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Members at a picnic

Become a Member for FREE!

Membership is open to all – RPCVs, former members of Teach for East Africa, volunteers with secular and religious organizations, visitors, travelers – anyone who is interested in the people and country of Tanzania! And of course, we welcome Tanzanians, whether living in the U.S. or abroad.

Attend an Event!

Friends of Tanzania organizes and hosts several events each year, and also points its members to social and educational events being held by others that promote the goals and missions of FOT and/or celebrate Tanzania and its culture. While historically most events were in-person, events now include virtual/Zoom gatherings. The big event each year is the Annual Winter Party, usually in early February, which takes place in the Washington, D.C. area.

Weekly Swahili Discussions (Zoom Calls)

Date: Sundays
Time: 4:00 PM Eastern Time

If interested, please email [email protected]!

We will be setting up more virtual/Zoom events soon. Keep tabs of upcoming events by visiting the Website, or even better, by joining FOT. As an FOT member, you will be notified by email as events are scheduled.

2025 FOT Winter Party/Potluck In Person!

Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm in Bethesda, MD — In Person!
Place: Westmoreland Congregation Church in Bethesda, MD

We were excited to host this annual event again, and to share conversation, food and fun with all those who share our love for Tanzania.  Some food and non-alcohol beverages were provided. This was also a potluck event, so we had appetizers, salads, main dishes and desserts. There was also great music!

 

2024 FOT End of Summer Picnic!

Date: Sunday, September 15, 2024
Time: 3pm to 7pm
Place: Picnic Grove #10 in Rock Creek Park in DC

The FOT End of Summer Picnic was a great success! Over 30 attended, including long-time FOT members, the Honorable Sophia Gunda, the Minister Counsel representating the Tanzania Embassy (with her two daughters), folks from Tanzania now living in the DC area, and a number of RPCV-TZ and friends of current FOT members who had not attended previous events. As the photo shows, the age ranged from 18 months to 84 years old! And we all enjoyed a variety of Tanzania dishes brought by attendees and some catered by a local Tanzania chef.

International Development Career Chat w/ Board Member Jim Flock – Virtual Event

Date – Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023 Time – 6:00 PM Eastern Time

FOT Board Member Jim Flock spoke about his career in international development, and some of the takeaways from his experience in this field. This event was facilitated by Clayton Batko.  You can the recording of the event here.

 

Making a Difference in Rural Tanzania: How FOT Uses Donations to Fund Sustainable Development Projects

Over 35 people viewed this informative presentation, held on December 3, 2022. Clay Batko, the Chair of FOT’s Projects Committee, provided an overview of how FOT selects, reviews, approves, funds and monitors projects in rural Tanzania. You can the recording of the event here.

 

2022 FOT Speaker Series – Collaboration with Tanzania Development Trust (TDT) 

  • Tanzania’s New President – A New Direction for Tanzania? – An informal discussion on the impact of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s first year in office. If you missed this great event, you can watch in on the Tanzania Development YouTube channel here.
  • Prosperity in Rural Africa? Changes over time in Tanzanian Villages – Do statistics on Tanzania’s growth tell the full story about their urban/rural divide? If you missed this great event, held on June 25, 2022, you can watch in on YouTube here.

 

2021 FOT Educational Scholar Series

  • DR. LAWRENCE MBOGONI – “The History of the Peace Corps in Tanzania: Progress on a Book in Development” To watch the video of Professor Mbogoni’s presentation CLICK HERE
  • ALLEN RUGAMBWA – “Development in Tanzania: Where Will It Do the Most Good?” To watch a video of Mr. Rugambwa’s presentation CLICK HERE
  • DR. FRANCES VAVRUS – “Teacher Education in Tanzania” To watch a video of Dr. Vavrus’ presentation CLICK HERE
  • More details about the scholars can be found on HERE.

Volunteer Your Skills!

