Toa Nafasi Project Inc

Though I may not know all about the Toa Nafasi project which I have recently been introduced to, I come to understand that this is a remarkable establishment that is leaving a positive impact on the east African children of Tanzania. Toa has been effective in filling some of the gaps between things that negatively affect public school systems in Tanzania such as over-taxed and under-resources. Rather than competing with the existing system or remaining in the public sector like a separate school or center, Toa is a systems-strengthening approach which works within the government schools to support the existing efforts of the Tanzanian education sector. An approach such as this is an excellent development model, one that is scalable and bound to be around for years to come.

Posted for Bonnie Cohen, Washington DC:

"We first became exposed to the Toa Nafasi project five years ago on a trip to Tanzania and have been donors ever since. Sarah Rosenbloom, the founder of the project, impressed us with her enthusiasm , vision and dedication.

Toa Nafasi focused on the most vulnerable of Tanzania’s population. Children with learning issues and women with no careers. The women are trained to work with these children and are give jobs. Many of them go on to teach or administer elsewhere. The children are given skills including literacy and as a result life opportunities .

By also creating a network with other non profits Toa Nafasi as multiplied its impact.

In a country that historically does not value either these challenged children or the women who help them, Toa Nafasi is an example of what vision, determination, and dedication can accomplish."

The Toa Nafasi Project’s primary mission is to support children with learning disabilities in the public primary school system in Tanzania. As an adjunct to this main mission, Toa trains and employs 30 local women who would not otherwise have any job at all let alone a professional skillset and career trajectory. In order to support the kids with LDs, Toa's model has grown into one whereby they mobilize an under-employed subset of the population - local women with little to no formal education who have been formerly written off as "just" daughter, wife, or mother. By giving these ladies a chance to become skilled at tutoring Grade One students with learning difficulties, Toa has a two-generation effect on Tanzanian communities, thereby providing two distinct yet interrelated groups a chance to succeed.

At a time when the pandemic has created chaos in service delivery, education, employment, and isolation, when people's needs are greater than ever and you can't be sure of much, the Toa Nafasi Project has doubled down on its commitment to the children of Tanzania. Kids everywhere are vulnerable right now with Covid shutting down schools, and keeping them from getting educated, it's important to remember the most vulnerable children are those in developing countries where the bulk of people live well below the poverty line, where teachers are often not available nor are computers for distance learning. Education initiatives everywhere are taking financial hits and are unable to continue to provide important services, but Toa Nafasi remains committed to ensuring that both male and female students with learning disabilities and other special needs do not experience an interruption in the interventions they have been providing them for years. In addition, Toa Nafasi is recruiting and train new teachers from local villages, increasing the number of teachers available as well as providing employment to those living in Vulnerable communities. Toa Nafasi is an exceptional project, if Toa Nafasi obtains additional funds to help them continue to provide their quality educational and training services during the pandemic created by the Covid-19, they will be strengthening the future of communities through out Tanzania!

The Toa Nafasi Project is an amazing organisation that provides a wonderful service to children who would otherwise be left behind in their schooling and life options. I can’t recommend the organisation and its people highly enough.

Toa works with teachers and young children to improve the education of the whole community. Children are assessed and then supported in foundational skills which keep them up to standards of the rest of their peer group. These skills are important for the success of the child and teachers are given special training that benefits all of the students.

I have been volunteering at the Toa Nafasi Project for a couple months and it is a cause that resonates very strongly with me. Their mission is to provide education to Tanzanian children with learning disabilities and to provide profesional opportunities to Tanzanian women. The Toa Nafasi team is strongly invested and successful in their mission. Toa has a systematic approach to creating a productive learning environment involving, properly training their tutors and assessing children individually. Toa Nafasi has phenomenal success rates and I hope to continue volunteering for them!

This is a true grassroots organization, built from nothing and now up and running with Tanzanian day-to-day management. Not only has it benefited hundreds of young children most of whom suffer from utter poverty and its associated afflictions; it has provided employment for at least 20-25 young local women who would not otherwise have any means of earning anything and given them a sense of helping tremendously in their communities.

