Tupendane Foundation and Initiatives (TUFOI) works with foundations, NGOs, companies, institutions, volunteer organisations and individuals to deliver education, clean water, renewable energy, health and environmental projects in Tanzania. We are a registered Tanzanian NGO (OONGO/R/2425) governed under the Non-Governmental Organizations Act No. 24 of 2002, and our accounts are independently audited each year.
Our name comes from the Swahili tupendane — "let us love one another." Our working principle is simpler still: we work best when we work together. Communities know their own challenges. Local organisations understand the context. Partners bring expertise, resources and new opportunities. Projects succeed when those three come together.
What partnership with TUFOI has delivered
The clearest way to describe how we work is to show what our partnerships produced in 2025. Every figure below comes from our audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025, which received an unqualified audit opinion from EM Financial Consultancy, Arusha.
Education sponsorship — 116 pupils
TUFOI sponsored 116 pupils at Bethlehem Star Pre & Primary School in 2025, with a total investment of TZS 131,192,845 covering school fees, transport, uniforms, supplies and accommodation. We also supplied the school with 300 chairs and dining tables (TZS 7,000,000), a washing and drying machine (TZS 3,550,000), textbooks and exercise books (TZS 780,000), two laptops, five iPads and several musical instruments.
Solar power — with Sopowerful (Netherlands)
We installed a complete solar power system at Bethlehem Star Pre & Primary School at a cost of TZS 27,750,000. It provides lighting, powers water pumping from the school borehole, and supports laundry, printing and gardening. Study hours have been extended, electricity costs have fallen, and the school's district ranking rose from 5th to 3rd.
Clean water — with Akina e.V. (Germany)
A fully operational water borehole was completed at a cost of TZS 14,005,500, of which TZS 13,368,500 was provided by Akina e.V. It now serves approximately 481 students, 34 staff and neighbouring community members. A school-based maintenance team has been trained to keep it running.
Environmental conservation — with Kitumusote Foundation and Mukuru Eco Tented Camp
We raised and distributed 1,000 indigenous medicinal tree seedlings in Mukuru Village, Ngarenanyuki Ward, at a project cost of TZS 1,000,000. We also monitored our earlier plantings, and reported the results honestly: trees planted at Usa River Primary School in 2024 showed a 10% survival rate, damaged by livestock and insufficient supervision, while medicinal plantings in Usa River and Mukuru Village reached 70%. That finding has changed how we plan and supervise planting work.
Why organisations choose to work with us
We are rooted in the communities we serve
TUFOI is a Tanzanian organisation headquartered in Usa River, Arusha. We listen before we plan, identify genuine needs with the people affected, and design responses that are practical in context rather than imported wholesale.
We report what happened, including what did not work
The 10% tree survival figure above is in our annual report because accurate reporting is more useful to a partner than a flattering one. We maintain clear budgets, documentation, project monitoring and annual independent audit, and we publish our reports rather than describing them.
We build for after the project ends
Where possible we involve communities in planning, implementation, training and maintenance, so that a borehole has a maintenance team and a planting has stewards. Our stated strategic direction is to strengthen community-based organisations over time and shift our own role from direct implementer toward technical adviser.
We are a small organisation, and we say so
TUFOI began developmental interventions in 2022 and is governed by an Annual General Meeting, a seven-member Board of Directors and a Secretariat headed by the Executive Director. We are deliberately transparent about our scale: securing consistent long-term funding remains our most significant challenge. Partners working with us are supporting a young organisation with a documented track record, not a large institution.
Ways to partner
Education and child sponsorship
Sponsor a child's schooling, or support learning materials, school infrastructure, digital learning and STEM activities.
Water, health and community development
Fund clean water access, sanitation, school nutrition and health initiatives that respond to needs identified with the community.
Renewable energy and environmental conservation
Work with us on solar installations, tree planting, sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration.
Grants and institutional partnerships
Fund a specific project, or co-develop an initiative aligned with your organisation's funding priorities or CSR objectives.
Volunteering and technical support
Contribute professional skills, teaching experience or technical expertise. Much of our work to date has been delivered with volunteer support.
Bring your own idea
If you already have an idea for a project in Tanzania, talk to us. We can assess the need together, test it against the community context, and develop it into a workable concept.
How we work together
- Connect. We learn about your goals, interests and constraints.
- Plan together. We identify the need and agree objectives, activities, budget and timeline.
- Take action. We implement with local stakeholders, schools and community members.
- Measure the difference. We track progress and report results, including shortfalls.
- Build for the future. We look for ways to sustain, strengthen or extend what worked.
Our current partners
Our 2025 work was made possible by Friends of Usa River Tanzania (Germany), GEMEINSAM (Germany), Akina e.V. (Germany), Passion Projects (Canada), Strathspey Charitable Trust (UK), Campus for Finance e.V. (Germany), Sopowerful (Netherlands), our former volunteers, and the members of Tupendane Foundation.
Start a conversation
Whether you are considering funding a project, sponsoring children, sharing expertise, volunteering, developing a CSR initiative or exploring a longer-term partnership, we would be glad to hear from you.
Edgar Walter, Executive Director
Assumpta Ndanu, Coordinator
Email: info@tupendanefoundation.or.tz
Phone / WhatsApp: +255 754 826 823
Head Office: Magadirisho, near Muungano Secondary School, P.O. Box 197, Usa River, Arusha, Tanzania