Have a look at some of the recent projects going on at LOHADA.
New Dormitory
Last April 2023 a group of 6 families from Valencia Spain arrived at Camp Joshua to help build a new secondary school dormitory at Camp Joshua. 31 people in all, the families had fundraised for several months collectively raised over $50,000 towards the construction and maintenance of the new dorm. Since completed, the new dorm just needs a new coat of paint and beds and will be ready to open!
New Gas Stoves
As of January 2024 the Tanzanian government requires all schools and organization to change from using firewood to cleaner fuel options. For years firewood has been a major monthly expense for Camp Joshua as well as a detriment to the environment and the health of the staff and kids. Over the last several months we researched alternatives including solar, electric and gas. After visiting neighboring local schools who had recently upgraded from firewood, we chose gas stoves as the best option.
In February 2024 we retrofitted one of our large stoves and began construction on a new small building required to house a new large gas tank. Currently we are using two smaller tanks until the completion of the building, and we also added a couple new small gas burners help cook vegetables in smaller pots for the kids.
The project was primarily funded by a large donation from a single generous donor plus several donations during our winter fundraiser.
This is a significant and sustainable improvement in the daily lives of the kids and staff.
New Movie Room and Playroom
Movies are great way to help the smaller kids learn and maintain their English skills. As a result, we repurposed an old storage room, purchased and mounted a new projector and stocked the library with tons of English-language movies. The space also doubles as a new playroom with toys and learning tools now neatly organized, allowing for kids to have all the toys in one place. This helps us keep the kids engaged and the toys in better condition as they will always remain in the playroom. We will soon give the room a fresh coat of paint as well.
