Support the IT college in Tanzania

Some of you know that just after graduation I decided to leave my comfort zone, go to Tanzania and try to make a change. Here I am - facing the extreme poverty and lack of education, which blocks the development of the whole country.

Emmanuel & John are cousins from the Moshi region of Tanzania. They moved to the city of Dar Es Salaam to find work, but as the economy in Tanzania is still struggling to grow, they haven’t been able to find good paying jobs - even though they have bachelor’s degrees.

Emmanuel is 26. His degree is in Information Technology and he is clearly a very forward thinking African.

John is 24 and currently studying Accountancy and has a lot of creative ideas about marketing (he is always asking smart questions to help him learn more!)

Together, they have saved enough money to rent an office in a quiet and safe part of the suburbs and buy three computers to teach local youth basic computer programs. The period of the 5 months lease is soon to be over and if they don't find money, they will not be able to keep the college running.

As you can expect, the number of students they can take will depend on how many computers they have. They are charging less money from students than the local competition, so they need at least 10 new students per month to make a profit.

The price of the computer in Tanzania is around $75 and they will need more computers to really have a good chance of attracting more students and getting the business off the ground.

Getting the basic computer skills can increase the employability of Tanzanian citizens and improve their everyday life.

Supporting local entrepreneurs is, I believe, the most effective way to help people out of poverty. And in a country where the government is currently misspending taxes, silencing opposition and making no efforts to improve the infrastructure, local business is the only way for the people to create lasting change

These guys are really smart, and they understand that networking and building connections with Western businesses and travelers is one of the best ways to make their business successful - as they can gain from mentorship and counsel.

We would love it if you could help them to have the best chance of making this business work.

If this sounds like you, please consider donating to this project with whatever you can afford to give.