What Sets Village Apart as a Catalyst for Change?
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- Community-based model focusing on sustainable impact
- Working shoulder-to-shoulder with the communities we serve to define challenges and solutions to overcome them
- Implementing a “hand-up” rather than “hand-out” approach
- Working as changemakers in action alongside our partner organization, SHED, in Tanzania and the U.S.
Where we work
CINCINNATI: Village Life’s home base is Cincinnati, Ohio. Through strong partnerships with health systems, academic institutions, businesses, and individuals, we provide significant opportunities for individual and community growth both here and abroad.
TANZANIA: Village Life’s partner villages are located in rural Tanzania. In the Rorya district, villagers work and survive mainly through subsistence farming and small-scale fishing.
Our Partner Villages
SHIRATI (SHIR-AH-TEE) I POPULATION 54,745
Shirati is Village Life’s home base in Tanzania. It’s centrally located to Village Life’s three partner villages and is home to our main partner organization, the Shirati Health, Education, and Development (SHED) Foundation.
ROCHE (ROH-CHAY) I POPULATION 3,976
Roche is located a few minutes walk from the Kenyan border. The village is a prime example of how difficult it is to extend public services such as roads, electricity, and plumbing to remote parts of the globe. Home to beautiful landscapes, Roche also exemplifies an age-old Tanzanian proverb, that wealth is determined not by personal finances, but how well one treats neighbors.
NYAMBOGO (NEE-AM-BO-GO) I POPULATION 4,372
Nyambogo sits further from Lake Victoria than the other villages and is also at the highest elevation. Because of its location and terrain, water is at a premium. As is in all these villages, life in Nyambogo is governed by hundreds of years of tribal norms from the prevalent Luo tribe. The residents of Nyambogo live by the motto, “water, the source of life.”
BURERE (BOO-RAY-RAY) I POPULATION 3,76
Burere both suffers and benefits from its location directly adjacent to Lake Victoria. Though water is abundant, the lake is home to many diseases, including a parasite that can damage organs and brain development in children. More than anything, the people of Burere work to create a better life for their children and understand the sacrifice necessary to pave the way for the next generation.
Village Life Programs - Long Term impact
Life Aspirational Goal:
Develop a system to provide for self-sustaining access to and utilization of safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene for residents of Roche, Nyambogo, & Burere. The final plan must incorporate economic development opportunities in each village that sustain the cost of the programming and increase income for community members.Health Aspirational Goal:
Create a model Academic Health Center of excellence for rural East Africa that provides access to sustainable health care to residents of Roche, Nyambogo, & Burere. In this, the training of residents, outreach to neighboring villages, research, and preventive care need to be included.Education Aspirational Goal:
Within the current education system, create learning opportunities for all ages in primary and secondary schools, as well as Adult Education Programs. Developing partnerships with other educational institutions will be crucial to encourage academic growth in village residents.News & Short Stories
