Background

All children have the right to a childhood with safety, care and love. All children have the right to attend school and to get the education, which they desire and are capable of taking.

Sumbawanga is a city with very many street children. It is situated in the southwestern corner of Tanzania, more than 1000 km away from the capital of Dar Es Saalam. The area belongs to the poorest areas in Tanzania. The lack of both social informations and education in birthcontrol leads to the birth of many children in the area. At the same time HIV/AIDS has spread heavily. Due to this many children have lost one of both of their parents to the disease. Other homes are marked by unemployment and alcohol abuse. This leads to more and more children living on the streets. The work of Future and Hope aims at helping these children.

It all started in 2002, where the Danish couple Karin and Ole Weber worked in Sumbawange and in that context met with the street children of the city. They decided to help these children. At that time there already was a local man Joseph Kassaila in Sumbawanga, who speant almost all his time on helping the street children of the city. He gave them food and made a small school for them. All of this was his own initiative and for his own money. Karin and Ole Weber were impressed by Joseph Kassailas care for the children and decided to help him in his work. This became the start of what is today known as Future and Hope. Future and Hope today is an organization with about 450 members in Denmark. In cooperation with the local Tanzanian organization led by Joseph Kassaila, the organization today runs the Bethania Children's Village, and a Drop In Center.  In this way Future and Hope are responsible for about 90 children.

Street children in Sumbawanga