Advocates for Africa's Children

10/12/2026

When was the last time you thought about how much you depend on electricity? 💡

For most of us, it's something we barely notice until the power goes out.

At Lawrence Academy in Tanzania, gaining access to electricity in 2025 made a remarkable difference.

Teachers can now use computers for lesson planning, recordkeeping, and reporting. Electricity has also improved everyday life in teacher housing and student boarding areas, supporting a safer and more comfortable environment for learning.

These improvements might seem ordinary to us, but they're an important part of helping a growing school thrive.

And they're a reminder that developing a school means more than building classrooms. It means investing in the people, resources, and infrastructure that support education every day.

As we look toward the year ahead, we're grateful for the progress already made and excited about what's still possible.

💚 Help us continue developing opportunities for children in Tanzania: https://www.afachildren.org/donate/

10/08/2026

We came home from Tanzania with thousands of photographs, plans for the year ahead, and plenty of stories to tell.

But some of the most meaningful things we brought back can't be captured in a photograph.

There was joy in being together again. Encouragement in seeing the progress at Lawrence Academy, the Kiromo Medical Clinic, and Kiromo Church. And important conversations about the people, partnerships, and responsibilities behind the work.

Our latest AFAC News article reflects on what we saw, what we learned, and what we're looking forward to next.

💚 **Read “What We Brought Back from Tanzania”:

Joyful celebrations, growing classrooms, new buildings, and important conversations about partnership. Our September visit to Tanzania gave us much to be grateful for and plenty to work toward.

10/06/2026

We came home from Tanzania with thousands of photographs.

But the most important things we brought home weren't in our suitcases.

We brought home conversations. Questions answered. New questions. A school blueprint. Updated project costs. Plans made across tables, in classrooms and alongside our partners.

And we brought home the small details that helped us understand the bigger picture.

A hymnal resting on one of the bright blue chairs at the new church plant in Msata. A child sitting among the congregation during the service. Teachers showing us around their classrooms. Church members tending vegetables beside the church. Conversations that continued long after the photographs were taken.

Some of these moments confirmed what we already knew. Others helped us see things differently.

Most of all, we came home with a much clearer picture of what's happening now, what's needed next, and how AFAC can continue to come alongside the people doing this work every day.

This week, we're going to unpack some of what we brought home. 💚🇹🇿

Not just the photographs. The things they helped us see.

10/05/2026

Today is World Teachers’ Day. 💚📚

And we’re celebrating the people who make Lawrence Academy a school.
During our time in Tanzania, we spent three days at Lawrence Academy, photographing students, visiting classrooms, talking with teachers and learning more about the work happening there every day.

We talk often about building and developing Lawrence Academy. But a school is much more than classrooms, desks and buildings.

A school is its people.

Lawrence Academy recently ranked 4th out of 83 schools in its district in it's mock national exams. That's an improvement on the previous year's placement! This is accomplishment that reflects the daily work happening inside these classrooms.

Behind that number are teachers preparing lessons, answering questions, encouraging students, standing in front of classrooms, solving problems and showing up again the next morning to do it all over again.

Buildings give students a place to learn.
Teachers make that place a school.

Today, we’re especially grateful for the teachers of Lawrence Academy and for teachers everywhere who invest their knowledge, time and care in the next generation.

Happy World Teachers’ Day! 💚🇹🇿📚

10/01/2026

"Ladies, lets get a photo of you both!" 📸

This was just before church and baptisms at the newest church plant in Msata.

A small moment with Heidi and Mary that makes us smile, and one that captures something important about the way AFAC works.

Partnership isn't just projects, budgets and buildings. It's relationships built over years. It's sitting together, laughing together, worshiping together, talking through challenges and making plans for what comes next.

You've seen some of the visible results of those relationships over the past few weeks: students learning at Lawrence Academy, churches growing, and a medical clinic taking shape in Kiromo.

But there is also a lot of work behind what you see.

Throughout the year, AFAC stays connected with our partners to manage child sponsorships, send funds, communicate with donors, plan projects, keep records and handle the hundreds of small things that keep this work moving.

The work isn't only about building things.

It's about building relationships strong enough to do the work together. 💚

And occasionally making sure your hair is ready for the picture. 😂

As October begins, we're turning our attention toward the giving season and the work that sustains everything you see here. Giving to AFAC's General Fund helps sustain the people, partnerships and everyday work that make all of this possible!

09/30/2026

We have some very good news to share as September comes to a close. 💚

The windows and doors for the Kiromo Medical Clinic are fully funded and the funds have been sent.

While we were in Tanzania, we received an updated quote of $4,724 for this phase of the clinic. You gave, the full amount was raised, and we were able to send the funds needed.

Thank you. Truly.

Across the road, there is still work to do. Kiromo Church still needs $3,850 for windows and doors.

Our September campaign may be ending, but the need isn’t. We’ll continue raising these funds as we work alongside our partners to get the church enclosed before the rains.

One goal met. One to go.

Thank you for helping us get this far and for continuing to build alongside us. 💚

Help us take the next step: https://www.afachildren.org/current-needs/

09/29/2026

One of our favorite parts of returning to Lawrence Academy is seeing just how much the students have grown. 💚

Last week, we photographed every student and looking back at old photos reminded us how much can change in just a few years.

Swipe through to meet Ismael then…and now. 📷

Our child sponsors received their new student portraits this morning. These annual photos are one way we help sponsors stay connected to the children they support, and in 2027, we’re planning to share even more updates throughout the year.

For $35 a month, child sponsorship helps provide quality education, uniforms and school supplies, nutritious meals and clean water, transportation, and a safe and supportive environment at Lawrence Academy.

Year by year, these photos tell a story. Thank you to every sponsor who is helping these students learn, grow, and build toward their future.

💚 Interested in sponsoring a child? Learn more: https://www.afachildren.org/sponsor-a-child/

09/28/2026

Coming home is its own itinerary. 😂

Unpack. Laundry. Emails. Sort approximately 847,000 photos. Figure out what day it is.

And then… share the stories. 💚

We came home from Tanzania with a lot more than photos. We came home with new ideas, plans for what’s next, and so many stories about the people and places behind this work.

We can’t wait to share them with you.

Right after we finish the laundry. 😂🇹🇿

09/24/2026

Goodbye, Tanzania. 🇹🇿💚

As we prepare to leave, these are some of the faces we’re thinking about.

We are incredibly proud of the teachers and staff of Lawrence Academy who show up every day to educate, encourage and care for these students.

We’re leaving Tanzania with so much to share, from the classrooms and students at Lawrence Academy to the new medical clinic, Kiromo Church, and conversations with our partners about what comes next.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll share more stories and ways you can be part of developing the school, completing the clinic, strengthening the church, and investing in this community.

For now, we leave incredibly proud of this team.

Asante sana, Tanzania. Until next time. 🇹🇿