tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22530018979169567382024-11-05T22:11:10.373-05:00Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-80981261677557289192018-01-03T15:12:00.000-05:002018-01-03T15:12:20.275-05:00

While 2017 saw some of the biggest developments to date- including a complete rebrand of our organization and expansion to a second campus, we are extremely excited about what lies ahead this year. As we enter our 13th year in operation, we have some big plans on the horizon. Not only are we continuing to develop our second campus in Kahunda, where we anticipate accepting our first residential

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-31994830458716555552017-12-29T10:15:00.000-05:002017-12-29T10:15:31.615-05:00

It’s been quite the year for us. One of the biggest changes we experienced this past year is our new look. Starting the year off as JBFC, we are now known as Mainsprings, with an entirely new look and feel to our organization. However, as always, we are still true to our namesake and mission of alleviating extreme rural poverty in Tanzania-one child, one community at a time. But, the new

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-29736565591453119102017-12-19T13:57:00.001-05:002017-12-19T13:57:37.967-05:00

December 15th, 2017, is a big day for our organization- especially the young ballers on our Bibi Mimi’s Girls’ Home basketball team! The team, officially known as J-MOND, will celebrate its one-year anniversary on Friday. To mark the occasion- as well as all of the hard work, accomplishments, and successes that the girls have had this year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the inaugural

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-23234879914872931282017-12-07T15:22:00.001-05:002017-12-07T15:22:38.973-05:00

Last Friday, Mainsprings and the Joseph and Mary Schools graduated its third class of Form 4 students. These 27 young men and women have now completed their O-Level secondary education and are now awaiting the results of their Form 4 national exams that will help determine where they will head in life. Mainsprings' four graduating residential girls - Maggie, Julie, Martina, and Siwema

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-30471029147298678792017-11-29T13:41:00.002-05:002017-11-29T13:41:49.576-05:00

Editor's Note: This Staff Spotlight highlights Mama Paulina, who has been a matron at our Bibi Mimi's Girls' Home on our flagship campus of Kitongo, but who will be moving to our second campus in Kahunda to become the Head Matron of our girls home. How long have you been working for Mainsprings?: "I have been working for Mainsprings for four years." What is your job position and what

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-23355883845153679732017-11-15T10:44:00.000-05:002017-11-15T10:44:46.016-05:00

Sports and Games are vital to students and staff for different reasons at Joseph and Mary. At Joseph and Mary, we use sports and games as tools for vibrant health. Students who are active show that they are not only healthier, but are also ready to perform day-to-day activities in the classroom without any problems. Sports and games can also be used as a learning platform whereby students are

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-63846152958097629062017-11-01T17:32:00.000-04:002017-11-01T17:32:59.781-04:00

Editor's Note: This Staff Spotlight highlights Mr. Jonas, who previously worked for Mainsprings as a Secondary School teacher before departing to complete his Bachelors Degree in Administration and Education. With his studies complete, he is now back on the Mainsprings campus, working as our Campus Registrar. How long have you been working at Mainsprings?: "Almost three years in total,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-61405772328205361962017-10-25T11:54:00.000-04:002017-10-25T11:54:29.356-04:00

On Friday, October 13th, 2017, Mainsprings and the Joseph and Mary Schools celebrated the graduation of our 7th class of primary school students. This year, 16 girls and 14 boys sat for their national exams and graduated from the 7th Grade at the Joseph and Mary Primary School. This class included four residential girls- Zai, Salome, Vene, and Rachel- from Bibi Mimi's Girls Home. The ceremony,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-60757250759318161082017-10-12T16:02:00.000-04:002017-10-12T16:02:11.330-04:00

Over the last two months, it’s been a common sight to see six students from Joseph & Mary’s Form 2 class walking into Kitongo with an armful of books each Sunday afternoon. This is a result of JBFC’s expansion to the Family Literacy Program, which started in January 2016. The Form 2 students participate in the program, which serves as their mandatory community service project, for an entire

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-50245883322737648992017-10-04T16:34:00.002-04:002017-10-04T16:34:47.302-04:00

Last year, Mainsprings launched its inaugural walk-a-thon, "Trek Tanzania: A Virtual Climb of Kilimanjaro". While climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is on many people's bucket lists, few get the opportunity to actually travel to Tanzania and take on Africa's highest peak. As many climbers (including our own Administrative Director, Melinda Wulf) would tell you, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is no walk

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-85506831642242394942017-09-27T16:14:00.000-04:002017-09-27T16:15:07.492-04:00

As many of you may remember, we celebrated our 10th anniversary last year and had many exciting changes and developments as an organization. Our first graduates started college, our primary school ranked 18th in the entire nation of Tanzania, and we worked with the government to move into a second campus site and began development there. Our team has grown and we as an organization are ready to

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-76064009896526544452017-09-20T14:22:00.003-04:002017-09-20T14:22:35.454-04:00

It’s been over four years in the making. What started as a crazy idea with a few friends around a table at Papa’s, our on-campus restaurant and lodge, is coming fresh off the presses tomorrow and making its debut at our Tanzania Backyard Bash- our cookbook, Taste of Tanzania! Anyone who spends any time around me knows that I love to cook and host. For me, cooking is therapy.  Cooking is

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-5133056767849804662017-09-13T12:05:00.000-04:002017-09-13T12:05:50.868-04:00

