Providing Lifesaving Care and Education for Vulnerable Children in Mufindi District

Founded in 2005 by Geoff and Vicky, Orphans in the Wild was established from a deep commitment to supporting both the local community and the surrounding wildlife of Mufindi.

Their vision led to the creation of the Foxes Community, Wildlife and Conservation Trust, a Tanzanian non-governmental organisation, later complemented by its UK sister charity, Orphans in the Wild.

The first initiative focused on providing a safe haven for the increasing number of orphaned and vulnerable children in the region. This led to the establishment of Igoda Children’s Village, which opened its first two family-style houses in 2006. It soon became clear that those affected by HIV and AIDS required closer access to treatment services. As a result, a Care and Treatment Centre was created, enabling patients to receive essential care without travelling long distances.

Their objectives

The primary objective is to provide shelter, nutrition, education and medical care for vulnerable children and their families, particularly those affected by HIV and AIDS. At the same time, the initiative collaborates with communities living in environmentally sensitive areas, empowering them to manage natural resources sustainably.

Additional aims include:

• Preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS

• Teaching life skills such as language development, financial literacy, and vocational training

• Creating supportive networks and opportunities for future generations

Today, the initiative operates across multiple sectors to respond to evolving community needs and to provide advocacy and access where support is required most:

• Childcare,

• Education

• Healthcare

• Wildlife Conservation

• The Youth Agency in Mufindi

Childcare

• Igoda Children’s Village supports orphaned and vulnerable children, ensuring their health, safety, and well-being. Currently, thirty-six children of mixed gender reside in the village. In line with government regulations, no young person over eighteen may remain in residential care. Approximately seventeen young people previously fostered at the village have returned to live with relatives in nearby communities. Those who remain in education continue to receive support, including food provision, accommodation, assistance, school fees, uniforms, and books.

• A Baby House provides care for seven infants who are either orphaned or come from families affected by mental health challenges.

• The Milk Powder Programme supplies life-saving milk powder and Lishe Power, a nutrient-dense porridge supplement, to HIV-positive mothers, caretakers, and vulnerable children.

• Social welfare and child-rights advocacyinterventions ensure that assistance extends beyond the Children’s Village to vulnerable children living within the wider community. This work is conducted in collaboration with the local and district Social Welfare Office. Follow-up visits are conducted for children not attending school or reported to be living in unsafe conditions. Families receive monthly visits and may access support including healthcare advocacy, participation in income-generating projects, school uniforms and supplies, or enrolment in community-based programmes, among other forms of assistance.

• Eight houses, known as Bibi Houses, have been constructed for grandmothers caring for grandchildren following the death of a parent.

EDUCATION

• A kindergarten programme provides pre-school education to sixty children, preparing them for entry into primary school. The programme supports existing classrooms and the development of new early years facilities through monthly teacher training seminars, locally sourced classroom materials, and monitoring visits.

• A childhood education outreach programme operates in eight villages and trains more than twenty teachers each month.

• The Vocational Training Centre, opened in two thousand and seventeen, serves more than one hundred young adults, equipping them with income-generating skills. Training includes tailoring, computer studies, carpentry, mechanics, tourism guiding, hotel management, masonry, plumbing, and related trades.

• Education scholarships are provided to the most vulnerable children. This support covers school fees, uniforms, learning materials and transport.

• Several schools have been constructed and are maintained within the district, including primary schools, a kindergarten and nursery, and a secondary school. A school bus provides transport for children travelling to and from school.

• A community meeting hall in the centre of Igoda Village has been built. Seating more than five hundred people and equipped with a functional kitchen, the hall hosts local government meetings, school functions, weddings, graduations, and community education seminars.

HEALTHCARE

• Three clinics have been constructed, including the Children’s Village clinic, a pharmacy and a Care and Treatment Centre.

• Through structured training programmes, local community health workers provide essential clinical care to more than one thousand patients and support vulnerable HIV-positive caretakers and their infants with nutritional supplementation.

• A Home-Based Care Programme increases access to healthcare in rural areas with government approval. Local volunteers receive monthly training seminars covering public health issues including HIV testing, treatment and prevention, opportunistic infections, sexual and reproductive health, family planning, and nutrition. Volunteers receive stipends and ongoing training, and a programme facilitator coordinates engagement between volunteers and medical professionals.

• Doctors on Wheels brings medical services to remote areas. A volunteer doctor visits patients in their homes, delivers medication and coordinates visiting medical professionals.

• A fully functional dental clinic has been established, complemented by a mobile dental unit that provides treatment in surrounding villages and delivers training to local dental practitioners.

Wildlife Conservation

The initiative has made significant contributions to protecting the rainforests of Mufindi, a region vital to surrounding watershed systems and savannah ecosystems. This work supports cleaner air, improved water access, and long-term ecological resilience.

Here are the achievements reported in 2024:

• Over thirty thousand indigenous rainforest trees planted and nurtured

• Forest enrichment in areas damaged by past logging or degradation

• Daily forest patrols cover eighty sq. km, significantly reducing poaching

• Over twenty thousand snares and traps removed, easing suffering and preserving biodiversity

• Special trap sweep conducted near children's village forests and valleys

Youth Agency in Mufindi (YAM)

The Youth Agency in Mufindi strengthens inclusion, livelihoods and protection for children and young people with disabilities. Since 2021, the programme has delivered training in psychosocial support, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and forestry value-addition, alongside caregiver support, safeguarding training, and institutional capacity development.

The programme has exceeded many of its targets in training delivery and community engagement. Challenges remain in achieving long-term livelihoods and formal employment outcomes for young people with disabilities, and these areas continue to receive focused attention.

Future Development

Continued support is required to maintain existing programmes and infrastructure.

Planned expansion includes:

• The activities extension into six additional villages within environmentally sensitive areas of the district.

• The continuation and strengthening of the Youth Agency in Mufindi will include further training, institutional capacity-building, reduction of employment barriers, improved economic opportunities through entrepreneurship and sustainable agriculture, apprenticeship placements, psychosocial support, rights-awareness initiatives, identification of hidden cases of disability, improved access to rehabilitation and education, and expanded access to finance.

• Additional scholarship funding is also a priority to ensure that vulnerable children can remain in education.

The Reality in Mufindi District 

The need for this support is immense: 

• 16 villages make up a population of around 35,000 people.

• HIV/AIDS affects 37-44% of residents, compared to the national average of just 5-7%. 

• Nearly 40% of children have lost at least one parent. 

• The average local income is less than one US dollar per day.

• Life expectancy is only 43 years. 

Despite these challenges, Orphans in the Wild continues to bring hope, care, and opportunity to some of Tanzania's most vulnerable children.