Learn More About The Project

Branches Community Projects has committed both financial contributions as well as project oversight, development, renovation, and delivery of the facility from 2023 until 2025. Within this time, Branches Community Projects and Umoja Tanzania will work hand in hand to deliver a renovated facility with contractors, suppliers, local government, and staff to create a facility which will usher in a new age for Umoja's presence for years to come. 

Since opening in 2009, Umoja has been based out of rented residential house, which was  re-purposed to suit their needs, including turning the living room into the IT laboratory and bedrooms into offices. There were no benefits to renting as Umoja still bears the costs for repairs and maintenance, therefore minimal upgrade investment has been made to the property. The limited number of classrooms were not only constrained by size but had limited ventilation and inadequate light. Low hanging corrugated iron roofing contributes to overheating or noise pollution during heavy rain, and was exacerbated by the lack of insulation. The ability to seal the rooms completely was also prohibited by poor design which attracts vermin, including mosquitoes and snakes. The implications for health and welfare of the students and staff were evident.

​

UMOJA made things function but they did not have adequate work stations to cater for staff and all available space was utilised with no spare areas for meetings or workshops. This situation reduced the productivity of staff and volunteers. 

​

Their sports programme is an increasingly important area of their work and they had no facilities for sports but conduct their sessions on an open community field. Goal posts had been removed and they spent a considerable time each session cleaning the pitch from thorns and glass. All other extra-curricular activities were conducted either on the septic tank cover or in small areas around the concrete compound.

After a year of talks, negotiations and planning, UMOJA was excited to announce that from the 3rd June 2019, they were the proud owners of a remarkable site and buildings, in Sinoni, south west of Arusha City. This area is a semi-rural part of Arusha and is accessible from many parts of the city, making it a good choice for Umoja and their beneficiaries.

​

There are two sites which we will be developing. The main site (approximately 2.6 acres) will be where we will run the programmes and will include classrooms, offices, workshops, extra-curricular areas, gardens, sports ground, meeting spaces and more. The second site (approximately 2 acres) contains a large walled compound with various accommodation options, kitchen and gardens. Outside of this area is a farm area and cow sheds, which we can develop with future programmes.

​

The site and buildings were developed by the Australian organisation, Food Water Shelter Inc. (FWS). The Founders and their supporters built a site that has served the community for over 10 years and will continue to serve the community for many years to come. Unfortunately the majority of their programmes were phased out due to a lack of funding and in 2017, FWS actively began looking for partners to breathe new life into the site.

• Bright, clean classrooms, and multipurpose study and learning spaces. 
• Recreational areas, both indoors and outdoors, a shared space for performances and assemblies      
• Adequate kitchen and dining area    
• Spacious, light and collaborative office spaces, including a conference room for meetings and training.   
• A large dedicated room for social enterprises, whereby we can create and showcase our products, while employing increasing numbers of Umoja youth and their families.  
• A private counseling room and social welfare office.

All of UMOJA's operations will expand as they utilise a bigger space to fit their needs. UMOJA will improve the quality of their work and the reach and depth of their programmes. This exciting new development will allow new projects and new developments including the following as outlined by their board:

​

• A 100% increase of Foundation student intake numbers.
• Diversification and expansion of existing programmes, including careers guidance, employability skills training, vocational training and in-house A-level courses. 
• Social enterprise development to support students that are entrepreneurially inclined to develop their own small to medium scale business or a business in association with Umoja. 
• Increase our support of the community and beneficiaries’ families through the expansion of our Fikia Programme, including training and micro-financing facilities for investments into livelihood development initiatives, such as agriculture or local businesses.     
• Social – psychological support for our beneficiaries as many of them suffer from traumatic experiences that may hinder their personal development.
• Increasing the annual intake of students from 40 to 80 student 

Click DONATE NOW or scroll below.