WHO WE ARE
Tusome is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing opportunities by supplying books and computers for libraries, offering scholarships to those who are not financially able to afford an education, and building libraries in communities where there are none.
We wish to empower individuals by providing the tools necessary to promote education in order to stop the cycle of poverty by bringing education to one community at a time.
INSPIRATION
Stella was born and raised in the northern part of Tanzania, Shinyanga. Raised in the Sukuma culture - the largest tribe in Tanzania, Stella recognizes that while Tanzania is rich in culture, it lacks educational opportunities.
After being sponsored by a missionary to pursue her dream of obtaining her Masters of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Stella realized that she had never owned a book while growing up in Tanzania.
Being the only female in the history of her village to have advanced so far in her education, Stella has inspired us all to pay forward to others in the communities, bridging the gap between the educated and the non-educated, by using books.
"It never occurred to me before that the first time I had owned a book was when I was in the United States." Stella said. This has inspired us to create an "Opportunity Bridge" for all called "Tusome". Tusome is a Swahili word that means "Let us read". Our objective is to help eliminate illiteracy in Tanzania starting with one person, in one village, in the Northern part of Tanzania (near Lake Victoria).
Our motto and strong belief is that you can change someone's life forever by educating them. This is how Stella's own life was changed. Someone had faith in her, and decided to sponsor her education. Now, from a small village in Tanzania to Minnesota, USA! Her life has changed drastically. We yearn to keep the cycle of education going, and to provide access to education one child, and one village at a time.
We intend to empower the whole community by offering scholarships, supplying books, and assisting in building a public library. Then, we will serve the village by building a good school and educational system. While our first work will be focused on the village of Mipa, (Stella's own village), our work will expand beyond Mipa and grow further.
Like many African countries, Tanzania is a country with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children as well as their adults.
We hope to build an Opportunity Bridge in additional villages every year. Our goal is to transform each village completely by providing the necessary tools and means for education.
Thank you for your support!
