Korogwe Youth Centre is registered by the Tanzanian government registration No.21NGO/1558. It was started in December 2005 after a group of concerned Tanzanians noted several social problems in Korogwe, Tanga region, Tanzania, these being:
I. The number of orphans and street children in the area was increasing due to HIV/AIDS. Many women did not know their basic rights and were often taken advanta
ge of socially and economically. In the prisons, there were many women that were pregnant, nursing or raising children. Neither the women nor children were materially supported or educated about their lives after prison. In their desire to ensure basic human rights for women and children they formed an organisation called Korogwe Youth Centre Korogwe Youth Centre focuses on the support of children whose parents have died from HIV / AIDS. When funding is available, KYC also will support women and children in the local prison, provides community HIV/ AIDS awareness classes and health counseling and grants to women without a source of income to enable to them to set up small market business. Korogwe Youth Center"s focus currently is the on the support of children whose parents have died from HIV/AIDS. In Korogwe district there are many children who have nobody to look after them after the death of their parents. These children are forced onto the streets, where they collect rotten food and beg to survive. On the streets they no longer posses the rights of being treated fairly when they get sick, of obtaining an education, of sleeping under a roof or of having a full stomach. KYC provides orphans and street children with these basic rights. At the orphanage, the children are taught how to read and write , the skills of carpentry and tailoring, and to play sports. They are given a chance of a better life. The orphanage is based in the Korogwe district, about 98 KM from Tanga town,it is one hour drive by car from Tanga town. The Orphanage
In Korogwe district there are more than 500 orphans. The orphanage currently supports 60 boys and girls between the ages at 2 and 18. Of these, 10 live at the orphanage, and the rest live with grandparents or other people in the local community. With funding , by January 2008 we expect the numbers of orphans to increase to 100. The target is to have more than 250 orphans in the centre. Besides giving the children clothes, food and shelter, Korogwe Youth Centre provides supplementary lessons at the orphanage for its children as well as children from the local community. International volunteers teach classes in English, Mathematics , Social studies and Science twice a day. Overseas funding is being sought for development of the site. The orphanage is in a rented building ,some of the land has been converted to a vegetable garden, the produce of which will be used and sold by the orphanage. The Orphanage Staff
Three Tanzanian staffs work at the orphanage: Mwalimu Dhahabu and Mama Shemboza are trained secondary school teachers from nearby Korogwe girls Secondary school, they are responsible for the orphanage"s daily activities. Asha Rashidi who assists them and cooks for the children and Musa Kitonge,Benjamin kinyamasongo and Juma Mhina who are project coordinators based in the office. For the Volunteer
The following information regards the placement and information about life and survival in Korogwe
1. Accommodation and Food
Korogwe Youth Centre has rented a compound comprised of a four bedroom house, with electricity and water. The house is located about 5 minutes walk from the orphanage. Accommodation is comfortable and provided with
1. Your own bedroom with bed, mattress, two cotton sheets and mosquito net.
2. A bathroom with a shower and flushing toilet , however a hot water supply cannot be promised.
3. A kitchen with a two ?ring hot plate for cooking, an electric kettle, cooking
pots, plates mugs and cutlery. Volunteers will be expected to cook for themselves.
4. An appropriate level of security involving barred and Mosquito ?lt;/div> netted louver window and a solid and barred door within a fence and gated
compound. A night watchman is also provided. There are several big shops and small supermarkets in Korogwe district. Fruits and vegetables are best obtained from the central market from
individual traders who usually accept bartering. Shops are generally very small but they are likely to be able to meet most of your needs. Generally speaking ,the price in shops is fixed, but if you are spending a lot of money, it never does any harm to ask for a discount. The local shops and produce stands carry a range of products such as meat, bread, margarine eggs and some vegetables. Communication in Korogwe
Mobile phones are widely used in Korogwe, and you should have no difficulty in getting an appropriate card if you don’t have international roaming. A Tanzanian sim card cost USD 2. Text messages are between USD 0.05 and 0.20. Incoming calls are free, and outgoing local calls are around USD 0.50 per minutes. Volunteers who have the use of the local cellular net works can be called internationally. International phones cards can be purchased for use at pay phones and usually cost USD 2 and 5 , depending on what country you are calling. There are several internet cafés in the centre of the town ,some providing faster service than others. Almost all charge the same rates. USD 1 per hour and 0.50 per page for printed materials.
