Staff - Tanzania

Regina Mkama: I am a teacher holding a Diploma in Education. I have 20 years of experience teaching young students. I have experience working with different institutions and organizations, and I am a member of four different microcredit groups. I was a board member of Compassion International Tanzania (CIT) in Bunda for eleven years. I have been working with Project Zawadi as a volunteer in the Tenda Teacher’s program for several years. I am happy that at this moment, I have joined  the Project Zawadi Sponsorship team as a social worker and counselor.

Edgar John Mwansasu:  Edgar holds a BA in Counseling Psychology from Teofilo Kisanji University.  He has several years of teaching experience most recently as an English teacher and Academic Master at Esperanto Secondary School.  Edgar has been a teacher for Project Zawadi's English Bridge program and also worked as a monitoring and evaluation consultant in the healthcare field.

Joel Elphas:  Joel has strong experience working with NGOs, education institutions, and communities.  He has experience as a classroom teacher and supports service-learning and sustainability initiatives, research and innovation, community service and capacity building.  Joel holds both a degree in Education and an advanced degree in Education Management Planning from Saint Augustine University.

Maneno Wright: Maneno is a graduate of Kisumu Boys High School. After graduation he pursued studied carpentry and worked as a vocational carpentry instructor in Nyamuswa. His boundless energy and enthusiasm are attributes as he heads up special projects of all kinds from construction to assisting the Counselors.

Lilian Emanuel Charles:  Lilian holds a BS in Psychology and Counseling from Jordan University College in Morogoro and a Certificate in Rural Development and Planning from the Institute of Rural Development and Planning in Dodoma.  She has experience in individual and group counseling and providing mentoring and lifeskills training in a variety of settings.

Benard Maziba: Benard is a former Project Zawadi sponsored student and graduate of Mwanza Vocational Training Centre's carpentry program. His unique perspective and knowledge of the Nyamuswa area are invaluable as the special projects assistant.

Aziza Ngume: Aziza has a Bachelor's in Languages and Interpretation/Translation from the Muslim University of Morogoro. She is a highly motivated professional linguist with excellent command of Kiswahili, full professional proficiency in English, and a good working knowledge of French. She has more than 6 years experience and expertise in teachers training, education and social development programmes, project implementation, management and coordination. She has worked with young girls, street children and refugees in education programmes from different NGOs.

Farouq Shaban: Farouq Shaban has a bachelor of arts with education from Makerere university. He is an extroverted and personable communicator with an experience of over 4 years as an Education coordinator. He has solid skills in curriculum and structure development, leadership and with a people centric nature. He has worked with both local and international organs in promoting development in primary and secondary education.

Amina Waziri Shehoza: Amina is a teacher holding a Bachelor degree in Adult and Community Education. She has four years of experience in training at two different institutions.

Catherine Kinasha: Catherine has more than seven years of experience in teaching, coordinating and supervising education programs for humanitarian and development programs. She has worked on a range of projects in the realms of education, child protection, youth development, and women protection & empowerment (WPE). She is passionate to empower women and girls to strive to achieve their goals. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in Education (from Tumaini University Makuira), and is pursuing a master of arts in Project Management (from the Open University of Tanzania).

Nehemiah Kipande Method: Nehemiah is passionate about teacher training and professional development and enthusiastic to support the community to achieve their goals. He has worked in both education and humanitarian settings. He has experience working with Person with Specific Needs, Children, Teachers, Refugees and Communities at large.

Nehemiah has a unique blend of content expertise, practical approaches, and facilitation skills to ensure that his workshops and trainings are informative, productive, and fun. He holds a Bachelor of arts degree in Education from the University of Dar Es Salaam. Prior to joining Project Zawadi, he worked as a head teacher.

Osiana Leonard: Osiana has an experience of over 8 years working in education  for both academic institutes and NGOs' which focus to improve quality of education in Tanzania. He graduated bachelor of science with education in 2012 at Mkwawa university college of education and currently pursuing postgraduate studies . Throughout his career development  journey he now competent  in program management, he is expert in parenting programs, Literacy trainings, Early childhood education, project proposal development and Research both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Gingiri Mwesa:  Gingiri is a former Project Zawadi Merit student and a 2018 graduate of the University of Dar es Salaam with a Bachelor of Education.  He brings his knowledge, skills, and energy to the Tenda Teachers program.

Chukista Malima: Chukista is a former Project Zawadi sponsored student and graduate of St. Anthony Vocational Training Centre. This unique perspective is invaluable in her work as a Counselor as she provides daily support, guidance, and encouragement to the next generations of sponsored students and acts as the primary liaison with teachers and families.

Peter Mallya:  Peter holds a BA in Accounting and Finance from Moshi University College of Cooperatives and Business Studies.  Formerly a program manager for USADF and accountant for a youth training center, Peter brings his skills in finance and passion to make a difference to his work with PZ.

Goodluck Estomih: Goodluck's broad experience is grounded in siting, designing, providing construction supervision, capacity building and sustainable management of Integrated water projects in rural areas of Tanzania. Most recently, he worked as a Project Manager for Kemondo Community-Based Water Supply Organization(CBWSO) under Tanzania Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency(RUWASA). Goodluck is a graduate from Sokoine University of Agriculture with BS in Irrigation and water resources engineering.

Elizabeth Joseph: Elizabeth has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Dodoma. She is passionate about the field of Administration, events planning and working towards bettering public education. This is due to being one of the many beneficiaries of public education, and experiencing the gaps in many of the public schools. She likes to meet new people, volunteer and help people to support the community which is the sole foundation of national development.

Gerson Mdamo: Gerson is a fluent, focused and proficient accountant who is experienced in providing consistent services in accounting and financial support for organizations and businesses. He has considerable experience in financial reporting, budgeting, reconciliation, revenue - cost analysis and accounting systems. Gerson recieved his bachelor dregree in Business Administration and Accounting from St. Augustine University.  Prior to working with Project Zawadi, Gerson worked with Orkeeswa Schools Organization,  AKO GROUP LTD, and the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project.

Wandwe Massebe: Wandwe is from the community and has deep relationships with stakeholders. He has expertise in masonry, welding, and electrical work. He is responsible for managing the supplies, overseeing schedules, and providing security for the duration of the project. Prior to his current role, he was the Sponsorship Coordinator at Project Zawadi for five years.

Staff - USA
Brian Singer: Brian’s commitment to Tanzania started when he spent two years in Tanzania as a math teacher with the Peace Corps. Since that time, he has been a frequent visitor to Tanzania while guiding charitable groups, as an owner of Access 2 Tanzania and Treks 2 Rwanda, and starting Project Zawadi. He has a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University in Social Change and Development and has spent more than 20 years assisting low-income entrepreneurs in New York City and the Twin Cities.

Brianna Darling: Rooted in the relationships she built as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Brianna has a deep love for Tanzania. During her time as an Environmental Education Volunteer she dug around in stinky compost piles with students from the primary school, and worked with her village to plant permaculture gardens and start biashara groups. Brianna has a Masters of Science in International Development from Michigan State University. Her thesis research explored the dynamics of power and positionality in development work. She has worked for a number of organzations over the past decade in roles that connect services and information with the most marginalized groups of her communities. In addition to her work with Project Zawadi, she teaches yoga. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, two young daughters, and Tanzania village dog!