The One Person Project

06/02/2026

Congratulations to The One Person Project on their 20th anniversary of changing lives through education in Kahama, Tanzania- I was privileged to be able to participate in this trip of a lifetime.

In April of 2009, 3 nurses (including me), a lab technologist and Brenda Lowe, the co-founder of TOPP, flew from Vancouver with our 15 pieces of luggage filled with donations and joined a participant’s daughter in Kigali, Rwanda. Our trip coincided with the 15th anniversary of the genocide there- we saw the memorial sites where people were killed and heard the stories of survivors- an overwhelming experience.

We visited a school where we donated soccer uniforms, a child headed household, an HIV/Aids project, and a woman’s headed household association. We also visited several foster children sponsored through World Vision whose families welcomed us into their homes.

We then travelled overland to Kahama,Tanzania where we spent 10 days- while there we toured the District Hospital, built in 1973. Their lab had a hand centrifuge, they had one washing machine for 229 inpatient beds and used a cone shaped instrument to listen to fetal hearts during labour- after my return home I sent a second hand electronic doppler that would do the job more efficiently.

We donated medical supplies from our communities including a microscope from the Penticton Hospital and $4500 which the hospital used to purchase delivery kits, blood pressure machines, a computer for the matron’s office, 2 printers and a UPS. The matron even let me do a couple of token immunizations and weigh a baby.

We went to the market and purchased plastic wash tubs that we filled with oil, beans, rice, soap etc. to distribute to foster families that we met in groups in village Community Centres where the families sang and danced for us, shared a communal meal and received letters and gifts from their sponsors back home.

We visited a Health Centre, a School Feeding Program, a Dispensary, donated sewing supplies to an Income Generating Activity group and met with a Community Care Coalition Committee with representatives from Aids and Orphan’s groups to find out how we could support their projects.

We donated 10 goats to an orphanage, volleyballs and nets to schools and bicycles to an Aids Palliative Care group to assist them in providing home care.

Finally, we participated in a 3-day safari through the Serengeti to Arusha then flew home. I brought back Rwandan baskets, beautiful Tanzanian fabric, wooden spoons, clay pots and brooms that I sold at presentations about my trip in my community of Kaslo to raise money for the Hospital in Kahama- totalling $10,000 over the next 5 yrs.

(Photos in the comments.)

05/31/2026

Emmanuel sent us some pictures of the Royal Academy Boarding School, and the plaque that the team took over to acknowledge the support of everyone who helped raise funds in any way.

It also mentions Simon Sieben who was was an avid and active supporter, and made a legacy donation. ❤️

See photos for descriptions.

05/29/2026

David was Mayor of Summerland, and signed a Friendship Agreement between Summerland and Kahama, Tanzania in January 2008. His message is below - and check out the comments for photos!

DAVID: "Happy 20th Anniversary of the One Person Project. Twenty years....yikes! I have a vivid memory of Brenda and Denise making their presentation to Municipal Council. Brenda is such a dynamic speaker and Brenda and Denise have sooo much energy. There was no doubt that was going to be a successful venture. You have all made Summerland proud !! Thank you ."

05/28/2026

WENDY: Congratulations TOPP on your 20th Anniversary! To all the donors, volunteers, and leadership who persevere and give their time, personal cost, and commitment - you all represent reliability, dependability, and acknowledgement to everyone you have touched, and will touch, in this community. You are a source of joy, happiness, hope, and relief to the mothers, fathers, and children of Kahama.

20 years. We know where that time has gone for TOPP. So much has happened.

I was with Brenda in 2006 visiting an orphanage with World Vision when the wheels started turning in her mind. We were struggling with what we then called “the net.” Connectivity was so spotty that we typed our stories out offline, then crossed our fingers when we were finally able to send or upload them. We struggled to send pictures to share our experiences. Those were “Western” problems - nothing like what we experienced daily in the community. It was unforgettable, changed us within, joyous and serious. It bonded us for life.

Through all the challenges in working with locals - communication, which was not just language, bureaucracy, paperwork, logistics, traditions, customs, interpretation, red tape… The One Person Project persevered. The focus was results.

I remember Brenda calling me in Ontario shortly after we returned home from our 2006 trip, facing so many obstacles. We talked for ages - primarily Brenda, working out a way forward, and me as the sounding board with a few “keep it simple” suggestions. But success was dependent on the relationships she established in the beginning. Even then, I could always imagine Denise (and others) busily in the background on the home front, getting things done.

There was so much to do to develop TOPP. While I was off to El Salvador to learn more about Sponsorship and World Vision Programmes, Brenda was planning her next trip to Kahama the following year.

