To empower extraordinary-yet-impoverished and marginalized youth and women across East Africa with quality education, leadership, and business development programs to foster independence, dignity, and long-term success.
WELCOME LETTER
Dear Friends and Supporters of Unite,
2024 marks the 10-year anniversary of the foundation and our most successful year to date. Our programs are thriving, our financials are sound, and we have the most committed, united, and effective team hard at work in Africa and here in America.
As I reflect on all that has happened to bring us to this moment—the challenges and triumphs alike—I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all those who have helped make this this journey possible. Thank you.
In our Unite Scholars Program, we have now capped enrollment to 100 scholars at a time to ensure that we can provide our signature highly personalized and comprehensive support and care to each and every teenager and young adult in our charge.
In 2024, we launched our 18th Unite Club to expand our Unite soft skills and leadership curriculums to ~2,500 young people across four African countries. The Unite Hummingbirds have planted nearly 2,000 trees as part of our continued commitment to restoring and protecting the environment, and ~2,800 vulnerable Tanzanians have received essential food relief and living support through our Unite Blessings Campaign (which is operated by our Unite Scholars). We’ve also seen the successful growth of our Warrior for Change revolving interest-free loan program, reaching more than 54 entrepreneurs with business start-up funding, support, and education.
The team at the Unite Food Program is now processing more than 100 tons a month of maize flour, rice, beans, and cassava flour (the newest product to the line) and expanding its market into Zanzibar and other parts of Dar es Salaam.
And the list of successes goes on . . .
What is Unite’s superpower? Our people and our core principles.
The commitment, passion, and diversity of our team and scholars continues to impress, amaze, motivate, and inspire. Coming from some of the most remote and underserved villages and communities, our Unite “family” includes emerging doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, pharmacists, and lab workers; actuaries, accountants, tax experts, and entrepreneurs; architects, marine scientists, electricians, and engineers; marketing and communications professionals, filmmakers and reporters; artists, poets, singers, dancers, designers, and more.
And as we support our Unite Scholars in becoming the very best version of themselves, we remain united in our focus on and commitment to Unite’s core principles and values, which include:
Honesty and integrity. We do what we say we will do, and we own up to our mistakes and shortcomings. Open, honest, regular communication is the foundation of our success.
Commitment to excellence. No matter how “small” the task, we strive to deliver the highest quality results through hard work, dedication, and perseverance.
Curiosity and exploration. We investigate, explore, and question why things are as they are. We then use our creative, innovative minds to think outside the box and envision about how things may be improved. We seek opportunities and solutions where there may appear to be none.
Service and volunteerism. Everyone has something of value to give and even the smallest acts of kindness can go a long way in uplifting lives. And as we learn, we share. Individuals, families, communities, and nations alike rise up when knowledge is shared and minds are nurtured.
Collaboration. No one succeeds alone. We embrace partnerships and strive for outcomes that benefit all.
Dignity. We speak the truth and stand up for the rights of others. Every human is deserving of respect, dignity, and a life of opportunity. The responsibility is ours.
At 10 years, we have honed our focus and are seeing its impact. We are commited and thoughtful stewards to those who have given their time, talent, and treasure to Unite—with 100% of the support we receive going directly to the programs we operate. We have much to be thankful for and more to do. The work continues.
Yours in service, Anne Wells
UNITE’S PROGRAMS
Unite Scholars Program
Unite Club Program
Unite Hummingbird & Blessing Campaigns
Unite Food Program
Warrior for Change Revolving Loan Program
THE CHALLENGE
of Tanzania’s population is age 15 or younger.
of children enroll in secondary school for their Ordinary Levels: Form 1 through Form 4 (ages 13 to 17).
of all Tanzanian youth enroll in higher secondary school for their Advanced Levels: Form 5 and Form 6 (ages 17 to 19).
of all Tanzanians aged 15+ have university-level educations.
Each year, 900,000 Tanzanian youth enter a job market that generates only 50,000 to 60,000 new jobs. A huge challenge is that schools fail to teach the soft skills and intellectual prowess employers are seeking.
“What most Tanzanian graduates lack and what impedes their employment chances is failure to demonstrate the ‘right’ attitude and ‘soft skills,’ which is what we really look at when hiring.”
—Zaky Mbena, director of policy, advocacy & management at the Tanzanian Private Sector Foundation
UNITE SCHOLARS PROGRAM
We work to break the vicious cycle of poverty, oppression, and wasted human potential by empowering uniquely talented, marginalized youth across Tanzania access to quality and comprehensive education through higher secondary (A-Levels), university, and beyond. We run trainings and workshops and one-on-one mentoring and tutoring programs to nurture creative and independent thinking and the personal and professional practical life skills necessary to achieve success as active, engaged, and productive global citizens.