To me, going to JBFC always seemed like one of those things that other people do. I never thought it was meant for me. I’m someone who enjoys being in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by people I know, and it seemed like such a stretch to go halfway across the world to a place I had never been and be around people I had never met. I decided to take a leap of faith my junior year of

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-67022904333734030752017-09-07T14:41:00.001-04:002017-09-07T14:41:30.979-04:00

Editor's Note: This Staff Spotlight highlights Ms. Judith Atamba, who is currently a teacher at Joseph and Mary Primary School, and is also the Assistant to the Head of the Office of Student Development. Ms. Atamba will move to our second campus in Kahunda next year, where she will take on the positions of Head Teacher at our school and assistant matron.  How long have you been working

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-76557943229538651742017-08-30T12:23:00.000-04:002017-08-30T12:23:50.538-04:00

In order to fulfill JBFC's mission to alleviate extreme rural poverty in East Africa, JBFC's leaders believe it must expand. The goal is to provide more girls with a safe home, more students with a quality education, and more communities with access to healthcare and an economic engine to escape poverty. In order to accomplish this, JBFC realized it needs to build more campuses like our flagship

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-67463358584099430642017-08-23T12:12:00.000-04:002017-08-23T12:22:16.283-04:00

Editor's Note: This Staff Spotlight highlights Mr. Seraphine Lyimo, our Campus Director: Kahunda (our second campus). Mr. Lyimo has been working with JBFC since early 2017, where he spent the first few months of his time observing our first campus in Kitongo before moving over to our second campus. Mr. Lyimo comes to JBFC with a wealth of knowledge and experience, having received his Masters

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-32289131338825701632017-08-16T13:00:00.002-04:002017-08-16T13:00:24.127-04:00

This summer, the Kitongo campus welcomed its first ever Experience JBFC group. Experience JBFC was led by JBFC's Founder and CEO, Chris Gates. Having Chris on the trip provided a unique learning experience for the group. It was most of the volunteers' first time on campus, and they were eager to learn about Tanzanian customs, the history of JBFC, and the ins and outs of running a nonprofit.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-21403734358655907792017-08-09T13:41:00.000-04:002017-08-09T13:41:48.852-04:00

For my final task as JBFC’s Social Media Intern, I could have written a blog describing the pictures captured, interviews conducted, crafts created, and videos shot. But, rather than reciting what I did this summer, I think a few words in particular highlight the people who impacted my life. Anyone could have taken pictures this summer, but not everyone could have made such a lasting impression

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-32711637671657650582017-08-02T13:18:00.000-04:002017-08-02T13:18:09.143-04:00

For the past two months, I have had the pleasure of serving as JBFC's Volunteer Intern. I had the unique opportunity to stay on JBFC’s Kitongo Campus for a full eight weeks. The most notable element of being an intern at JBFC is that I was not only gaining work experience, but I was also immersed in a different culture and given the opportunity to strengthen my relationships with the

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-23077406888660578862017-07-26T10:46:00.000-04:002017-07-26T10:46:59.824-04:00

From the minute the high school volunteers from Bronxville, New York arrived on campus, the tone of their time at JBFC was set. Before the students even got out of the cars, the JBFC residential girls were screaming and running after them. Each student was greeted with plenty of sweet hugs! Nick, one of the student volunteers, said “The welcome I received from the girls blew me away.”

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-40732717925501099902017-07-19T11:14:00.000-04:002017-07-19T11:14:35.998-04:00

Some of the JBFC girls have recently formed a competitive basketball team. A coach comes to JBFC’s basketball court several times a week to help the girls learn more about the sport. The team recently traveled to Mwanza to play against another local team. We were so excited when two of JBFC’s players, Vale and Nyamisi, were chosen to attend a basketball camp in Arusha. Accompanied by Miss

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-51960717585401869332017-07-12T12:26:00.000-04:002017-07-12T12:26:37.967-04:00

JBFC offers many opportunities for the girls to develop and practice their leadership skills. For example, girls are annually elected to serve on Girls’ Government. Additionally, some girls put on various programs at the girls’ home such as spelling bees and debates.  Recently, Zai, Rachel, Laurencia, and Teddy attended a week-long Leadership Camp in Arusha to learn even more about

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-30912246825297825112017-07-05T15:29:00.001-04:002017-07-05T15:33:46.337-04:00

During their visit to campus, the students and chaperones from The Lawrenceville School organized an Olympic Games for the JBFC girls and students from Compassion, a nearby school. This is the second year that Lawrenceville volunteers have helped put on these games! The JBFC girls and Compassion students joined together to form six teams. Each team was led by two Lawrenceville students and was

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-40226583969842781682017-06-28T12:47:00.000-04:002017-06-28T12:47:02.052-04:00

Editor's Note: June and July are always extremely busy months on our campus in Kitongo. This is the time of year when several groups of volunteers come to visit, meet the girls, students, and staff, and help out in various ways around campus! Here is a brief highlight of activities that the group from Holland Hall School in Tulsa, OK participated in while they were visiting. Community Service

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293318871944517597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253001897916956738.post-91208253083831227732017-06-21T10:27:00.000-04:002017-06-21T10:27:40.708-04:00

Editor's Note: As a continuation of our Staff Spotlights, we would like to introduce our supporters to a new member in the U.S. Office! Katelyn Jackson worked in our office last Fall as an intern while she was finishing her Bachelor's Degree at Oral Roberts University here in Tulsa. After months of impressive work, JBFC offered Katelyn a position as a Development Assistant in our office. She has

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