Friends of Tuleeni

Private Explorers is a locally owned tour operator specializing in arranging private guided safaris and tours in Tanzania. The company was founded in 2018 by the Managing Director who personally started as a safari tour company administrator and Safari tour guide – employed working and learning for more than 8 years. Later he used his widely accumulated knowledge about safari and wildlife to put together a great team that guarantee the highest quality of service.

The company is deeply committed to Africa and has a solid commitment to giving back to communities surrounding tourist attractions. 20% of its income goes directly to support the most vulnerable people, especially children through the orphanage. Funding the children with the basic necessities like schools, food, and all children’s needs. 

The company offers intriguing and exciting opportunities by creating a fascinating balance between volunteering, cultural immersion, and wildlife safaris. The company is committed to giving back to communities by giving 20% of the company’s income to support the most vulnerable people through Tuleeni Children’s Home.

Friends for Tuleeni children is an NGO that works for a brighter and safe future for the children. First met in May 2006 when Anne sine (Malaika) and Mr. Peter Van Marion visited the orphanage. The work has been going on since 2006 after Anne Sine and Peter van Marion visited Tanzania. Today, three generations of the van Marion family and many friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues are engaged in supporting Tuleeni.

TULEENI NORGE spreads information about Tuleeni Home through lectures, information brochures, and newsletters. The money is collected through fundraising, flea market, a benefit concert, rt and so on, and as gifts from private donors, companies, schools, and organizations, etc., both as one-time gifts or as monthly donations. All money that comes in goes directly to programs that benefit the children. TULEENI NORGE is registered as an NGO under the name Friends of Tuleeni Children, org.no. 920566744.

Norway is the most important funding we have to cover the daily running costs. The donations even allow us to cover a substantial part of some of the children’s education. It’s very valuable knowledge that there will come some money from Norway every month. This allows us to plan longer terms. Perhaps the most valuable effect is the fact that we know that this is something that will last. Therefore, for us, this has become more and more important. Other people support Tuleeni as well, and we are very happy about all donations we receive. But single donations cannot be counted on when planning for longer terms. Therefore, sustainability is our vision for organizing and canalizing the donations given from the Norwegian Friends of Tuleeni allow us to plan a future for the children. Thank you, all donors and friends from TULEENI NORGE.

The Faraji Foundation initiative was established in 2008 after Jackie Weiss, Eric Nelson and Amy Viola volunteered together at Tuleeni during the summer of 2008. Working together with Mama Faraji, the founder of Tuleeni, they developed a project named “Help Build Tuleeni a Home” to raise funds necessary to purchase a large plot of land, and build a new and sustainable orphanage for the children. Since its inception, the ‘Help Build Tuleeni a Home’ initiative successfully raised funds necessary to purchase the land, and construct the new orphanage. The Faraji Foundation was formed with focus on sustainability, education, community outreach and health in rural Tanzania. The Faraji foundation raised over 30% of funds used to build the orphanage and currently the organization is raising funds for our education support program. That Include renovating Chombo primary School, paying schools fees, buying school supplies and supporting nearby public schools were most of our children are enrolled. Thank you, all donors and friends from The Faraji Foundation.

The Faraji Foundation is headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, and is a 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 46-1300200.  Donations are tax-deductible in the United States. 

Interact is a student-led group that creates service opportunities for PN students to help people in need, both locally and globally. Founded as “Be There,” in 2002 by a former PN student, interact sponsors fun and difference-making events like Lunches for Lives (supporting local families) and $2-gether for Tuleeni, which provides education to Tuleeni children! Interact teams with the local Portage Rotary group for valuable service projects to help people and organizations in our own community.

Josh Kieser, a former student at Portage Northern High School. After graduating, Kieser participated in a summer program where he had the opportunity to come and volunteer at the orphanage. Upon his return, Kieser went back to Portage Northern with hope to assist the children. At that time, we had around 20 children. Kieser calculated that if each student at Portage Northern donated 2$ USD, there would be enough money to send all the kids to school for a year. As “One of the major monetary barriers our orphanage face is the cost of sending all the children to school,”. Kieser started the program and whenever funds are raised during the fundraising they send them to support the children’s education. Each classroom is sponsoring a child from the orphanage. Because the children love school and learning, it makes the fundraiser an important aspect of their future.

Financial support is not only service, students also send notes to the children. The school often receives replies from the children as well, keeping the connection between the school and the orphanage strong. Whether students donate or take the time to write a note, the assistance is appreciated. The fundraising is important to keep the children in school and promote a successful future. Portage Northern’s continued support, has helped to improve the lives of so many children. The program raises over $5,000 USD each year to subsidize school fees for children who live at the orphanage.

Project Junior Foundation was founded in 2019 by Soraya van Zantwijk. Soraya has a background in social work and has been active as a family guardian and as a school social worker. The meeting of Soraya and Mama Faraji, their shared sincerity in caring for others, the perseverance to get this done, and above all keep an eye on the personal development of fourteen underprivileged children, led to the foundation of Project Junior Foundation. Based on an intrinsic motivation to devote her knowledge and skills to the greater good in a pragmatic way, she has devoted her heart to 14 children who live at Tuleeni. Project Junior is a foundation that only aids these fourteen children with a fixed budget for necessities, education, care (insurance) until they can stand on their own two feet after their education. The foundation receives a monthly report from Mama Faraji with the exact effect of the money spent and the realization thereof. Every quarter Soraya returns to Tanzania on its own initiative and costs to measure progress concerning the objectives of the Foundation and the developments of the children.

Mandy Stein (founder and executive director of Neema International) first met Mama Faraji and the 78 Tuleeni Orphans Children while on a service trip with Cross-Cultural Solutions CCS in June 2011. The Tuleeni Orphanage facilities at that time were only suitable for about 30 children.  Children slept, in tattered clothes, six per bed on stained foam mattress pads with no sheets or mosquito nets. Their living situation was dire. Mama had truly given every bit of herself to help provide for these children but had exhausted what limited resources were available to her.

In 2010, with the help of a volunteer named Jackie Weiss (founder of The Faraji Foundation) and Anne Sine (founder of Tuleeni Norge), Mama Faraji was able to purchase a large plot of land in Uru that she hoped would one day serve as the location of a renovated orphanage. Mama Faraji told Mandy the kind of future she dreamed of for Tuleeni children and how she had long waited to build them a new home. She invited her and other two organizations (The Faraji Foundation and Virtua Foundation) to collaborate on the construction of the new Tuleeni facility. Within six months, they raised enough money to break ground on construction. Mandy moved to reside in Tanzania in June 2013 to oversee the construction.

Neema International’s mission is to invest in the lives of East Africa’s promising youth through education and sustainable building projects. First of these sustainable projects being building Tuleeni a home. Neema International has been responsible for over 50% of the funds raised towards this project. Aside from helping fund the construction of the Tuleeni orphanage, Neema International has been able to secure some of our children in private English medium schools, secondary schools, and colleges where they are getting a quality education that will lead them to a successful and productive life in the future.

The building completed in 2018 and 2019 Neema International decided to start its own projects. Where they built a new school named “Uru Academy” and their sponsoring other children from the neighboring village.