NEW PARTNER FEATURE: SIMBAS FOOTPRINT FOUNDATION
by Aryana Radia
In pursuit of supporting locally-led development, MAMA HOPE has brought on board Simbas Footprint Foundation as a new partner as of June 2023. At MAMA HOPE, we continually invest in the capacity of locally-led organizations, to strengthen the impact of the work they do in improving their communities’ lives and livelihoods.
About Simbas Footprints Foundation
Simbas Footprints’ area of focus is Women and Children, an often overlooked and marginalized group in society. The organization is based in Moshi but serves the larger Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. It is made up of a local team of young individuals, led by Charles Godfrey — the Executive Director. Simbas Footprints engages the local community through five (5) main programs, including:
- Education support programs
- In-School Sexual Reproductive Health Education Program
- Entrepreneurship and life skill development such as Tailoring, farming, poultry keeping
- After-School Programs and extracurricular programs such as (Music, Dance, Art, and Crafts).
The organization’s community support program offers scholarships, involving and equipping community members with essential life and economic skills. Addressing long-term development goals by emphasizing sustainability and investing in community members.
Simbas Footprints conducts Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) of its programs and projects by regularly communicating with community members through questionnaires to gather feedback. Efforts that have yielded the documentation of numerous success stories on how lives have been transformed and challenges overcome with resilience and direct problem-solving. Simbas Footprints is creating positive and lasting impacts, fostering a brighter future for the communities they serve.
The organization’s free music education program was part of the focus of MAMA HOPE’s partnership with the Madaraka Festival — a US-based musical festival that showcased Africa’s upcoming musical talents. A portion of concert tickets supported the fundraising efforts towards supporting Simbas Footprints’ program; one where young people explore their creative talents, impacting their families & communities positively.
The LDA Program Impact
In the past, Simbas Footprints relied on external funding and support. However, through our flagship Localization Development Accelerator (LDA) program, we will work with the organizations to shift their focus toward robust networking and fundraising as well as the establishment of sustainable Income Generating Projects (IGPs) to sustainably support the organization’s overhead costs.
Previously, Simbas Footprints closely worked with one of MAMA HOPE's partners. A collaboration that encouraged Simbas to invest more power into local leaders and find more sustainable solutions to their community’s challenges. Simbas was inspired to create several councils (involving members of the community e.g. Women and children) that collected feedback, amplifying the community members’ voices, allowing them to exercise leadership, and instill confidence in the work they do.
Now that Simbas Footprint is a partner, they can connect with other MAMA HOPE partner organizations through our Learning and Solidarity Network, where they can continue to grow their networks and peer learning opportunities. The organization is currently working alongside One Vibe Africa (another new MAMA HOPE partner) on both their music education programs, which are already yielding learning and growth.
Simbas Footprint’s partnership with MAMA HOPE exemplifies the power of value alignment and collaboration. By having the organization on board, MAMA HOPE's mission to champion community-led change — by having a positive impact on local leadership, community knowledge, and building the future for sustainable development — remains intact and on track.
Support MAMA HOPE in strengthening the capacity of early-stage locally-led organizations by donating any amount you can to our Localization Development Accelerator (LDA) program fundraising campaign.
