The 9,000 square-foot building, located on 65 acres of land, was completed in 2005 and officially opened in March 2006. Currently, 31 girls ranging in age from seven to 18-years-old call the Center home. There is a physical capacity for 80 girls, but presently, there is only funding for the 31 girls.
The Center is governed by a volunteer board of directors who live in the community and it employs several staff.
Major support for the Center has come from three sources — the Norwegian YWCA Girl Scouts and the Norwegian Embassy in Dar es Salaam for construction of the facility; and initial operation expenses from the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative. Individual donors from the United States, Luxmebourg, Norway, Netherlands, and other European countries have provided resources for a variety of other needs, including furnishing rooms at the Center and the purchase of livestock for the Center’s farm.
Total costs of running the Center with the current amount of girls are approximately $66,000 per year. This budget includes the costs of supplying food for the girls, fuel, medical and educational expenses, facility maintenance, transportation for staff and the girls, and the use of internal and external communication tools.
Funding from the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative ended March 2008. Donations are needed to help cover the costs of running the Center.
Vil du bidra? Ta kontakt med IOP-Norge på iop.norge@gmail.com!
