NDIFO COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
Helping Our Neighbors In Need
The idea to form this organization started within Ndifo Safari when we found two communities withvery specific needs and decided we were going to raise funds to help them meet those needs.
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The first project has been to fund a fresh water source for a rural community just outside Arusha. Before, the local women walked miles with water buckets on their heads to get their household water each day or did without. We brought water & solar energy to them. Next, we’re making the dilapidated Likamba Primary School a clean, safe learning space with a massive renovation.
You can learn more about both projects below.
We help our fellow Tanzanians living in extreme poverty have better lives.
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Help us Help Them on November 13, 2024
Join us for an Evening of Cocktails & Charity Auction
You can help us raise funds for these projects by joining us in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, for a fundraising gala this November or by bidding on items in our online auction right now! The auction ends at the event.
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When: Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 5:30pm
Where: Midtown Manhattan NYC (44th between 6th & 7th)
What: A fun night with cocktails, food and safari entertainment
NCDF is a 501c3 non-profit NGO organization based in the United States and registered & operating in Tanzania. Every cent raised goes directly to alleviating suffering with absolutely zero administrative cost.
THE WATER PROJECT
Ndifo Community Development Foundation’s first project focused on bringing fresh water to a rural community just outside Arusha with around 600 residents. Prior to our involvement, the local women walked miles with water buckets on their heads to get their household water each day, or they had to do without. Their small children made the grinding trip with them instead of playing, and some kids missed school to help fetch water.
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We set out to bring the water to them. Digging a well was not possible in the location of the community, but we located a source of water several miles away that we could pipe water from. We’ve put in the pipes and now the community has water very near them where they can fill their buckets each day. Solar panels have provided electricity to some.
Now they have other options for their lives.
LIKAMBA PRIMARY SCHOOL PROJECT
Next, we’re transforming the dilapidated Likamba Primary School just outside Arusha into a clean, safe learning space. Many people in this area are poorly-educated Maasai, and this is the poorly- funded public school for their children. This is where the poorest children go.
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Not only is the school in horrible condition, but we also learned that during rainy season, the fire in the make-shift kitchen cannot stay lit & food cannot be prepared. And during this same rainy season when the roads wash out, many parents in the toughest areas don’t bother sending their children to school at all. Some of the kids here have been fainting because their parents can’t afford to feed them properly and they are not getting consistent meals at school. We believe that if we provide consistent meals for these children their parents will make sure they get to school each day for what could be their best chance at good nutrition. And they will get the transformative gift of education in a safe environment.
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Here 5 children sit at a desk designed for 2 in classrooms with busted floors and ceilings that leak no matter how many times the roof is patched. Glass in windows is broken, and there seem to be sharp edges everywhere. Everything is gray and dusty. With this environment and lack of nutrition, how are any of them supposed to learn?
We started with a model classroom with our initial fundraise. The floors and ceiling were completely redone, and the walls painted a soothing blue. New desks have given the children the space and dignity they deserve.
This is what all the 11 classrooms room will look like when this project is finished. We plan to build an enclosed kitchen equipped with safe, sustainable cookware, and it would be a dream to buy some laying hens for regular eggs and plant gardens. We’re going to get the kids supplies, textbooks and uniforms as well. Solar panels could provide electricity and a zoom connection, a window to a world of technological education.
NDIFO AT THE UNITED NATIONS
NCDF’s Chairman, Steven Ngowi, had a chance to stop by the United Nations in New York City to speak with Flora Nducha, Chief of UN News Kiswahili, regarding conservation in Tanzania, during his visit to the United States in 2022. He came to New York City to raise funds to help endangered species in Tanzania – specifically for Kili C.R.E.W. (Kilimanjaro Animal Center for Rescue, Education & Wildlife), an organization that rescues animals injured or orphaned by poachers, drought and injury from snares. They provide rehabilitation before releasing them into a protected environment. NCDF had not been officially formed yet, so we used this opportunity to help another Tanzanian cause in great need as well.
Speaking with Flora, Steve explains how Ndifo is trying to help save the wildlife of Tanzania while helping his local community. Steve explains how guests traveling with Ndifo Safari contribute to conservation and community development projects since a portion of each booking goes directly to projects helping the most vulnerable people and wildlife in Tanzania.
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Steve is looking forward to catching up with Flora when he visits New York City again this November for the NCDF’s inaugural fundraiser in mid-town Manhattan.
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From the United Nations: The tourism sector is one of the major contributors to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) with the United Nations pushing for the sector to be sustainable in the interest of the world and its people. In Tanzania, young people are contributing to the sector first as a source of employment but also contributing to the national economy and the surrounding communities. Among them is Steven Ngowi, who owns the tourism company Ndifo Safari, who besides being a tour guide is active in various community projects and helping to save endangered animals.
OUR OBJECTIVES
1. To strengthen delivery of quality education at all levels from kindergarten to secondary level in underserved areas. This includes assisting with construction of school rooms and providing desks and school supplies to schools in need.
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2. To include community in the improvement of social services including providing water and solar electricity to rural, impoverished areas of Tanzania.
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3. To enable participation of Tanzania youth and youth from other countries in the issues of education and culture.
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4. To educate communities in close proximity to wildlife on living in harmony with the animals.