Our Leadership
President & Co-Founder - Laurie P. Evans
Secretary & Co-Founder - Samantha Evans Moore
Director of Education - Betsy Hoke
Director of Development - Ian McCluskey
Vice President - Cathy Jones
Treasurer - Bobby Moore
Program Manager - Ombeni Kitoi Majenja
How the Journey Began…
In 2010, Samantha Evans and her future husband Bobby Moore spent two months teaching English at POSA, a small preschool in the Usa River area outside of Arusha, Tanzania. The couple fell in love with the children and committed to sponsoring two of them. Upon returning to Miami, their enthusiasm was contagious. Families and friends soon got involved. The Afrikids program was born.
In the beginning, Afrikids funded small projects at the POSA preschool, building latrines, paying for daily deliveries of fruits and vegetables, and renting classrooms. When the time came for the kids to move on to primary school, friends and family chipped in to pay the school fees at a boarding school nearby. The program has continued to grow over the years. Today, we fund the education of 132 students at schools in the Usa River area. Of those 132 students, 37 are “POSA kids” from that little preschool where it all started.
… & How It Has Evolved (Grown!)
Afrikids has grown more than anyone dared imagine. We began by improving classrooms at the POSA preschool. Then, when six of the children were ready for primary school, we enrolled them at Usa River Academy, a nearby boarding school. Today, nearly 15 years later, we support a total of 132 students at different schools around the country. More than 30 students are now in senior high school, with 17 attending Makumira High School in Usa River. We also have 13 secondary school students at The Voice School, a coed boarding school in Usa River, and 25 younger students at Imbaseny Peace Primary, a day school also near Usa River.
A Tanzania Love Story
Just as Samantha and Bobby fell in love with the kids, so did everyone else who has since become involved with Afrikids. Many of our 24 sponsors have had the opportunity to visit Arusha and the students. It is a special experience. Tanzania is a beautiful country to be sure, but life for many Tanzanians is challenging. It is heartwarming and immensely rewarding to see how the donations of so many caring people have improved the lives of our students. The photos below capture some of the love that makes it all worthwhile. Note: Samantha Evans and her family have ties to East Africa through their aviation company Africair, Inc., which has been a supporter of Afrikids since its inception.