44
38
8
Currently in university
Currently in A-levels
Graduates. Three are working at Unite Food Program, one is in banking, two are working in medicine, one in agribusiness, and one is in law school.
18
Will be accepted into the program in 2025
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN A UNITE SCHOLARSHIP
ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT AND SUPPORT
A dedicated Unite Mentor to support all personal and academic needs.
All school fees and mandatory school contributions.
Uniforms, school books and supplies, testing fees, field trips, etc.
For A-level students, all boarding fees and necessities.
For University scholars, funds for housing, transport, and food.
Trainings in Unite’s Soft Skills, Leadership, and Professional Development Curriculums.
FAMILY SUPPORT
Our Unite Scholars come from extremely impovershed families. For our scholars succeed in this program, we must provide support to the family. This starts with a home visit by our Unite Team to assess the most appropriate and impactful areas for interventions. Support may include ongoing food relief, small business grants and/or interest-free loans, solar panels, bicycles, beds & mattresses, the constructions of latrines or home repairs, providing access to potable water, and more.
Health insurance and added medical care as needed.
For scholars’ families engaged in small-scale farming, Unite Food Program may purchase their harvests and provide grain bags to enable them to safely hold back crops to feed themselves and to create a “grain bank” for future needs.
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT & POST-GRADUATE AID
Grants to start approved businesses and access to Unite’s Warrior for Change interest-free loans.
Opportunities to attend all Unite events, workshops, trainings, internships, celebrations, and field trips.
One-to-one career support to assist with resume development, networking, and securing paid internships and jobs.
A global network of engaged and supportive Unite Scholars, alumni, partners, and friends.
Access to a Unite password-protected website that features educational and career resources and access to a Unite’s online community.
TECHNOLOGY, TRANSPORT & MATERIAL AID
A smartphone to conduct all Unite communications and reporting.
Wifi routers.
Access to our Unite laptop lending library.
Transport to and from school and home for all school holidays.
Transport to and from Unite Mentorship meetings and events, trainings, field placements, internships, and graduation ceremonies.
ADVANCED TRAININGS
Unite Scholars participate in various advanced trainings including:
Yale Young African Leaders Program
Harvard’s Aspire Leaders Program
MIT CodeSafari Python Course
Projekt Inspire STEM Bootcamps
UN Association of Tanzania, SGDs Courses
Tanzania Better Health Medical Trainings
UNAID Africa, Girls in STEM Trainings
Amazon Leadership Initiative Forum for Young Female Leaders
United World College Short Courses: Conflict Resolution & Project Management
Nivishe Mental Health Training
The US-Tanzania Tech Challenge
Federation of African Progressive Youth Mental Health Training
Glide Software Development Training, US Embassy
African Youth Leadership Forum
UNHCR Tanzania Training on Refugee Response + Solidarity
United Nations Environment Training
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Our Unite A-level graduates are encouraged (and assisted) to apply for university-level scholarships (for support beyond Unite).
In 2024:
3 received the Tanzanian Presidential Samia Saluhu Scholarship (joining two other Unite scholars who received the scholarship in 2022)
2 received the partial Working to Advance Science and Technology Education for African Women (WAAW) Foundation Scholarship
1 received a scholarship to attend United World College in Moshi, Tanzania
1 received a partial scholarship to attend African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa
1 received a partial Karimjee Foundation Scholarship
1 receieved a partial Mo Dewji Foundation Scholarship
1 was selected for the Niongoze Fellowship 2024, a year-long online leadership program for female student leaders across Africa
1 was selected to be a participant in the Tanzania Circular Economy Fellowship hosted by 10 Billion Strong and the US Embassy
PARTNERSHIPS
Tanzania Better Health (TBH)
TBH Founder Dr. Leonard Malasa provides professional mentorship and practical field work experiences for Unite Scholars studying in the field of medicine.
“These Unite Scholars’ commitment to caring for the underserved is astonishing. Indeed, their passion knows no boundaries.”
—Dr Malasa, Director of Tanzania Better Health
Elite Dignity School
Unite Scholars studying science, technology, and mathematics have designed and continue to execute specialized STEM bootcamps for Elite students over school holidays.
INTERNSHIPS
Every year over their long school breaks, Unite scholars engage in paid internships secured by Unite with various companies, NGOs, schools, and organizations across Tanzania. These practical, hands-on work experiences provide critical opportunities for our our scholars to develop their resumes, network, and learn what it takes to meet employers’ needs and succeed in the workplace.
Unite Scholars’ 2024 internships included placements at:
The African School of Storytelling Arusha
The Nature Conservancy Kigoma
Maternity Africa & The Kivulini Hospital Arusha
Cambridge College of Tourism Arusha
Kagunga Private Medical Dispensary Kigoma
Unite Food Program Enterprises Dar es Salaam
KIU - Kiswahili na Utamaduni Dar es Salaam
Kairuki Hospital Dar es Salaam
VGI Founder & Director Doug Crisman is working closely with our Unite team to secure professional internships for our Unite Scholars with businesses and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) across Tanzania.
