Clothe them: Hearts in Unity - Feed, clothe and educate orphans and at-risk children in Tanzania Africa

A school uniform…a shirt, a skirt or pair of trousers, and a pair of shoes. A warm sweater and a knit hat when it is cold. If you have a school uniform, you

can attend school. Seems simple enough.

Yet, for families in Tanzania, buying the required school uniform and shoes for their children is often a burden that they can not bear. When a family is struggling to survive on less than $1 a day, parents must often make heartbreaking choices. Do they sacrifice their children’s access to education, the key to breaking out of the cycle of poverty, in order to feed them? Orphans are at an even greater disadvantage.

Together, we can ensure these children have their required school uniforms, while at the same time, employ women in the "Mioyo Pamoja" ("Hearts in Unity") sewing coop to sew the uniforms and other needed clothing items for the children, especially the orphans, who desperately need them. With the wages earned from sewing, these women can themselves begin to overcome the poverty that limits their ability to care for their own families.

The solution is so simple... together, we can clothe the orphan and at-risk children of Tanzania.

♥ Give a gift of a new pair of shoes to a child

♥ Give a gift of a new school uniform to a child

♥ Give a gift of basic sewing supplies for the sewing coop

♥ Give a gift of a bolt of fabric for making school uniforms

♥ Give a gift of a case of yarn for making children's sweaters and hats

♥ Donate fabric to make school bags or yarn to knit hats for children

Few children in Tanzania have ever owned a new pair of shoes. They spend their days either barefoot or wearing a pair of used, worn shoes that are often too big or too small or falling apart. These shoes are seldom appropriate for walking the long distances the children must often travel to get to and from school each day. Imagine a child's delight in receiving a brand new pair of shoes that actually fit.

♥ Shoes

For parents struggling to feed their families on an average income of less than $1 a day, purchasing even one $15 school uniform for a child is a real financial burden.

It becomes nearly impossible when there are 6, 7, 8 or more children in a family, or when the child is an orphan. Yet school uniforms are required in Tanzania, and many schools will not admit a child into school unless they have the standard uniform. So school uniforms are often worn until they are outgrown, and then they are passed down, frayed and tattered to younger siblings or neighbors.

Imagine giving to a child, especially an orphan, a brand new school uniform sewn with love by Tanzanian women who have joined us in this mission.

♥ School Uniforms

With our hearts in unity and a mission to help women to help themselves, we started two sewing coops in Tanzania in 2008. The "Mioyo Pamoja" sewing/knitting coops are located in the villages of Mwika (on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro) and in Seela (on the slopes of Mt. Meru). "Mioyo Pamoja" is "Hearts in Unity" in Swahili, the national language of Tanzania.

The mission of these sewing coops is to provide long-term sustainable employment opportunities for the women in these villages, and for the youth that they will train to also become tailors/knitters. Their vision is to use these skills to sew school uniforms and make other clothing items for those in their villages. Empowered with tools that allow them to earn income in this manner, these women have the opportunity to overcome the poverty of their daily lives and to make

a difference in the lives of others. Imagine what more they could do with your support.

In order to expand their sewing/knitting business, the women have asked for assistance with the purchase of fabric, yarn and other sewing and knitting supplies such as thread, buttons, and zippers for the school uniforms and clothing they make.

♥ "Mioyo Pamoja" Sewing/Knitting Coops

♥ Gifts from the heart...

Click on each item below to learn more.

Basic sewing supplies

A bolt of fabric

♥ Donate Your Extra Fabric

Do you sew? Do you have extra fabric or thread that you don't need anymore?

Hearts in Unity welcomes donations of thread and cotton or cotton/ polyester fabric in pieces 1 yard in length or longer. This fabric is used by local volunteers to sew school bags to send to the students at Seela Primary School, Maring'a Juu Primary School and Hope Orphanage in Tanzania.

For more information about donating fabric and/or thread, click HERE to contact us for more information.

If you'd like to help us by sewing school bags for us, please click here to learn more.