About Us
Karibuni Marafiki wa Tanzania
Karibu sana to the Friends of Tanzania website. FOT was established in 1991 as a means of Tanzanians and non-Tanzanians to work together, learn from each other, learn more about Tanzania and to support worthy projects in Tanzania -- giving back to a country we have come to love. Many of us (and that is about 375 all over the USA) are Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, but others are former Teacher for East Africa or volunteer organization members such as Jesuit Volunteer Corps, or Global Outreach. More recently, members are travelers or commercial sector visitors and employees formerly in Tanzania.
Friends of Tanzania (FOT) is a non-profit charitable and educational organization, a 501(c)(3). We fund all our projects 100% from donations made by members. Each year we are able to support about $25,000 in budget funding to projects and an additional $12,000 is given for specific projects in our Member-Designated Program. Our dues of $15 per year have continued to cover all our operating expenses since we started in 1991 due to our increasing membership.
Our goals are:
- To identify and support worthy projects in Tanzania.
- To collect and disseminate information on the life, culture and development of Tanzania
- To bring together people interested in supporting Tanzania.
We are all volunteers in the organization and operate out of the Washington, DC area with a mail box at P.O. Box 9123, Arlington, Virginia 22219-1123. As we are in close proximity to the Tanzanian Embassy, we have had a very good relationship with the Ambassadors to the USA from Tanzania.
We hope you find our website helpful. It is a place to get updated on news, events and people in Tanzania, read about our projects, and link to other Tanzania-related websites. It is your organization and we appreciate your comments, membership and donations. Please let us know of any changes that would help you come to know Tanzania or our organization better. Please send us comments by filling out our contact form.
2007
- 375 Members
- $ 20,493 was contributed by members for FOT projects and another $17,500 in donations for our Giving Back Projects.
- 12 budgeted projects were funded for $21,620 and another 4 projects for $17,500 in our Giving Back Program, bringing the 16 year total to 200 projects for $208,860 (See Project Section)
- Social and Educational Events:
- Winter Party – February, Arlington, Virginia
- Safari Club Samosas Party – May, Washington, DC
- Participation in the Tanzanian Association Independence Day Celebrations,
December, Silver Spring, Maryland - Leon Sullivan Foundation Awards Dinner, December, Washington, D.C.
- Board Retreat for New Board Members – February
- 2 newsletters – Seeds of Friendship – Spring and Fall
- Two Locals Chapters established: Central Missouri, September;
Boulder, Colorado, December