Our Experience in East Africa has Lead To Our Passion to do This Work.
We visited day cares that take care of very poor children. Immediately this “tugged at our hearts”. These children were so beautiful and thankful that we were there and visited them. And in many the cases, we could see desperation in the eyes of these children. Daily these children live in “traumatic” conditions, not knowing where their next meal will come from. From their living conditions to their food scarcity, the daycare is a real safety net. We visited these daycares several times since our initial visits, and every time it “ grabs us”… Each time we walk away, we knew we had to do something about this. And so Smiling Hope Foundation partners with carefully selected day cares in Tanzania to help vulnerable children thrive through improved nutrition, education, health, and safe learning environments. We believe lasting change is built through trusted partnerships, responsible stewardship, and long-term commitment to the communities we serve.
SHF approaches its work with a philosophy of accountability. We carefully select and interview all day care providers seeking our assistance. We have a thorough on-site assessment/evaluation process. We meet the owner/manager of the day care as well as teaching staff and auxiliary staff. It’s very important at SHF that any potential day care partner understands our mission and why we think children as so important. Another example of how SHF is different is how we monitor and sustain our partnership with the day care. We actually have staff visit facilities regularly, even monthly. We also physically go out and purchase food and supplies and distribute/deliver to day care.
We believe lasting change begins with relationships. Every partner daycare is carefully evaluated, every project is thoughtfully planned, and every partnership is built on trust, transparency, and long-term commitment. Our staff works hand-in-hand with day care leaders and staff…We’re “on-the-ground” with them”
Based on our work and experience in Tanzania and East Africa we believe the day care setting is most appropriate means of giving vulnerable and needy children a better chance in life. We believe our dollars donated are best utilized and with most impact though day care partnerships.
We shall never compromise on the value of instilling confidence and happiness in a child. At the end of each day all children must go home with a full stomach and a happy smile.
Our organization will be different because we will be extremely diligent and careful about analyzing and vetting each day care facility. We will physically go into a recipient facility and perform an initial needs analysis and continue to monitor any facility we support. Any expenditures for any recipient facility shall be examined and approved by our board. We will NOT just wire money to someone without this vetting.
Kesia Wilfred Hanje, our founder and director is a life-long resident from Arusha, Tanzania, She has a background in community development, child care, and dental administration. Currently she is an assistant administrator of Hill Crest Day care, Tarakwa Village. She also manages and operates a private charity dental practice outside Moshi, Tanzania. She also served in the Tanzania armed forces. Ms. Hanje understands first hand the plight of many children who visit Day Care facilities.
Dr. Gary Clusserath, DMD, our co-director and treasurer, and a Nevada resident has visited Tanzania twice a year for the past 18 years. He is a retired California and Nevada dentist who visited Tanzania in 2008 and performed multiple dental outreach projects. He developed a modern charity dental facility outside Moshi, Tanzania, Kilimanjaro region. It operates with Tanzania staff and has made a real impact for the citizens of that region.