The
African School of Storytelling (AFRISOS) & Story Nzuri
Filmmakers at both AFRISOS and Story Nzuri worked with our Unite team in 2024 to develop documentary films about our Unite Scholars Program. The two fllms will be released in 2025 and featured in screenings across the United States.
Unite Food Program Outpost Zanzibar
Philomena Arts & Crafts Store Zanzibar
Tanzania Better Health Outreach Monduli
Queen of Peace Secondary School Tabora
Maisha Outreach Therapy Organization Kilimanjaro
SOMA Book Cafe Dar es Salaam
Sakapalla Community Center Dar es Salaam
UNITE SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT
MICHAEL CHARLES SHOIDE
Michael, 22, is fully sponsored by Unite to study medicine at the private Kairuki University in Dar es Salaam. In November 2024, Michael was chosen as one of Tanzania’s Top 100 Global Citizens by the Global Leadership Awards.
Michael grew up in Dar es Salaam living in a single rented room with his mother, Hosiana. Hosiana fell pregnant with Michael when she was still in grade school (at that time, girls were expelled from school for getting pregnant, so her formal education abruptly ended). Hosiana has since raised Michael on her own, earning a living by cleaning buildings in Dar es Salaam.
Michael has been a Unite Scholar since 2020. Following his graduation from A-levels in 2022, he did not receive a placement by the Tanzanian government in a medical school. So, Unite did something we had never done before. . . We sponsored Michael for a gap year so he could study to retake the national examinations. During this time he interned at the Unite Food Program and at a few other businesses in Dar es Salaam.
In November 2023, Michael achieved his dream and was accepted to Kairuki University to study medicine. In one short year he has stacked up a pile of awards and appointments, including: serving as a board member for the Federation of African Medical Students’ Association; the Chairperson of the Youth Advisory Board for TAHMEF, a HealthTech non-profit; a Youth Ambassador for UNIAID AFRICA’s campaign for Girls in STEM; Chairperson of the Standing Committee of Rights and Peace; and Project Coordinator for Tanzania Medical Students’ Association at Kairuki University.
Additionally, with Unite’s support, Michael has participated in a number of internships and medical outreach initiatives including Tanzania Better Health’s mission in rural Monduli, Tanzania, during which time the team provided health testing, assessments, and education to more than 3,000 at-risk community members.
During his school holidays, Michael works as a paid intern for Unite, serving as an academic tutor and Big Brother to a number of our A-level scholars.
“The presence of Unite in my life has wiped away my tears and removed the burden of the heavy luggage that my mother and I carried.”
—Michael Charles Shoide
STELLA CALIST MOSHA
Stella, 22, studies psychology and counseling at Jordan University in Morogoro, Tanzania. In December 2024, she was selected to join the 2025 cohort of the Aspire Leaders Program, an online development course designed and delivered by Harvard University faculty to develop leadership skills in students around the world.
Stella is the youngest of six children born to her father, a peasant farmer, and mother, a nurse in a small rural clinic in Kilimanjaro. In 2002, Stella’s mother took her children away from their abusive, alcoholic father and struggled as a single mother to provide for their most basic needs. A few years later, Stella suffered a terrible fall which resulted in the paralysis of her right hand and disfiguration of her right arm. Her mother took her to doctors as best she could afford, but no one could determine the problem. In 2016, Stella’s mother died of lung cancer, and Stella and her siblings were left alone. In 2019, Stella saw an online advertisement about the Unite Scholars Program Scholarship. She applied and was accepted in January 2020.
With Unite, Stella’s life has transformed. She successfully completed her Advanced Level education and, in 2022, enrolled in university to pursue her dream of studying psychology. Stella has traveled around the country to attend Unite meetings, trainings, and events. She has been trained in Unite’s entire soft skills of professionalism and leadership curriculum, and she worked as a paid intern at the Unite Food Program. Stella continues to earn money by working on Unite’s psycho-social support team. She assisted with the creation of a three-part lesson-plan on mental health (which is now taught to our scholars and club members) and serves as a tutor and Big Sister to a number of Unite’s A-level scholars.
Stella’s many recent accomplishments include serving as a Country Ambassador for Wonders of This Place (environmental education); a Youth Ambassador for Girls in STEM; Campus Program Leader for UNI-AID Africa; and a participant in the Tanzania Better Health medical oureach in Monduli. Additionally, Stella was selected to be the group leader of the Unite Scholar cohort that is being mentored by Dr. Leonard Malasa. Also in 2024, she attended the Ahadi Mental Health Summit and spent time at a methadone clinic to further study addiction and recovery.
