Introduction
Faraja Young Women Development Organization (FAYOWODO) is a registered NGO which was created in 2006 by Mrs Martina Siara. As the name “FARAJA” means “RELIEF”, she had the vision of creating a safe haven for young mothers and their children. Using its primary goal of empowering single teen mothers, girls, and vulnerable children throughout Tanzania, Faraja strives to transform the lives of women, girls, and children who have been victims of gender violence and human trafficking in both urban and rural areas with an aim of helping them achieve social and economic stability. In some cases, e.g. after abuse, young mothers tend to be unable to build up a connection to and affection for their child.
Faraja makes great efforts to create a bond between children and their mothers and to create love out of suffering. The centre provides young mothers with vocational training such as cooking, hairdressing and tailoring to empower them to achieve financial independence. In parallel, their children are raised and cared for in Faraja’s Montessori daycare. Our concern and care for the children led us to realise the importance of having good kindergarten teachers. Thanks to the Montessori teaching program, student-teachers are trained in Montessori teaching methods to help children develop their personalities and become contributing members of society who care for the community, the environment and the world as a whole.
Our story
Martina Siara, the founder.
Martina Siara is the founder of FAYOWODO
At a young age, Martina Siara observed her mother helping and providing for others, especially young girls and people in need. As she became a teacher, she witnessed the torment and suffering these teen girls endured. While they didn’t intend to get pregnant, many of them did, and most of the time the men left after hearing of the pregnancy. As the girls suffer, their families often point the finger at them, isolating them and adding to their burden. The isolation caused many of the girls in Martina’s neighbourhoods to drop out of school. It was her mother who inspired Martina Siara to help young girls in her community. Apart from giving the girls something tangible to hold onto, she also saw the conditions in which these neglected children were living. Her heart ached for the suffering of children whose mothers did not know how to raise them, which is why the centre focuses on the bond between the mother and her child. Besides providing young mothers with vocational training, the centre also provides them with tools on how to raise their children, feed them, recognize diseases, and most importantly, love them.
Our Mission Statement
Our mission is to support and empower young women, girls, and vulnerable children at risk, especially those who have been victims of human trafficking, rape, and other human rights abuses. To achieve this, the Faraja Young Women Development Organization (FAYOWODO) offers temporary residence, education and vocational training to young single mothers and girls below the age of 18 who have these challenges. Our objective is to train these young women in different vocational fields to empower them for employment and self-reliant projects. Additionally, the centre established a daycare in 2012 to enable young mothers to attend classes and workshops while their children are cared for and educated. Finally, we saw the opportunity to have excellently trained kindergarten teachers based on the methods of Montessori, which is why our Montessori training centre was set up in 2019.
Empowering Young Women Since 2007
Girls Supported
%
Employed
%
Self-Employed
Since 2007, Faraja’s center has impacted over 500 girls. Around 70% of them are employed in restaurants hotels and other businesses and 20% are now self-employed. After completing their vocational training, most of the young mothers go straight into business and find a job quickly. Providing for one child is already difficult and expensive, so they focus on giving them the best education possible before considering having another.
Challenges
Lucky of Funds
The biggest challenge Faraja faces is finding funds to build everything we desire to achieve. For instance, when the centre opened, Martina Siara wanted to welcome as many girls as possible, unfortunately, because of the lack of funding, she could only offer a space to 30 girls. The next step would be to hire more experts and professionals such as teachers, tutors, psychologists for young mothers, and doctors for regular check-ups at least twice a year, and more for babies under a year. Again, because of the funds, we lack permanent professionals at Medical checkups at least twice a year. As well, we need a full-time Matron to oversee the young mothers and their children, especially at night and before classes begin to ensure the children are fed and dressed up properly.
