valuable life skills as they grow. Over the child’s lifespan, Maisha staff are able to build spirits and confidence in their children/youth to become upstanding citizens along with pursue personal goals as adults.

If you would like to read more Maisha Bora and its staff, below is a link that provides more insight on the NUKIA website:

https://nukia.org/blog/Our%20partnership%20with%20Maisha%20Bora ?