Godfrey's Children Center is located in Idweli, Tanzania, a small farming village surrounded by mountains in the southern highlands.

Idweli is quite remote, located between the Tanzanian cities of Mbeya and Tukuyu, two hours from the Malawian border.

 

With a population of only 1300, the village has over 240 orphans.  Our center only has the capacity to house 50 of these children who are in the most need. 

 

HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in Idweli.  The rate of the disease is unknown, but the local doctor has said that 3 of 10 adults who come for voluntary testing are found to be positive. A week rarely passes without at least one funeral; usually there are several funerals per week.

 

The average daily income is $.70 USD; the primary source of income is agriculture with the major crops being maize, potatoes, and beans.  Many of the residents are simply subsistence farmers.

 

Life in this poor village is challenging.  No one in the village has indoor plumbing, and only a handful have electricity. When the main water source is clogged (sometimes for weeks at a time), the girls and women of the village must carry water over two kilometers from the river.