Stella will graduate from Jordan University in 2025, and she has already been invited to work with Maisha Occupational Therapy Organization in Kilimanjaro.
“Unite is like a parent to me. Unite gives me strength and hope to take steps towards my dream. Having Unite in my life has opened my eyes to many opportunities and lessened my struggles. I am forever grateful.”
—Stella Calist Mosha
UNITE SCHOLARS: A YEAR IN REVIEW
JANUARY
Our Unite Scholars Program Admissions Committee completes their final round of interviews with applicants from across Tanzania. A new class of 22 new scholars is admitted.
MARCH
A Unite Scholars kick-off week-long workshop for the newest class of scholars is held in Morogoro, Tanzania. The week includes introductions, the signing of contracts, sexual harrassment and anti-bullying trainings, public speaking challenges, a field trip to learn agribusiness, and more.
In Dar, the team and scholars receive financial literacy training and funds to open interest-earning savings accounts.
Across the country, the Unite Scholars Program leadership team conducts dozens of home visits to meet Unite Scholars’ families and assess needs.
APRIL
The Unite Big Brother Big Sister Program is launched to connect our University-level scholars with our younger A-level scholars to provide social-emotional support, friendship, guidance, and comraderie.
MAY
The Unite Scholars Tutoring Program begins to (1) provide one-on-one academic support for our pre-Form 5, Form 5, and Form 6 scholars; and (2) to provide a source of income to our University-level scholars who are expert in various subject matter.
JUNE
A week-long training for Unite Scholars is held in Dar es Salaam. A graduation is hosted for our Form 6 scholars and international visitors lead CPR, First Aid, and burn care workshops.
OCTOBER
Unite hosts the first-of-it’s-kind “Pathways to Success Summit” in Usa River, Tanzania, to prepare our university scholars for life post graduation. The workshop focuses on three pathways: Continued education (identifying and securing international scholarships for graduate-level education); attaining career success (CVs, networking, interviewing, identifying and securing paid work opportunities, etc.); and entrepreneurship (identifying markert needs and developing strong business plans). A number of guest speakers from around the world present at the event, including David Grober (Motion Picture Marine), Mike Cristina (East African Safaris), Doug Crisman (VGI), Jigar Ganatra (AFRISOS), and Mbwana Alliy (Savannah Fund).
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER
Unite’s University-level scholars and Form 6 graduates enroll in internships with various Unite partner organizations across Tanzania to develop their professional experiences and career readiness and to earn money for themselves and their families.
DECEMBER
A new Unite Scholars Program website launches as a centralized password-protected platform that includes databases of all Unite scholars and teammates, listings of international scholarship opportunities and trainings (including websites, application requirements and deadlines, etc.), internships and jobs, online lesson plans, success stories, and more. UniteScholarsProgram.org
UNITE CLUB PROGRAM
The Unite Club Program is designed to empower secondary-level and university-level students to know themselves, to think critically and hone their creative problem-solving cabilities, to learn the soft skills of professionalism, to prepare for life beyond academia, and to present the very best versions of themselves to the world.
Success requires both academic intelligence and social-emotional intelligence. Throughout most governments schools, the focus is on academic achievements and mastering the test. Few students are guided in how to socially and emotionally prepare themselves for life outside the classroom and beyond. Our mission is to help students achieve success as active and engaged global citizens and to become confident and positive change agents.
“The Unite Club is an answered prayer for us. It is filling a great void and helping to shape a new generation for Africa.”
18 Clubs launched since 2020 (14 in Tanzania, two in Uganda, one in Nigeria, and one in Malawi)
~2,500
—Bishop Michael Fatsani Katengeza, Unite Club Leader, Malawi
““The Unite Club has been transformative for me. It is where I found mentorship, new skills, and a community of collaboration, growth, and love. Unite has pushed me to think bigger, act bolder, and embrace the power of collective action not only for my own needs but for the needs of others. When we unite, we create lasting impact in our society.”
ELEMENTS OF THE CLUB PROGRAM
THE UNITE CLUB CURRICULUM
The club curriculum includes ~30 modules cover such topics as personal branding and emotional intelligence, leadership, time management, networking, social media, communication and listening skills, feedback vs. criticism, mental health and coping with stress and anxiety, environmental stewardship, collaboration and teamwork, financial literacy, goal setting, customer service, and more.
THE UNITE PASSION PROJECT
A series of online videos that exposes students to an array of career options, activities, and perspectives by sharing the stories of people who have found their passions and achieved success.
OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE
Our Unite Clubs host such activities as debates, spelling bees, talent shows, public speaking events, art activities, tree-planting and gardening campaigns, community service outreach, concerts, and more.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Unite provides a laptop, projector, screen, and smartphone, printer, and modem along with notebooks, pens, and Unite T-shirts to clubs with demonstrated commitment. Each club must assign a faculty advisor and student club leaders who take responsibility for communicating and coordinating with Unite and working collaboratively to make the clubs impactful and successful. Unite then provides certificates and awards to club graduates, and our leadership team periodically visits the clubs to assess performance and host trainings and celebrations, nurture these partnerships.
—Hilton Daudi Makamba, Unite Club Member, Tabora Boys School, 2022-2024
Right (top to bottom): Mtwara Girls School Unite Club, Tanzania; Joshua Youtth Ministry Unite Club, Malawi; Same Boys School Unite Club, Tanzania
UNITE HUMMINGBIRDS
Unite is committed to environmental stewardship, serving the planet, and instilling a sense of personal responsibility in our Unite Scholars, club members, and teammates alike. trees have been planted since 2021.
1,742 school gardens have been established. 9 beach clean ups have been conducted in Dar es Salaam. 4
UNITE BLESSING CAMPAIGN
Fueling the growth of our Unite Scholars’ small business enterprises and providing essential food relief and living items to those in greatest need.
Unite awards each of our new scholars grants to start small businesses over their six-monthlong school breaks (which take place between the end of O Levels, Form 4, and the beginning of A Levels, Form 5) to help develop their entrepreneurial skills and earn money for their families. To support those businesses, we provide “blessing” funds to purchase their goods (e.g. chickens, eggs, charcoal, fruits and vegetables, soap, kitenge, etc.) and have the scholars then deliver those goods to the most vulnerable members of their communities (e.g. widows, single mothers, orphans, elderly, disabled, socially ostracized, extreme poverty). This not only instills the values of volunteerism, service, social responsibility, and the importance of outreach, but it also extends Unite’s reach and brand awareness throughout many of the most remote villages of Tanzania.
The Unite Blessing Campaign is part of how we penetetrate that “last mile,” and it is interesting to note that Unite’s signature green t-shirts often cause quite a stir, eliciting much interest and curiosity and opening doors for communication, sharing, and learning. (People regularly ask, “How do I get a Unite t-shirt?”)
Since the Unite Blessing Campaign first began during COVID in June 2020 . . .
86 Unite scholars and teammates have engaged in and benefitted from the program.
2,787 Tanzanians have been “blessed.”
UNITE FOOD PROGRAM
Unite Food Program (UFP) provides small-scale farmers across Tanzania with a secure market for their crops at fair market prices as well as healthy, tasty, and affordable staple food options for the Tanzanian people. Since UFP’s inception in 2021, the team has purchased nearly 2,500 TONS of maize. In 2023, UFP began fortifying its maize flour by installing a SANKU dossier on the mill through which essential micronutrients are infused into the flour. In 2024, maize and rice production jumped from an average of 50 tons a month to nearly 100 tons a month further penetrating the market across Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, and — in December — UFP added cassava flour to the product line. In 2025, the goal is to continue to penetrate new markets and increase sales to 150 tons monthly.
Full-time employees 6
Part-time employees 10
Performance-based employees 7
Unite Food Program also serves as a professional training ground for our Unite Scholars who come to UFP’s headquarters in Dar es Salaam (pictured above) to attend trainings that are uniquely tailored to where they are in their education journeys. Unite Scholars learn all aspects of the food products business, from the procurement of grains to logistics and processing, stock management, sales and marketing, distribution, finance management, quality-control programs, and more. As they get older, they learn more advanced business concepts, including market assessments, budgeting and bookkeeping, compliance and legal requirements, tax issues, and more. Unite Scholars also engage in short- and long-term paid internships at UFP’s HQ and at UFP’s outposts in Zanzibar and Sumbawanga to work closely with department managers for more hands-on pratical work experiences.
UNITE FOOD PROGRAM SOCIAL IMPACT WORK
REACH AT THE END OF 2024: 1,230 SMALL-SCALE FARMERS
Unite Food Program (UFP)’s Social Impact Work (SIW) focuses on purchasing grains from smallscale farmers who are in need of a fair and secure market for their harvests. Small-scale farmers make up 80% of farmers in Tanzania. UFP purchases quality grains (maize, rice, beans, cassava) from them at above market prices and provides them with 100-kg hermetic grain storage bags so they can safely hold back and store a portion of their harvests to feed their families (without having to apply harmful chemicals post harvest to prevent spoilage and pest infestation) and to serve as “grain banks” to sell in the coming months. (When food becomes scarce, prices skyrocket, which is the best time for these farmers to sell; however, without safe storage, their food will be spoiled by pest infestation and mold.)
