EMFERD (TZA-42)


Type: Health: Disability - Country: Tanzania

Brief description and main aims

EMFERD is a non-profit organization that aims to educate and provide social, moral and psychological support to people with disabilities from the remote rural areas of Morogoro.

EMFERD's objective is to ensure that people with disabilities are equipped with quality education and are given appropriate support according to their respective impairments.

Josephine Bakhita, or Mama Bakhita as everyone calls her, founded the centre in 2011 in memory of her child, Erick. He was born with multiple congenital defects and because of that he suffered discrimination and humiliation from the community he lived in throughout his life.

Main Activities

Mama Bakhita's plan for the future is to expand EMFERD and to provide a significant contribution to the education and rehabilitation of the disabled in Tanzania. She aims to buy the machinery necessary to support the mobility of the disabled children and to educate the extended families about acceptance.

Most children were abandoned or are orphans and for this reason, they live at the centre. The project hosts 18 children and 6 members of staff, composed of a director, 3 community workers and some paraprofessional workers who take care of the invalid children. The staff members receive a small allowance.

EMFERD is funded by some private donors from Europe and by the Friends of EMFERD within Morogoro. Mama Bakhita is always looking for more funds to afford the appliances to support the children and youth people.

Volunteer tasks

EMFERD offers a variety of daily activities the volunteers can engage in depending on their skills, including:

  • Helping parents of youths with disabilities in developing entrepreneurial skills by organising trainings and workshops
  • Doing home visits in the villages around Morogoro and speaking to the families of children with disabilities
  • Helping the staff with referrals to health facilities
  • Participating in projects, such as bee keeping, poultry and swine farming, crop farming, horticulture, gardening, handcrafting and cultural tourism
  • Providing other services such as cleaning, childcare, physiotherapy and medication
  • Organising games and sports for the kids at the centre
  • Teaching at the kindergarten school located inside the project

Volunteers work from Monday to Friday and have the weekends off.

Volunteer requirements / Skills

This project is suitable for volunteers who:

  • Are at least 18 years of age at the time of arrival
  • Have a good knowledge of spoken and written English
  • Are flexible and open minded
  • Have a desire to help others
Having previous experience working with people with disabilities is an advantage, but not a requirement.

Location

The project is located in Morogoro town, approximately 4 hours from Dar es Salaam. Morogoro is a mountainous area with a colder climate compared to Dar Es Salaam. Morogoro is quite small; however it has a very lively nightlife with plenty of bars and clubs. Mikumi National Park is just nearby and can be accessed in an hour.

Hosting Situation (Board and Lodging)

The volunteer stay in project that offers a shared room with another volunteer sometimes, three meals a day while and boiled water.

More Information

EMFERD is always looking for any help in mobilizing funds for the projects. Volunteers with communication or fundraising skills would be massively helpful. Any supplies for children are appreciated (books, toys, clothes and anything that can help children with disabilities).

Short-term  volunteers  will  need  to  pay  for  their travel from Dar Es Salaam to Morogoro by bus, and two nights at the hotel before departure. 

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