I was so lucky to join her on the 2008 trip back. Our adventurous - at times scary and at other times hilarious - road trip from Kigali, with MJ, got us to Kahama. This is where I felt the shift. That shift was from participating through World Vision to actually initiating and making happen what was needed in real time. I hope that makes sense. But this is not easy and comes with heartache along with triumphs.

Upon returning from that 2008 visit, I must say I was flabbergasted to hear that shipping containers were being stocked and scheduled - where does someone even start to learn how to do that? There were yearly visits for in-person consultations, luggage full of goods to bring, and gathering lists of what was most needed to follow up on. Fundraisers, and so much more… WOW!

I went on to work full time for World Vision International with the Global Support Teams while TOPP developed and grew. With TOPP’s community focus, they have achieved what seemed impossible 20 years ago.

Congratulations again,
Wendy.

PHOTOS in the comments.

Brenda Lowe

05/26/2026

💚 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: The end of June marks the first steps of our twenty-year journey!

To celebrate, we would love to hear from everyone who has helped impact lives in our sponsor community of Kahama, Tanzania - and in Muhunga, Rwanda, where we also provided support in the early years.

Whether you volunteered, donated, sponsored, travelled with us, attended events, shared our posts, or supported in any way - you are part of this story.

We would love to collect memories, reflections, and stories from across the years.

If you'd like to participate, please email Denise at [email protected] with a paragraph or two (or more!) along with any photos you would like to share.

Asante Sana - Thank You!

05/20/2026

We’re so pleased to share the continued progress of the Royal Academy School in Kahama, Tanzania.

The school teaches in English, helping prepare students for the difficult transition into English-medium secondary education - something that is a major challenge for children coming from Kiswahili-only primary classrooms.

What began as Emmanuel’s vision has grown into something truly remarkable. Emmanuel, the school owner/director and our on-the-ground agent in Kahama, began acquiring the land in 2013 and started building in early 2015. We were so inspired by his dedication and progress that The One Person Project stepped in to help support the school financially, helping to fund the building of dorms, the dining hall, and more.

And now the results speak for themselves:

Grade Seven students ranked:
• #7 out of more than 120 schools in the Kahama Municipality
• #10 out of approximately 700 schools in the Shinyanga Region

Grade Four students ranked:
• #3 out of more than 120 schools in the Kahama Municipality
• #6 out of approximately 700 schools in the Shinyanga Region

These achievements represent years of hard work from students, teachers, families, Emmanuel, and the wider community supporting education in this rural area of Tanzania.

Education changes futures, and we are honoured to continue being part of that journey. 💚

05/17/2026

In part of the run up to the end of the formal commitment of the Group of 5 Sponsorship settlement team - we are reposting another blog about the family's journey. (May 2023.)

During the annual One Person Project volunteer trip to Kahama, Richard H. and his son Trenton took a meaningful side journey to the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi. The visit was deeply personal: a chance to spend time with Alfred, Yvonne, Amina, and their family, strengthening bonds that have grown....

05/16/2026

Can you believe that in just under eight weeks, Alfred, Yvonne, and Praise will have been in the Okanagan for a full year?

Reaching that anniversary marks the end of the formal Group of 5 settlement and funding commitment - but the friendships built with the family will last a lifetime. 💚

To celebrate - and to catch you up if you are not familiar with the story - we will be reposting the blog posts that share their journey.

This is Alfred, his partner Yvonne, and their newborn son, Praise. Praise was born in the refugee camp, as was his mother, and Alfred has spent much of his life in refugee camps - most recently here at the Dzaleka camp in Malawi.  A Group of Five (G5) sponsor group is working to bring this young fa...

04/29/2026

We recently received letters from ten of the sixteen children we sponsor at Royal Academy Boarding School. (One of these - Abdul - is fully sponsored by Corrine G. ❤️)

One of the letters came from eight-year-old Yasin, one of the children we support from the remote village of Lugunga. In his letter, he shares how much he loves school, his teacher, and his village. He writes about his daily routine - from waking up early, getting ready, and helping to clean the school grounds, to studying in class, sharing meals, and returning to the dormitory at the end of the day.

What shines through most is his pride in learning and his gratitude for the opportunity to go to school.

These are simple but beautiful letters, which are a powerful reminder of how meaningful education is, and how your support is making a real difference in a child’s everyday life.

Asante Sana - Thank You!

04/16/2026

Alice and Ben are the latest arrivals at Simon's Orphanage. 🥰

If you are on our mailing list you will know that while we will continue to visit Simon’s and provide funding for specific projects and repairs as needed - we are now transitioning away from involvement in the day-to-day running and operational funding of the Centre. From the beginning, our goal was to build the orphanage and provide initial support until it could be fully handed over to the District of Kahama.

Funds raised from sponsorship and donations will still go towards education for the children at Simon's - and in Kahama.