Blog

It was a moment that took our breath away. The room was packed with powerful government officials, community leaders, and local influencers in Tanzania. All eyes were on a small group of Shade School students as they stood together, a mix of children with and without albinism, united in their courage and purpose. They recited […]

Check out Shade’s 2023 Annual Report to see a year’s worth of progress and growth in Tanzania. Read the Report We are so excited to share photos, stories, statistics, and highlights from 2023 in our annual report. It is because of your partnership, Grady, that this progress is possible. Thank you for standing beside us […]

This month, Shade celebrated a birthday. It was eight years ago that I boarded a one-way flight to Tanzania with a “yes” in my heart, two suitcases, and a big vision. Eight years later, sitting on a plane for a visit back to Tanzania, the experience was quite different. This time around, I was heading […]

Lazaro arrived at Shade School for his first day with tear-filled eyes. His five-year-old understanding of what was to come was sorely lacking. He couldn’t understand Swahili, let alone English, and the strange routines of learning, eating two big meals, and playing were completely foreign.  (Read part one and part two of Lazaro’s story here.) “At the beginning, he […]

The first day of school came and went, and there was no Lazaro. What had gone wrong? The home visit and interview had been positive (if you missed part one of his story, you can catch up here). Lazaro’s mom, Lydia, had come to the Shade Campus for an official meeting, where we shared how we could collaborate […]

At Shade, we believe that all children should have equal access to quality education. Unfortunately, roadblocks such as poverty, disability, location, gender, and stigmatization often prevent this from happening. To help combat this, the Shade scholarship program was developed. Our strategy is straightforward and systematic. Scholarships by the Numbers: 11: Girls on scholarship12: Boys on […]

The heat was stifling but the shade of a thorny tree made it a bit more bearable. Overturned buckets, tires, and broken pieces of chairs were arranged as seating for us, the guests, while two women and a four-year-old boy sat on the dirt nearby. The boy’s name was Lazaro* and he was why we […]

I want to tell you about a wonderful event Shade just hosted in Jamukaya Hall. Shade’s multipurpose building on our Shinyanga campus houses classrooms, staff offices, and a large meeting space called Jamukaya Hall. Jamukaya is a word in the local Sukuma language that means “a place for everyone.”  Jamukaya symbolizes so much of what […]