UFP’s social impact work is generally conducted during harvest season, May through August, and to date we have operated in four regions of Tanzania: Katavi, Rukwa, Mbeya, and Iringa. Through UFP’s Social Impact Work, we are tackling the widespread problems faced by peasant and small-scale farmers of unfair markets and poor storage capabilities and proving that, when empowered, these farmers can achieve food security and create lasting change for themselves and their communities.
SUCCESS STORIES
Mama Rehema Ndila is the single mother of Leni, a Unite A-Level Scholar, and five other children in the Mbarali district of southern Tanzania. They live in a small, rented space. After her husband’s untimely death in 2009, his relatives took away all of the family assets, leaving Rehema with nothing. Rehema suffers from chronic illness and has a hard time working so her daughter (right) works the fields while Rehema makes home brew alcohol, which she then sells in the streets around their home. The other children (besides Leni who is sponsored by Unite) work as day laborers. In 2024, Unite purchased 2,400 kgs of super rice from Rehema. With her profits, she has rented more land for rice cultivation and has been able to provide basic needs for her family. “The Unite SIW Program has not only secured a market for our crops but has also given us the means to expand our small family farming business.” —Rehema Ndila
Lucas Peter Henry (left) is a Unite university scholar from Rukwa, Tanzania. Lucas farms with his guardians and their children. Lucas is the second of three children born to his mother. (Each of his siblings has a different father.) His mother died when Lucas was seven, and his stepfather left with Lucas’ older brother and hasn’t been heard from since. Lucas’s sister was then taken by her paternal grandparents, and Lucas went to live alone with his elderly grandmother. When Lucas was 15, his grandmother died, so Lucas went to work as a houseboy for a family with nine children, doing chores in exchange for room and board and the ability to complete primary school. This family now serves as his guardians and they farm for Unite Food Program’s (UFP) Social Impact Work. This year they sold to UFP 145 bags of maize and one bag of super rice. With their income, they have rented extra land for the next season and addressed the family’s basic needs and the children’s educational expenses.
WARRIOR FOR CHANGE INTEREST-FREE LOAN PROGRAM
Unite’s Warrior for Change (WFC) program is an interest-free lending and grant-making program designed to support Unite teammates, scholars, and their families by investing in and driving the growth of their small business enterprises.
$15,520 Invested since the program launched in June 2021.
$12,277 Loans paid back at the end of 2024.
54 Entrepreneurs who have received WFC grants and loans.
“Unite’s interest-free loans have been the game-changer for my business. The financial relief and guidance Unite has provided has given me hope and stability. In less than a year, I have successfully grown my business enough to provide for my two children. I’m truly grateful.”
—WFC loan recipient Joyce Munisi
SUCCESS STORIES
JOYCE MUNISI
Joyce is the mother of Unite’s photographer, IT specialist, and marketing teammate Richie Munisi. Joyce’s husband died in 2023 leaving her emotionally devastated and without work or income. Joyce was awarded WFC loan to launch a small business making petroleum-jelly-based skin care products. As her business grew, she repaid the first loan in full and received a second. In 2024, Unite purchased 80 of her creams as holiday gifts for Unite teammates and scholars, which allowed Joyce enough profit to begin diversifying her product line. Joyce’s sells online and through her home office. She has used her profits to pay her daughter’s nursing school fees and to support her family. In 2025 she plans to attend international sales events and sell through retailers across the country.
BARAKA SAADAM SAULI
Baraka Saadam Sauli, a young farmer working with Unite Food Program, has received a series of loans and grants from Unite, which he has used to open milling stations in his rural village. (Since WFC first began working with Baraka in 2020, he has built a thriving milling business in two villages and reached more than 12,000 customers to date). He also used his loans to purchase quality seeds and irrigation equipment. With his income, Baraka has puchased a power-tiller that helps with farming activities and creates income when he rents it out for use by other local farmers. Baraka not only works with Unite Food Program by building UFP’s base of small-scale farmers from whom to purchase harvests for the Social Impact Work, but he also supports our Unite Scholars Program by taking on scholars as interns to learn about agribusiness and entrepreneurship. Most recently, Baraka used another WFC loan to open a retail store with his wife to serve their community with food supplies and home goods. Baraka has earned enough funds over the past four years to purchase his own farm and employ more than 21 youth to support his businesses (eight of whom are employed full-time).
WHY IT MATTERS
UNITE & THE SDGs
In 2015, United Nations Member States came together as part of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to develop the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These 17 goals now serve as an urgent action call for all countries to implement as we work to achieve global peace and prosperity for humanity and the planet by 2030.
Unite’s programmatic work powerfully supports 8 of these goals.
All of Unite’s programs work to break the vicious cycle of extreme poverty, hopelessness, oppression, and wasted human potential.