Toa Nafasi stands out among organizations in Tanzania because it is community-led and works alongside local, public institutions to bolster what already exists. I love the small organizational feel of this nonprofit where everyone knows each other and they know the story and progress of each student so well. I hope this effective approach is replicated throughout the country so all young students can get the educational opportunities that Toa provides.

Toa Nafasi has done a great service to Tanzania. This project has worked very hard for many years to increase the educational level of elementary students so they can remain in school and rise to the next level. it is so important for a country to have a highly educated population so the country can succeed and compete successfully with other nations.

I am very proud that my niece Sarah Rosenbloom founded this project and persisted in its development through the years. She did it with love for the people, students and teachers and others who came to Tanzania to help

There are many striking things about the Toa Nafasi Project. One is that it is a true public-private partnership working hand in glove with the local education office. The other is that it gives real value to the notion of ownership by putting onsite management of its programs directly in the hands of Tanzanian staff. That is the true mark of development!

The Toa Nafasi story is inspirational in its effectiveness. Sarah Rosenbloom drew from her personal experience to identify and specify a need, and she stays focused on that target need, even with so much distracting, collateral need surrounding her every day in Tanzania. She goes about her work with joy, and that energy has infected the program. She has cheerfully and thoughtfully drawn supporters into her world, inviting them to come and observe the program and pitch in, thus binding them even more tightly to the work of the organization. She has set an example for how to raise micro gifts for macro impact. She has made the world smaller and connected a far-flung community to US hearts and minds.

The Toa Nafasi Project is an on-the-ground effort to raise educational standards in the East African country of Tanzania and has wonderful work. It is the product of "sweat equity" contributed by my daughter, Sarah Rosenbloom, who tired of a job in publishing in New York City and determined to do something, even if small and targeted, to make this world a better place. I have been astonished, and of course very proud, to learn of all the lives (of children) that have been improved through Toa's effort to add individual tutorials and assistance to the public school curriculum, thus rescuing hundreds of Tanzanian children from being left behind, probably permanently, in underfunded and overcrowded schools. This is not a high visibility charity, but it is deliberate, thoughtful, and -- most important -- effective.

Toa Nafasi is an amazing non-profit that is truly making a difference in the government schools. I have seen first hand that the donations are put to work in the most effective way possible.

I visited the Toa Nafasi Project sometime in January-February 2017 when I was in Tanzania. I was very impressed by the vision of this organization and the sensitive manner in which the director was working with staff to help the children be successful. I was introduced to some of the partners Toa Nafasi works with and heard the praise they had for this NGO which fill a need that Tanzanians all recognize. I did witness one incident where the director has to confront a staff member on unacceptable behavior. It was obvious that the director understood the local cultural and how to address the issue so that the message was clear and the individual felt respected despite having done something that was unacceptable.

The Toa Nafasi Project has provided special education to countless young people in Tanzania; doing so has required enormous skill in navigating the local culture and educational system barriers.

Romana Li
Board Member

What I love about TOA is the vision of Sarah Rosenbloom, Founder and Director. She created a holistic model that impacts the children they serve. They address not only academic needs of the child, they have a referral system of local health professionals and psychosocial services. TOA empowers local women to gain employment by providing the skill set needed to teach their students.. This all occurs in partnership with Tanzanian Government and teamwork with local community.
In five years, TOA grew from one school to nine schools in eight wards in 2019.
The TOA Nafasi Project model demonstrates how one vision can impact the lives of hundreds of young children and Tanzania local communities. Best of all, TOA has shown the power of sustainable growth and development and is a model that can be expanded.

My first time using this site. If Sarah (of Toa Nafasi) chose you, you are doing well. Keep up the good work and looking forward to helping us towards success. Be blessed!!

Toa has committed itself to improving the current and future lives of children with learning disabilities. The staff seeks no glory or reward for themselves or their organization, but they work relentless and tirelessly to give a fighting chance to the kids who are often neglected or even disregarded. Sarah is a fearless leader who leads with her brilliant mind and heart of gold. In only a short span of time, Toa has multiplied its impact from one school and now into five schools. Highly inspirational!

I am not aware of a staff that does more with less for some truly needy children (and for the women who teach them). Toa's staff is not just acting the part; they actually help these children succeed educationally in a very difficult environment. Kudos!