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In Tanzania where secondary school is not an option for many, especially in such a rural area like Monduli, it is important that children can get the opportunity to attend Orkeeswa and get the proper education needed to succeed. “I know how important education was to my grandfather and I feel incredibly grateful that I am able to assist others in furthering their education,“ Sophie shares. Having volunteered in Romania back in 2010 with Romania Children‘s Relief, later with Hoops 4 Hope in Zimbabwe and Woven Journeys in Tanzania, Sophie who is a successful entrepreneur today, puts children right on top of her causes she cares mostly about.

Opened in 2008, Orkeeswa School is located in an under-served Maasai community in the Monduli Hills of northern Tanzania. By providing free education within the village, Orkeeswa offers the only opportunity for most of their students to continue education past the primary level. “I visited Orkeeswa Secondary School when I went to Tanzania back in 2012, with the nonprofit organization Woven Journeys“, Sophie continues. “There I was able to meet with the students and I saw how passionate and excited they were about learning. I had the chance to listen to their stories, and they shared with me their dreams of making a difference in the world, and it was truly inspiring. The kids at Orkeeswa taught me a lot about life and inspired me to be the best version of myself. Visiting Tanzania opened my eyes to how other cultures live, how loving and kind people are, and the people there showed me how to be happy regardless of your circumstances. With this trip I realized that there is so much more in the world to see and every child should be given support to live out their dreams. Visiting Tanzania and Orkeeswa was a life changing trip for me, and I will continue to support their program and I hope to visit again soon,“ concludes Sophie.

Photos: Sophie Kazickas