The Unite Food Program supports sustainable agricultural practices and the empowerment of smallscale farmers who are the backbone of agribusiness across Africa. In addition to purchasing harvests at fair-market rates, UFP provides hermetic grain storage bags so farmers can safely hold back and store their crops to feed their families.
Through our comprehensive sponsorship program, Unite Scholars receive coverage for all medical care as well as access to potable water, beds, solar power, and improved sanitation systems.
Education is the key to escaping poverty, fostering tolerance, reducing gender inequalities, and promoting peace. Unite works to address the gaps in the education system with our unique Unite soft-skills and leadership curriculum. We also aim to shore up the digital divide by providing our scholars access to smart phones, computers, and the internet.
58% of our scholars are girls and 50% of the management at Unite Food Program are women. It is critical to educate, empower, and call to responsible action both men and women in order to create the systemic changes that are necessary to ensure respect, safety, and opportunity for all.
Unite equips our scholars with the skills and training necessary to successfully transition from academia into the global workforce, not only to achieve career success and financial indepenence but also to bring real solutions to employers seeking a competent workforce.
Women, children, and people living with disabilities are among the most vulnerable humans on the planet. Unite is committed to enrolling and empowering those who have no other places/people to which to turn. We work to ensure every Unite Scholar and team member lives with dignity, opportunity, and respect.
Unite’s commitment to combatting climate change is evident in our widescale Hummingbird tree planting and school gardens campaigns; our ongoing lessons in environmental stewardship; the provision of solar panels to scholars’ families in need; and the use (and distribution) of hermetic grain storage bags, which remove the need for the application of harmful chemicals post-harvest.
Did you know…? (World statistics)
1 in 3 women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence.
1/3 of the world’s food is wasted and yet 821 million people are undernourished.
1/5 th of young people are not in education, employment, or training of any kind.
* www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment
“I am filled with a sense of purpose and enormous gratitude when donating to Unite as I know that with my support children will receive quality education, life skills, and hope for a better life and long-term independence.”
—Patty Volpacchio, Unite Donor & Sponsor
2024 FINANCIALS
We are incredibly grateful to our donors who so generously make this work possible. Thank you!
Funds raised:
Number of unique donors: 176 $675,917
“I am inspired by the bright outlooks on life and tireless hard work of the Unite Scholars and want to support them as they work towards a brighter future and reach their dreams. ”
—Stacey Tucker, Unite Donor & Sponsor
“Unite does an excellent job of connecting donors to its scholars and mission. We receive regular updates, letters, and sometimes even poetry and artwork from the scholars we sponsor. Among the charities we support, Unite stands out in ensuring we understand the impact and importance of our gifts, making it a very easy decision for us to renew our support annually. We have photos of our sponsored scholars in our kitchen and look forward to someday meeting them in person in Tanzania.”
Candace and Tom Banks, Donors & Sponsors
100% Model.
The Unite Board commits to covering all operational costs, indirect, and administerative costs, which means 100% of donations go directly to programs.
Unite’s IRS Form 990s are available on GuideStar. To see more, visit: guidestar.org.
A GLIMPSE INTO 2025
The Next Class of Unite Scholars
As our scholars graduate from academia and achieve independence and self-sufficiency, spots open within our program for new scholars (Form 4 graduates). We anticipate taking on 18 new scholars in 2025.
A New Partnership with Youth United Nations Association (YUNA)
Unite and YUNA are partnering to provide professional training and volunteer opportunities to Unite Scholars as well as to enhance club curriculums for both organizations in service to youth across Tanzania.
New Unite Clubs
Our first Unite Club in Kenya will launch Q1, 2025, and three additional clubs will launch in Tanzania in 2025.
2025 Donor Events, Tanzania
Donors and friends of Unite are invited to travel to Africa with Unite and join us (as space allows) for some of our larger events. In partnership with Unite Tours, guests can combine time spent with our Unite family with such adventures as safari, climbs of Mt. Kilimanjaro, visits to Zanzibar and the gorillas, hunts with the Hadzabe, and much more. Our 2025 guest events include:
• March: Unite Kick-off Workshop for the new class of scholars. Dar es Salaam
• June: Unite Scholar Form 6 Graduation and training workshop. Morogoro
• October: Unite Leadership & Professional Development Summit. Arusha
The New Team of Unite Ambassadors
To assist with release of Unite’s two new documentary films (“A Candle in the Dark” and “Nurturing Unrecognized Potential”), we are thrilled and honored to welcome our new Unite team of Ambassadors, including Lele Bitting, Susan Cotter, Ilana Drimmer, Nina Evison, Kathy Haire, Tabitha Harper, Patty Kallmeyer, Gillian Kohli, Marion Mussafer, Kim Patrick, Nicole Nason, Laing Rikkers, Ruth Small, and Stacey Tucker. We also extend a very special thanks to St. Peter Lutheran Church (Southport, NC), The Church of Heavenly Rest (NYC), The Wheeler School (Providence), The Hope Club (Providence), and St. Andrews by the Sea (Little Compton, RI) for their warm welcome. Thank you all for championing & hosting events and for your great service to Unite.
