Building Project
For more than eleven years, TOA has rented a building in the town of Moshi that has housed the orphanage. It has long been our dream to own land in order to build a permanent facility and allow us room to farm so we can grow our own food. We also wanted to be able to design the buildings to meet the needs of the children better, enable us to take in more children, add vocational training buildings to our compound and provide staff housing.
At the beginning of 2011, God provided a miraculous gift that enabled us to purchase a 5.4 acre plot of farmland! (see photo above) Then our first important task was to drill a well so that we could have water – necessary to begin the construction project. Well drilling was accomplished and the water began to flow! The next task on our list was to build an eight foot high brick security wall around the entire 5.4 acres. This was a very large and expensive undertaking – but a necessary one as the land is surrounded by corn fields and has no immediate neighbors.
Theft is a serious problem in Tanzania. We did not want to bring building materials to the land and have them stolen in the night. We have had thieves cut our wire fence in the middle of the night (at our current orphanage location in town) seven different times! So we know that a cheaper wire fence is no protection at all especially in a more remote location with such a large perimeter. This is why we undertook the building of this enormous brick wall. Not only will it protect the building materials as we begin the building project, but it will help provide good security for the children and staff once we move on to the property.
The brick security wall was completed in August 2012. We are so thankful to everyone who contributed to the building of that wall – brick by brick!
While the wall building was going on in Tanzania – the vital work of developing the architectural and engineering plans for the TOA Children's Village was being worked on simultaneously in the USA and in Tanzania. The American NGO BuildingAfrica – has been working with us for nearly two years to develop a sustainable design for the Treasures of Africa Children's Village.
Our architectural design for this project will enable us to house 120 children with cottages for the different age groups and vocational training centers on site. This will be a solar powered project that will be a showcase for sustainability for years to come.
We have located the best possible contractor to build this project in Tanzania and we are ready to move forward. But in order to build – we must have all the cash up front. There are no mortgage loans in Tanzania - we have to be able to pay as we build – with all the money in the bank to build the completed project before we begin. The estimated cost for building this project has risen dramatically since we originally dreamed of building and our consultants estimate it will cost nearly $5 million. Consider giving a gift that will change the lives of orphans and abandoned children in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania FOREVER!
Please watch the video posted below for an overview of the project - from problem through solution!
(EDITORS NOTE: The video was created before the dramatic rise of building costs so the cost estimate mentioned in the film is much lower than current estimates)