Moshe, TZ – School and community collaboration can transform education and income – Dec 2025
This story about school and community collaboration began with a genuine friendship between Mr. Deo Matemu, the Director of Tupendane, and Mama Aisha, a local community member from Kahe. Over time, this friendship grew into a powerful collaboration that brought positive change to children, women, and the wider community.
Mr. Deo Matemu voluntarily offered his personal support to Mama Aisha by sharing knowledge, financial guidance, and mentorship. With this support, Mama Aisha was able to mobilize other women in her area and organize them into an officially registered women’s group known as the Undugu Mali Women VICOBA Group, where she later became a co founder.
After its formation, the Undugu Mali VICOBA Group was officially introduced to Tupendane. Through regular interactions, trust and friendship were strengthened between the two organizations. Eventually, both Tupendane and Undugu Mali agreed to work together to create a sustainable impact on children’s lives. This led them to partner with Rau River Primary School, where they jointly planned how education, nutrition, and income generation could support one another.
As part of this collaboration, members of the Undugu Mali VICOBA Group began volunteering their time and knowledge by working closely with teachers and pupils at Rau River Primary School. Together, they successfully established and managed a productive school garden, where vegetables and bananas were grown. The harvest from this garden was used to feed the children, ensuring better nutrition, improved attendance, and stronger learning outcomes.
The success of the school garden qualified the Undugu Mali VICOBA Group for further support from Tupendane. Firstly, among many applicants, the group was selected and given the opportunity to rent a local government rice field at a very affordable price. Secondly, Tupendane provided the group with a stress free loan at a 5% interest rate, which the women used to develop a rice farming project.
Through commitment, teamwork, and good management, the Undugu Mali women achieved a successful rice harvest. The harvested rice was sold, and the group was able to fully repay the loan and the 5% interest. Even after repayment, the women remained with sufficient income of their own, strengthening their economic independence and livelihoods.
Looking ahead to 2026, both Tupendane and the Undugu Mali VICOBA Group share a strong vision of expanding this collaboration. There is a shared dream to increase the loan partnership so that more than 50 women in the Undugu Mali group can sustain themselves economically. At the same time, this partnership aims to ensure that children and teachers at Rau River Primary School continue to receive adequate and nutritious meals, which are essential for improved academic performance and regular attendance.
Tupendane also plans to expand its loan fund in 2026 in order to support more VICOBA groups and reach more schools. Through these partnerships, Tupendane hopes to positively impact the lives of many children and families by strengthening education, nutrition, and community led income generation.
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