“The impact of Unite’s support to our the Unite Scholars is immeasurable in that its outcome to the families and those surroucing them is everlasting. Unite has become one of the rare NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that has achieved its objectives beyond expectations.”
—Advisor Aristarik H. Maro
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, USA
Nicole Gerber
Steve Gerber
OUR TEAM
Nikki Gorman, MD
Helen Juarez
Kim Merriman
Anne Wells
David Wells
Debbie Wiley
“This Unite family is a treasure and has been transformational for me, enriching all aspects of my life.”
—Mentor, Trainer & Advisor (and graduate-level Unite Scholar) Dr. Raymond N. Mgeni
TANZANIA TEAM
Anty Marche | Program Director
Joan Mnzava | Unite Scholars Program Manager
Imani Faustine | Unite Scholars Program Assistant
Clara Wilson Ngowi | Unite Club Program Manager
Hosiana Thomas | Warrior for Change Program Manager & Unite Food Program Stock Controller
Richard Munisi | Marketing, IT, & Filmmaking
Romanus Mtunge | Unite Food Program Business Consultant
ADVISORS
Josephine Brunoski | RN, USA
Aristarik H. Maro The Law School of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam
Leonard Malasa MD, Tanzania
Raymond N. Mgeni | MD, Tanzania
Rehema Muniko | Academician, Tanzania
Dedan Runoba | Teacher, Tanzania
Eshaan Andrew Williams | MD, Tanzania
“What Unite is doing to all its beneficiaries is pure love, and surely we see proof of lives turning from lost hopes to unimaginable dreams.”
—Advisor Rehema Muniko
TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
HOSIANA THOMAS LAITAYOKI: Unite Food Program Stock Controller & Warrior for Change Program
A 27-year-old single mother, Hosiana is the last-born in a polygamous Maasai family. She grew up in the rural Mkuru village in northern Tanzania in a traditional Maasai community. Her home was a circular structure hand constructed using wood and clay and topped with a thatched grass roof. Her father has two wives (Hosiana’s mother being the second and lesser valued position) and eight children. In keeping with tradition, Hosiana’s family relies on their goats and cattle for food (milk) and income (sales of the animals).
Hosiana faced many challenges growing up, including extreme poverty and a bias against educating girls. Thanks to her mother’s persistence, Hosiana was allowed to enroll in a village government primary school in 2005, walking 12 kilometers from home back and forth every day. While in school, Hosiana excelled in her studies and was named Head Girl; however, it wasn’t easy as in Maasai culture girls and women are rarely allowed leadership positions of any kind. Between 2009 and 2011, a devastating drought wiped out her family’s cattle—their primary source of income—which meant her father had no more funds for her education.
In 2017, with a newborn baby in tow, Hosiana met Anne Wells at a Unite-sponsored women’s health training for Maasai women in Mkuru. The two began corresponding, and in 2018, Anne returned to Mkuru to request Hosiana’s father’s permission for Unite to sponsor her continued education. Once permission was granted, Hosiana enrolled in Tengeru Institute of Community Development, and following her successful graduation, Unite secured for her a year-long posting with a maternity hospital in Arusha. While there, Hosiana worked with
Manager
an outreach team teaching young women and mothers the critical importance of pre- and post-natal care. Later, in 2021, during the time of COVID, Hosiana returned to Mkuru to execute Unite’s Boma-2-Boma health education initiative, teaching Maasai community members about the importance of hygiene, sanitation, and disease control measures.
Once the COVID crisis passed in Tanzania in late 2021, Hosiana was hired to join the Unite Food Program team in Dar es Salaam. Since then, her roles have evolved and multiplied. Hosiana is extremely talented, trustworthy, strategic, and hardworking. She brings an exceptional attention to detail and superior accounting and project management skills to our team. Hosiana is respected and admired by all, and she and her young daughter Happiness (pictured right with UFP’s newest product, cassava flour) are beloved and cherished members of our Unite family.
Back in Mkuru, Hosiana’s success is evident to all. She has earned enough funds to send Happiness to a quality school; to purchase cattle of her own; and even to build a modern home for her mother outfitted with glass windows, cement walls and floors, and a roof made with iron sheets. Her father is proud and, according to Hosiana, he now sees the value of educating a girl.
“Unite showed me love and kindness when I felt like I had lost everything. From having no education and no opportunities, I now have a career, experience, and people who believe in me. I am proud of what I have achieved.”
—Hosiana Thomas Laitayoki
