Charity Goat Races gets underway today
The eleventh edition of Dar es Salaam Charity Goat Races will be held this afternoon at the Green alongside the Kenyatta drive of Oysterbay.
The most important part of the event is raising money for worthy causes in Tanzania. About seven races will be staged as persistent sponsors of British Airways, Tanzania Brewries, Southern Sun and Vodacom Tanzania will be on show..
In 2010 the Goat Races raised 80 million shillings that were channeled to various charitable organizations.
In 2011 the races organisers are proud to sponsor the following projects:
1.Kigamboni Community Centre (www.kccdar.com)
KCC Entertainment is part of Kigamboni Community Centre, a non-governmental organization to support the economic and social development of the Kigamboni community.
Since 2007, the Centre has been addressing local poverty and health issues by providing free education to underprivileged children.
As well as providing free education the centre runs a broad range of activities including art, drama, modern and traditional dance, football music and acrobatics!
The KCC Bajaji Business project aims to provide a stable income to support the core running costs of KCCís Education Project.
This year KCC are providing all the entertainment in the Kidís Area and throughout the afternoon in the Track Area ñ enjoy!
2. AC-AF (Tanzania) Africaís Children-Africaís Future (www.ac-af.com)
Orphan and Vulnerable Children Support Programme (OVCSP). Throughout the operation of programming in Tanzania, the offices of AC-AF have been based in Kariakoo.
Following baseline studies of wards within all three municipals of Dar es Salaam, Ubungo was selected as the first ward that the OVCSP and u+me=we would be implemented. This was based upon the needs and suitability of programming within each examined ward.
The u+me=we is an international, youth-centred programme that aims to educate, engage and inspire youth to contribute to the fight against HIV and AIDS both locally and globally.
Through this programme, children and youth throughout the world participate in a series of educational and arts-based workshops that focus upon HIV and AIDS, providing them with a voice to be heard in their community.
They need funds for rent and relocation costs. The additional community space provided within the complex will provide readily accessible space for individual and group meetings as well as strengthen relations within the whole community.
Their target group in particular are orphans and vulnerable children living within the local community as identified through community leaders.
3. Holy Union Sisters
Matumaini Centre for Disabled Children has been allotted for funds to complete their playground.
This will help parents with disabled children in the District care for their children and learn a craft in the hopes they can become self sufficient.
Most of the children have cerebral palsy and the specially designed playground will provide them with a safe environment in which to exercise.
Built with local and overseas help from the Holy Union Sisters in 2009 and opened in March 2010, when over hundred mothers with their disabled children arrived hoping for help. A bus was given to them and collects the children each morning and returns them in the afternoon.
4. Bibi Jannís Centre (www.bibijann.org)
The Goat Races originally helped to fund the building of the classrooms at this nursery for orphans in Mbagala and now pay for the salaries of three teachers to work there. This year we will also fund the purchase of 120 school uniforms for orphan students.
5. Wonder Workshop (www.wonderwelders.org)
The ongoing rehabilitation of the Wonder Workshop this year calls upon us for funds to fix the roof of the paper and jewellery section.
This will help to keep the paper supplies dry, a very important part of paper-making! We will also be funding the purchase of a new large grinder and jig saw.
6. Malaika Orphanage Foundation (www.malaika-kids.net)
The aim of Malaika Kids is to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable children by giving them a real home and a chance to develop to their full potential. When no suitable relative can be found children are moved to the village at Mkuranga where they live in ëfamiliesí of ten, each with a housemother whom they help with daily tasks and attend local schools.
The funds will go towards the day-to-day living costs of a ëfamilyí in the Childrenís Village. The aim is to have 45 children living in the village by the end of 2011.
7 . CCBRT (Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania) (www.ccbrt.or.tz)
This year we are supporting a project to provide quality services to children with burns scars. The aim is to fund the medical treatment of approximately 20 children from poor backgrounds who require surgery and rehabilitation through physiotherapy.
When not treated properly burn scars can lead to loss of mobility and may prevent a child from participating in day-to-day activities.
8. Foxesí Community and Wildlife Conservation Trust (www.foxesngo.org)
This project based up in the Mufindi area is looking for funding for the purchase of household needs and furnishing for two new childrenís homes and a social centre that have been constructed in the Igoda Village, Mufindi.
The funding will mean that the project in the village can be completed and the homes will be ready to house disadvantaged children from the area.
The social centre will serve as a focal point in the community hosting a day care centre and a kindergarten. This is especially important as the nearest kindergarten is five kilometres away.
9. St. Paulís English Medium Primary School (wilfred_muhogolo@yahoo.com)
The school was established in 2003 with a kindergarten class in hired premises; it now has six classes with a total of 151 pupils and has raised funds to build one block of two classrooms with an office, toilet and kitchen, although not all to completion.
They now wish to complete two of the rooms so that they have four classrooms so that they donít have to run the school in shifts.
10. Mollyís Network (meagan@mollysnetwork.or)
Mollyís Network is a non-profit company that will work with charities and companies to enhance civil society involvement through an accreditation of charities and providing a mechanism for corporate social responsibility.
Their aim is to assist small to medium-sized organisations to gain access to funding for projects within Tanzania. The Goat Races will help fund their some of their start-up costs, including setting up a database.
11. Sea Sense (www.seasense.org)
This year we are helping Sea Sense with their aim of using environmental art to help raise awareness that there is an urgent need to protect the national population of green turtles.
A fundamental aspect of the Sea Sense marine conservation project is the delivery of
education and awareness programmes that target all sectors of the community including village leaders, fishers, school pupils and womenís groups.
Sea Sense education programmes are key to improving understanding of natural resource management and have proven very successful in
helping to change attitudes towards conservation.
12. Kidzcare Kerege Childrenís Home and Pre-School (friends@cats-net.com)
The Childrenís Home is looking to put a roof on the volunteersí extension and funds to paint the roof of the original buildings and for general maintenance due to wear and tear.
The Home was originally built in 2003. The volunteers who come from overseas help the staff and children to get good exposure and training. They in turn need to be provided with a fairly comfortable and secure place to stay.
Their rain harvesting project needs funds to complete the eaves, troughs and tanks. Rain harvesting in this very dry area has become a priority for the Home as water is a very precious commodity.
13. CODRA Medical Centre (www.codra.org)
Our funds will go towards the drilling of a borehole, installation of pipes and a pump in Mkula Village, Mwanza. The aim is to provide clean water locally where currently villagers walk over two miles to access it.
This should improve the lives and health of the village people and give more time to income-generating activities by reducing the hours spent fetching water, which is they find is often contaminated anyway.