Friends of Tanzania is an all-volunteer organization and we are always looking for more passionate folks to help! In the same way that we need financial donations to improve the lives of community members in rural Tanzania, we also need folks to donate their time to keep our organization running smoothly if we want to use those funds effectively. If you are interested in any of the below, please email us at [email protected].

Member of the Board

(2 hours/month average)

  • Being a Board Member gives you a place at the table and a voice in helping shape the future of FOT.
  • Board Members are also able to champion other initiatives, such as fundraising, member outreach, etc.
  • The Board generally meets quarterly, by zoom call, with an annual retreat in late January or early/mid- February.

Officer of the Board

(4-6 hours/month)

  • FOT currently has four officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
  • Each of these positions requires responsibility for various tasks and areas of operation.
  • In addition to the full Board meetings each quarter, the Officers participate in monthly meetings of the Executive Committee, which also includes the Immediate Past President and the Chair of the Projects Committee.

Projects Committee

(4 hours/month)

  • The Projects Committee is responsible for the review, approval, and monitoring of FOT projects!
  • Committee members serve as Project Officers for different organizations to ensure FOT only funds sustainable projects.
  • The Committee meets once a month as a check-in, but members are expected to review proposals, coordinate with their organizations, and complete other action items between meetings.
  • This is a great opportunity to develop your communication, process management, and critical thinking skills.

Fundraising Committee

(2 hours/month)

  • The Fundraising Committee is responsible for securing funds for FOT’s projects and interfacing with donors.
  • Committee members use their creativity to lead different fundraising campaigns, including project highlights, and ensure that FOT donors understand how their donations are used and feel connected with the project beneficiaries.
  • The Committee currently completes most of their work via email and meets as needed.
  • This is a great opportunity to develop your creative writing, communication, and customer service skills.

Membership Committee

(2 hours/month)

  • The Events Committee is responsible for planning all of FOT’s amazing events, including the annual Winter Party!
  • Committee members plan various events to engage FOT members and strengthen the sense of community.
  • The Committee meets as needed depending on the event and works to coordinate with guest speakers.
  • This is a great opportunity to develop your planning, coordinating, and leadership skills.
  • Reach out to new members as they join and gauge their interest in assisting in FOT’s mission and activities. o Monitor [email protected] email, responding or redirecting inquiries as appropriate.

Website

(2-4 hours/month)

  • The FOT website is an amazing place for members to learn about our work, but can always use improvements!
  • The website uses SilkStart as its platform and is relatively easy to navigate even if you don’t have a tech background.
  • Most work is done as needed over email, and includes project updates, publicizing events, and increasing web traffic.
  • This is a great opportunity for creative people to improve our messaging and visibility to our membership!

Social Media

(1 hour/month)

  • FOT wants to increase its visibility by being more active on social media to increase membership and donations.
  • Currently, FOT uses Facebook and Instagram to highlight a project once a month and publicize events as needed.
  • Additionally, FOT likes to share relevant news updates related to Tanzania with its followers to keep members up to date on current events.
  • This is a great opportunity to develop your branding, creative writing, and publicity skills.

Newsletter

(Block of 10 – 20 hours, two times a year)

  • FOT’s Newsletter is currently published twice a year – Spring and Fall — and printed and mailed as well as emailed. We have two great volunteers who do everything from proposing the lead articles and news to be covered, writing and soliciting articles, editing, layout, gathering photos, coordinating with the printer and mailing the hard copies. They will be passing this job on to a new set of volunteers. If you want to help shape the message that FOT broadcasts to the community, and like writing, editing and creating interesting and informative content, this is a great way for you to make an important contribution to FOT. Not only is the Newsletter a great way to keep members informed, it is a great way to generate interest and donations. We find shortly after each FOT Newsletter lands in members mail boxes (literal or email), a wave of donations come in.

Any other ideas?

If there is a skill or interest you have, FOT would happily find a way for you to donate your time!

If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please email [email protected]! We are always in need of volunteers, so don’t hesitate to reach out! Develop yourself and help others by volunteering with Friends of Tanzania.

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