Category: Africa

Combating climate change one tree at a time in Tanzania

Tanzania is home to one of the largest tree covers in the world, covering more than 118 million acres of land—larger than the entire state of California—and covering more than half of the country’s rugged landscape.  Forests help fuel the national economy and provide sanctuary for the country’s abundant wildlife, but these forests are at risk…. Read more »

Helping girls attend Secondary School in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s education reform in 1980 aspired to provide free and universal education to all children through the Zimbabwe Education Act; however, tuition fees and education costs have accumulated over time. Many families pay for tuition, even if it is a small fee at public government schools. 85% of children aged 6-12 attend primary school, but only 45% attend secondary school, and in rural… Read more »

Edith del Junco: Clean water for Zimbabwe

Edith del Junco first traveled with Grand Circle in 1998 at the age of 80 and went on to visit Zimbabwe on the Ultimate Africa tour 2 years later. Edith fell in love with Africa, and Zimbabwe in particular, and wished to help the people of Zimbabwe. When Edith died and left a significant estate to… Read more »

Craig W provides sanitary wear for girls in Zimbabwe

In 2015, Grand Circle Foundation surveyed their sponsored sites around the world in regards to access to clean water and general sanitation, and the responses were rather alarming. Out of the 81% of sites that responded, we learned that only 14% could rate their water and sanitation as Excellent. Of the remainder, 19% were rated… Read more »

Technology for Tanzania

In early March, Grand Circle Foundation had an incredible 36 hours rolling out projects in East Africa. Most important, of course, is the impact these projects will have on the schools that we support. On a busy Friday, the Foundation funded four projects at Tanzania’s Njia Panda and Changarawe Primary Schools, with the goal of bringing the… Read more »

Hugh Thurnauer’s Lasting Legacy

Hugh Thurnauer, a 7-time traveler from Mason, OH, had donated a total of $30,500 to Grand Circle Foundation by the time of his death at age 97, providing scholarships for 24 students in Tanzania and Kenya. He never lost touch with the Foundation, expressing a keen interest in the students he supported and frequently reaching… Read more »

Kristina Tester: So Others May Learn

Kristina Tester founded So Others May Learn in 2006 when she was 14 years old and visited Ngamo Primary School on an Overseas Adventure Travel trip to Zimbabwe. Kristina was touched and inspired by the students she met and shocked that many of them could not continue to secondary school because of funding. She decided… Read more »

Ali Mae Reagan Memorial Fund

Alison Mae Regan—”Ali,” to her family and friends—was a gifted athlete … an excellent student … and a friendly, blonde young woman with a big heart and a warm smile. After graduating from college, she devoted herself with energy and enthusiasm to her job as a teacher at a school for autistic children. Too soon,… Read more »

Pets Providing Pedals

Since the first bikes were donated to students in Tanzania, Naomi and Mark have raised enough funds through their program, Pets Providing Pedals, to provide 1500 bikes for students and villagers.  The most recent distribution was at Tarangire Primary and Tloma Primary Schools. Each child was vetted to see how many days they had been… Read more »