Blog #11: New Toilets, Soap-Making Businesses, and Support for a Young Mother
Dear friends and supporters of Tia Moyo,
Over the past few months, Tia Moyo has continued to support families and communities in Tanzania through a range of small but meaningful projects. In this update, we would like to share three examples: new toilets for families in need in the rural Dodoma region, continued support for women building their own soap-making businesses, and assistance for a young mother facing an exceptionally difficult start to motherhood.
Until now, all of our projects have been carried out in the Dar es Salaam region, Tanzania's largest urban area. However, Tanzania has a significant divide between urban and rural communities. For example, only around 16% of rural households use electricity for lighting, compared with 70% in urban areas. Secondary-school enrolment also differs considerably, at around 29.2% in rural areas compared with 67% in urban areas. Access to sanitation is somewhat more similar, with 40.2% of rural households having access compared with 44.5% in Dar es Salaam.
These differences are one reason why we would like to gradually expand our activities into rural Tanzania. Our approach has always been based on trusted contacts who live in the communities themselves and know which families are most in need. Arkam, the son of our colleague Leticia, teaches in the rural village of Mpwapwa in the Dodoma region. Through him, we have already begun extending our work to the area, including by supporting schoolchildren with essential supplies. This update also includes our first sanitation projects in Mpwapwa.
New Toilets in Rural Tanzania
As part of our efforts to expand our work into rural Tanzania, we recently supported the construction of two new toilets in Mpwapwa.
Three families had been sharing a single latrine when heavy rains caused it to collapse, leaving them without safe sanitation. We funded the construction of a new toilet, which was completed despite delays caused by the local builders' limited experience with this type of work.
A second family was facing a similar situation after their toilet collapsed. The original had been built with sun-dried bricks that were gradually destroyed by termites. The new toilet was instead constructed using fired bricks, making it considerably more durable.
Both families expressed their heartfelt thanks for the support.
Soap-making businesses
We recently launched a new type of project at Tia Moyo: economic empowerment through practical training, building on our previous blog post. Together with a professional trainer, Leticia organized a multi-day soap-making course for twelve local women from different backgrounds, including government employees, women from the neighbourhood, and others who had approached Tia Moyo looking for an opportunity to earn an income.
The participants learned to produce a range of products, including liquid and bar soap, dish-washing soap, shampoo, hand wash and Jik (bleach), as well as packaging, labelling, branding and marketing. To help them get started, the trainer prepared 100 litres of soap, which the women could take home and sell immediately. On the training day alone, the group sold 33,000 TZS worth of soap.
We are particularly happy to see the project develop further: two graduates have since started their own soap and Jik businesses and approached Tia Moyo for additional working capital. We were happy to support them in expanding their businesses and building sustainable sources of income.
Supporting a young mother
Our third project concerns a 16-year-old girl from Bukoba who had recently given birth by Caesarean section in Dar es Salaam. Far from home, with no relatives in the city and coming from a very poor family, she had little support after giving birth. She stayed with a host family in Dar es Salaam for around 60 days to recover before returning home. Tia Moyo supported her and her baby with clothes and diapers, as well as basic food — including sugar, flour, cooking oil and rice — for the household where she was staying. Neighbours had also helped with beans, water and transportation.
When it was time to return to Bukoba, the local community raised the money for her journey home. Before leaving, she asked for a small amount of starting capital to establish a business and rebuild her life. We were happy to provide this initial support, giving her an opportunity to earn an income and provide for herself and her child.
As Tia Moyo continues to grow, we are particularly excited about expanding our work into rural communities such as Mpwapwa, while continuing to support families and individuals in Dar es Salaam. None of this would be possible without the trust and generosity of our supporters. Every donation allows us to respond to concrete needs and work together with local communities to create opportunities, strengthen livelihoods, and improve living conditions.
Thank you for continuing to support Tia Moyo and for being part of this journey with us.
With gratitude,
The Tia Moyo Team