Visit to Faraja

On Monday we went to Faraja Trust Fund in Morogoro. I knew that it was a non-governmental organization that informed people on AIDS and the epidemic happening in the area but other than that I didn't know what to expect. We were able to meet with Victor and Norbert who were directors of Faraja and ask them any questions we had on AIDS and the work that they do there. It turns out that they provide education and psychosocial support to orphans, small loans to improve the livelihoods of women and children, and counseling and testing to those who are HIV positive. Faraja is there to not only educate people but to support them in the process and do everything they can to not only stop AIDS from spreading, but also provide awareness.
We got to see three different schools that were available to orphans so that they would be able to receive an education. Not only were the kids eager to learn, but they also welcomed us and wanted to know our names.
The main problem Faraja faces is the amount of poverty seen among the people of Tanzania. People who are in poverty are struggling to get by and may not receive the proper screening needed. Also, woman who have AIDS can contract it to their babies through breast milk but are unable to buy formula so the baby can be at risk of getting AIDS.
I was mostly impressed with their option of counseling before and after screenings and their ability to provide schools to children that are not only eager to learn but also look forward to the meal that they have during the day.
Women empowerment is very questionable here, however, and still very unbalanced. One of the directors of Faraja said that if a woman were to talk to her partner about her sex life she "might get beat." Not only was this a surprising concept but also shocking to hear from a AIDS organization.
We believed, however, that Faraja was doing great work for awareness and education and so we donated 10 computers to Faraja for the work that they do. All in all a very interesting organization and somewhere for future trips!