As the Tanzanian government increases requirements for nonprofits, Convoy of Hope’s method of capacity building through nutrition programs has emerged as a leading model.
For three days in December, high-ranking officials came from three government ministries to inspect Convoy of Hope’s programs. The delegation visited Ngaramtoni Primary School near Arusha, where Convoy has established Children’s Feeding.
What impressed the officials was the execution of Convoy’s plan in equipping the school to become self-sustaining, which enables the organization to move on and do the same with other schools.
Since Convoy entered Ngaramtoni in 2014, they’ve held community meetings, helped identify income-generating opportunities, addressed hygiene and sanitation issues, empowered mothers to do business, and taught students gardening techniques. The school is now poised to harvest and sell more than 10 metric tons of tomatoes per year, which will fund the lunch program in the future.
The officials asked Convoy of Hope to expand into other schools, and they marveled at how the organization invests in building capacity in the community. “Where have you been all along!?” exclaimed one government official.
In fact, Convoy has received accolades from district government in recent years, and its development work has been featured on the evening news. Recognition from the national government, however, is new.
Convoy of Hope leadership in Tanzania was summoned to Tanzania’s capital two weeks after the visit, to present and train government officials on Convoy of Hope’s innovative model. “This is the new standard to which we want to uphold other NGOs involved in school-based feeding programs,” said one government official.
