Jambo,

We are now in the last month of the first quarter in this year, I know everybody has been working hard wherever you are to make sure that the goals for this year are met by making the most of the first months of the year. In Tanzania we have a saying meaning, do your business in the morning, then count your money in the evening. Likewise, TFFT in the Scholarship program has accomplished a lot in this first quarter of the year as far as our strategic plan is concerned.

One of our strategic objectives is “to ensure OVC’s receive quality education and psychosocial support, through the improvement of OVC support structures” which in conjunction with other strategies can be realized by providing psychosocial support and counseling for TFFT scholars.

In the past few weeks TFFT by the help of Tanzania Women Research Foundation (TAWREF) completed its first ever psycho social support program known as Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) in which 32 scholars aged between 7 to 13 were screened and 13 of them together with their guardians went through a twelve weeks counseling sessions. These sessions were intended to help these scholars live in a less stressed world by coping with their current situation and receiving hope that there is a lot more good in their future than whatever bad happened in their past.

It is always not easy when something is done for the first time, so in this program, during its implementation we encountered so many challenges which prolonged the finishing period of the program but there is a swahili say which states…”chelewa ufike” meaning, get late but arrive safe, we have taken all the challenges in this program as lessons learned both we and our partners TAWREF.

TF-CBT was one thing, but on the other side, three of our older girls Nicemary, Mary and Magdalene were enrolled in the computer course which lasted for one month. There after, they joined a three month English course, in which they are currently in their final month. Both courses were meant to give them something useful to do while waiting to join colleges in the few coming months and also providing them more skills, confidence, and exposure so that they are ready to face the employment world after college.

Apart from that, two other TFFT scholars Isac and Ombeni (who are in the Professional Tour Guide School) were also enrolled in the driving course which lasted for one month. Driving is a compulsory skill for any professional tour guide for them to perform their duties successfully. Isac and Omben are now over with their certificate course and have been accepted for Diploma in Professional Tourguide. Best of luck Isac and Ombeni!

Our scholars at Usa River Academy also finished their first term, and during break some attended the RENEW workshop with our Full Circle Program Director, Chloe, while others were in the Tutoring program. All of the students are now due for their second term in school. Soon you will get to hear from some of our new scholars in the program about their new experience at Usa River Academy, get ready…till next time, tchao!