Montessori Orphanage Zanzibar East Africa

With just a few of the children who were happy to have their picture taken

Mama Suzy started the Orphanage in Zanzibar back in 2006 and she received registration in 2011. She now gives a home to 56 orphans with a further 112 coming each day who have relatives that look after them on a night. The day orphans will come early, receive breakfast and lunch before leaving late after a day of schooling. The school provides education for a total of 312 students. The method of education is Montessori, Mama Suzy is a qualified Montessori teacher and this is why she choose to call it a Montessori Orphanage.

The children love to learn even when not in class

The Orphanage caters for both Islam and Christianity, the Muslims will be taken to the Mosque and Christians will go to the Church with Mama Suzy as she is a Christian herself. In Zanzibar most of the people are Muslim and Muslims can have more than one wife, if the new wife does not want to look after a child from another marriage or the husband does not want to look after a chid from an old marriage, this is when the child becomes unwanted and can end up at the orphanage. The parent will try to give the child to a grandparent or other family member but when the family is poor they can’t take the child and sadly this is when the problem occurs.

Images below of daily chores, cooking in the kitchen, the food store and washing the clothes, children, volunteers and staff all will help!

We asked Mama Suzy what any money raised will be used for….

“It really depends on how much you are able to raise. The money can be used for food and medicine but we have many things to do. We have the water storage that was started but isn’t yet finished. We would like to give the children somewhere to sit when they are eating, at the moment they have to sit on the floor. We ate also thinking about having another property, so we can care for more children”

We notice as well that the children when in class are all kneeling at the benches where they write. Mama Suzy explains that they get very sore knees after periods of time and that having at least a cushion to kneel on with be benefit. As we walk around the Orphanage we can see so many things which would improve the life’s of these children, Mosquito nets for example in the dormitory, there is so much to do and such little funding, its easy to see why luxuries such as this are overlooked.

Currently the Orphanage receives money from World Unite, Mama Suzy explains…

Before when they brought a volunteer they were giving me $50 per volunteer but now they are giving me $100. I am collecting for all, sometimes maybe 5 volunteers. I take the money and I am renting big trees, like Coconut trees, Mango trees and sometimes Water Melon.

Some of the fruit is used at the Orphanage as food and some is sold to make money. Mama Suzy also rents a place where she can grow vegetables, also used for food or to sell. It’s not enough she tells us, but it helps. Also, some of the volunteers that come will ask their family if they can help when they see problems, there is never enough clothes for the children, sometimes there is not even enough plates for them to eat from.

Clearly the Orphanage is desperate for additional funding and after meeting Mama Suzy, seeing that she has dedicated her life to helping to look after others, we realised that this trip to Zanzibar to offer our services was going to be much more than just a quick visit. A challenge had been placed before us and we decided that we needed to not only help raise funds but also return to implement the many changes that are needed to give these children and many other children, a much better standard of life.

It is without any doubt in my mind that Mama Suzy is a selfless, kind and compassionate person who puts her heart and soul into everything that she does, uses her every last shilling to buy food and often urgently needed medicine at the pharmacy for the children that she looks after. We have set up a ‘JUST GIVING’ website to try and raise money for this well-deserving cause, for those with any doubt, we will not be sending money into Africa, we will control the funds to buy the things that they need. Our ultimate goal will be providing the land they need to expand but for now let’s focus on the essentials they need to enable them to have a better standard of life.

Your donations will be greatly appreciated. Please follow this link :

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/montessori-zanzibar