The Charity
Since it opened its doors in 2001, Amani Children's Home has taken care of street-children and orphans at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It rescues children from malnutrition, homelessness and abuse. With its dedicated staff, Amani supports over 140 children and is committed to providing a safe place for children to grow in mind, body and spirit.
Amani, which means 'peace' in Swahili, has several aims:
to provide a haven of safety and hope, where children can escape from the starvation and physical and sexual abuse encountered on the streets
to provide appropriate education for each child. Each child is taught basic reading, writing, and maths by Amani staff and volunteers. If the child is young enough to attend school, Amani pays for their education (there is no free public education in Tanzania). Children who are too old to begin school are given the chance to undergo vocational training, such as carpentry or mechanics.
to look after the children's health and health education, with weekly classes on all aspects of health, hygiene and nutrition, with special emphasis on HIV/AIDS education
to enable children to find a home with family members if possible. Although Amani is a happy and healthy place, their goal is for each child to find a placement back with relatives or village members - to be brought up in a family context rather than an institutional one.
Amani looks after the children in a 2-bedroom, rented house. With help from sponsors like Guerba, they have bought the land to build a new home, and now need extra funds to build and furnish it. We hope that you can help us achieve this aim. Please visit Amani's own website - www.amanikids.org - to learn more about this fabulous place.
