SSQ in Tanzania: welcome aboard!

Shilton Sharpe Quarry (SSQ) this year is supporting Streetkids, a children’s charity based in Frankfurt, which seeks to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged children in Tanzania and currently cares for 17 children in two orphanages in Dar es Salaam.

The project involved the development of a reliable water supply to an orphanage through the installation of a pump, piping, generator and water tanks. In addition to making a donation towards development costs, three members of staff from SSQ’s London and Frankfurt offices travelled to Tanzania in April to work on the project.

The following report was written by Till Schöppe and Diana Luczak from SSQ’s German office and Nicola Morris from the UK branch.

Karibu is Kisuaheli and means 'welcome'!

After a nine-hour flight from Heathrow we landed in Tanzania at 7am, having seen a beautiful sunrise when flying over Kilimanjaro.

When you think of Africa, you think of desert, heat and drought. In the plane we had already noticed that this view of Africa is (partly) wrong. From the plane we saw rich green plains with a lot of water.

During the first 24 hours of our stay it was continuously raining heavily - which is typical for the middle of the rainy season - and we wondered why we were supporting the construction of a well. However, the other half of the year is indeed hot and dry and water is extremely limited, so there is an urgent need for a reliable supply of clean water.

Tanzania (officially the United Republic of Tanzania) is a country in east Africa and one of the poorest countries in the world. The largest city is Dar es Salaam. It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. To the east it borders the Indian Ocean and the island of Zanzibar.

Tanzania has dozens of beautiful national parks, like the world famous Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which generate income with a large tourism sector that plays a vital part in the economy. Besides tourism, the economy is mostly based on agriculture.

Life expectancy at birth is around 50 years. As in many other African countries, there is an excess mortality due to AIDS, which results in a lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and higher death rates. Approximately 9% of the adult population - that's 1.2 million people - are living with HIV or AIDS.

According to a study conducted by UNICEF, half of all Tanzanian children are malnourished. The most common illnesses are malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory diseases. Only 55% of the population has access to free medical care. More than half of the population has no reliable access to potable water.

Streetkids International (SKI) is a small children’s help organisation which is a registered non-profit association headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. It was founded in 1999 by Daniel Preuß, a 43-year-old German who wanted to share his success as an IT manager with the underprivileged and wanted to give something back to community.

SKI, which is active across cultural boundaries and is politically independent, relies on financial contributions from companies and individuals. The members of SKI receive no compensation from the association. The administrative costs are less than 10%.

SKI seeks to improve the living conditions of orphans in Tanzania through altruistic, charitable means and helps them to lead normal lives.

The association’s primary purpose is to build and to provide financial support for children’s homes in Tanzania, to operate orphanages and to provide homes for socially disadvantaged children. SKI accepts orphans exclusively in these homes. The target is to support children and young people until they are independent. They want to help people to help themselves in the long run and support their autonomy. The children receive a primary education to get them off to a good start in their professional lives.

The next post will look at SKI's work in Tanzania to date.