Who We Are: Bricks for Buguma is a project of Global Peace Network (GPN), started by a group of volunteers from different professional and cultural backgrounds wanting to help children and their families in the village of Buguma, Tanzania. Bricks for Buguma is a project of Global Peace Network (GPN), a Canadian charity supporting education, health and self-sufficiency through initiatives in the M
ara District of Northern Tanzania. The main role we play in Canada is raising funds for these children and their families who live in precarious conditions and who deserve better health, education and income opportunities. We also talk with the people of Buguma, six neighbouring villages, and Tanzanian agencies and authorities to plan and co-ordinate our collective efforts. Our first goal is to build an addition to the existing primary school in the village of Buguma. Thanks to our generous donors and the hard work of the people of Buguma, construction is about to begin in January, 2014!
12,000 bricks have already been baked, and other building materials have been bought in preparation. Currently, the 300 elementary school children in Buguma study in an over-crowded classroom without a sufficient number of desks to sit on, dusty dirt floors, a scratched blackboard, and limited educational supplies. The new building will give the 300 children adequate space to receive instruction. More desks will be paid for and constructed locally so the children can sit properly during class time. Our second goal is to start a micro-credit project, geared towards an already-formed group of women in Buguma and a musical band. Other groups will be formed in the near future. We will then shift our focus to a number of initiatives, including improving water quality, agricultural production, and transportation. This will be done by digging a well and by acquiring a small tractor and a large number of bicycles. At the moment, the people of Buguma rely on farming without any machinery, which restricts their ability to gain financial independence through agriculture.
