Home-Building Expedition Blogs

We often hear stories of families in Africa walking miles each day to collect water, but sometimes this can feel like a distant problem to those of us living in the UK. Yesterday, for our team of Robertson Trust volunteers working on the site of Efata’s new home, this familiar story became a reality.  When mixing the cement for the building's secure foundations, many litres of water are required to create the appropriate consistency. The closest water source was a 30 minute walk away, through sunflower and maize plantations, over dry river beds, and up a steep hill via a twisty, red dirt track. The team spent most of the…

Jambo! The first few days of our Robertson Trust Tanzania Twenty (T20) Home-Building Expedition in Tanzania have been very busy and lots of fun! On Sunday, we visited Moshi Christian Children's Centre, where we were greeted by some beautiful singing and dancing, and enjoyed playing games with the children. Monday was our first day on the home-building worksites. We divided into two teams, with half of the group travelling to the site of James Chonjo and his brother Fabian's new home, while the others broke ground on a new house for Efata and her family. We also visited our local partners, Tanzania Women Research Foundation…

In March 2016, a team of Vine Trust volunteers travelled to Tanzania to support our partners, TAWREF, in the construction of a home for a widow, Rabisante. Rabisante lived with her eight children in a small mud and wooden house, with only two beds for the whole family to share. Rabisante supported her children by fetching water and washing clothes for local families, as well as working in the plantations. As a single mother, life was tough as she struggled to provide for her children each day. Since moving into their new home, the knowledge that they have a secure and…

In just over two years, the Kirk of Calder, in the small West Lothian village of Mid Calder, has raised over £76,000 towards the construction of a children's home in Tanzania! Launched in September 2014, the Kirk of Calder’s project will support Vine Trust’s charitable work in Tanzania, and specifically the construction of a large children's home in the Kilimanjaro region. With the support of neighbouring churches and the local community, the Kirk of Calder is racing towards its fundraising target of £85,000 by the autumn of 2017! The local community have organised events and undertaken a variety of fundraising…

In September this year I spent an amazing three weeks in Tanzania, returning there for my 3rd time. It was a truly special experience and one I yet again will never forget. The first week of my adventure was spent taking part in a Vine Trust Care expedition, which then led on to a two-week home building expedition, during which the group were involved in building 3 family homes.  I spent time in a primary school called Rafiki Foundation, where the children living at the Kimashuku Children’s Centre attend.  I visited their classrooms, spending time in music and geography classes,…

Kelvin, 16, was homeless. The young Tanzanian schoolboy had to move in with his cousins and his dream of becoming an engineer was disappearing. It wasn’t until our volunteers at Vine Trust were called in to build him and his family a home brick by brick, that his dreams were given a new lease of life. Many children and their families in Tanzania have a story like Kelvin’s. The devastating effects of poverty and HIV are tearing families apart, often forcing young boys to provide for their families rather than getting an education and following their dreams. When we returned…