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Igoma Children’s Aid & Relief Enterprise
Who we are. Who our sponsors are.
‘I CARE ’ is a not-for-profit ministry of EastRidge church in Stouffville, Ontario. It is the heart cry of the people involved with I CARE to do whatever is in their power to come to the aid of these children and their families and ensure that they see their lives as showing promise not defeat.
Vision
By means of direct intervention, we intend to release these children enslaved by the cycle of poverty and hopelessness and to raise them to a position of health and self-confidence thereby empowering these children as they grow up, to be confident, self-reliant and contributing members of their community.
Mission
I CARE focuses its efforts on the needy children of the Igoma village and area in Tanzania. We believe in a holistic approach to our child relief and child development efforts. This means that we are not only concerned with the child’s basic physical needs but also his/her long term needs such as their psychological, emotional, mental, social, economic and spiritual well being.
Method of Relief and Aid Delivery
Our Tanzanian staff are part of the Igoma community. This ensures that the aid and relief will be culturally harmonious and not Western biased, that we make use of local resources and talent, that the people who deliver our assistance, care for their community and take ownership for the I CARE program. No child will ever be excluded from the program because of their religious or ethnic standing and we never coerce a child to believe what we believe or teach.
The Setting
Igoma is a sprawling village of over 42, 000 people in northern Tanzania. Most of the people in this area live in constant poverty as there is limited opportunity for employment and the level of education is quite low. Therefore, many children growing up in this area lack a proper diet and basic education. They are destined to continue the cycle in which their parents find themselves.
Most people who find work are employed for a very short period of time to complete a local project or task. Many people try to make ends meet by setting up a small roadside shack where they attempt to sell whatever they can get their hands on.
Having a successful garden here is difficult as the soil has limited fertility and this area has been drought ridden during the growing season for a few years.
HIV/AIDS is rampant in this part of Africa and many children live with one parent, a grandparent, a relative or neighbour because this disease has claimed many young adult lives.
The only health care clinic serving this area is the Urafiki Health Centre which just recently opened in the spring of 2004 through the efforts of EastRidge Missionary Church (formerly known as Stouffville Missionary Church) in Ontario, Canada.
The Sponsorship Program
- each sponsor pays $30 monthly per sponsored child
- 100% of the monies donated by sponsors through the sponsorship program goes to Tanzania including the administrative costs which support the Igoma I CARE workers and the Igoma community
- administrative costs in Canada are covered by funds raised separately from sponsor donations
- sponsors will receive a tax receipt from EastRidge for the total of their yearly donations
You can reach us by:
Writing:
I CARE
c/o EastRidge Evangelical Missionary Church
12485 Tenth Line
Stouffville, ON
L4A 7X3
E-mail:
icaretanzania@sympatico.ca
Phone:
905-640-3911
Take steps today to change a child’s tomorrow!