27 June 2023

2022/23 was a busy year.

Recap of projects in 2022

We engaged in 3 big projects that built on each other:

1. Green Team training to manage projects - planning/budgets, planting, recording & reporting farm activities to ensure accountability.

2. New training skills applied in a collaborative learning experience with interns from Kampala International University over months.

3. Green team developing a Business Plan to demonstrate how Rainbow Ridge & its SPEC can work toward financial sustainability.

Business Plan & Action in 2023

The Business Plan required we hire a full time suitable qualified farm manager. Through intensive search/interviews, CA retained Frank Kimaro as farm manager.

Frank is eminently qualified - formerly educated with a bachelor of science in Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness and having worked extensively in sustainable agricultural projects in Tanzania including developing and marketing organic product lines.

In April, Frank started the job running and by the end of the first quarter, he was busy reporting on the staging of CA's initial 1-3 year projects from the Business Plan which included:

• a syllabus and program for Rainbow Ridge/the SPEC’s first internationally offered practical training course in permaculture design/regenerative agriculture for local and international students .

• planning for hosting interns, students, volunteers - adult accomodation on site.

• programs for students and volunteers to assist different income generating activities on site.

• start of the koolorganics project - commercial growing of in demand crops, herbs, spices, fruits and plant nursery.

• start of open pollinated seedbank - saving seed for sale and outreach programs

• planning permaculture outreach work - both paid and charitable.

20 June 2022

Educational Partnerships Bear Fruit for Kids, Community and Students

Hope you are all well and the first half of 2022 has treated you kindly. Please do consider making a tax deductible donation before the end of financial year to assist us changing lives.

Enjoy the following update!

From Hardship Brings Opportunity

We previously shared CA’s intentions to turn global restrictions into opportunities to enhance our partnerships with community and develop our educational program at Rainbow Ridge.

And that is exactly what we have done and continue to do.

We have maintained and continue to:

1. support local families to care for 19 CA kids

2. partner with Sinya Primary Boarding School in the care/education of 16 CA Kids

3. educate our Green team through advanced permaculture training at Rainbow Ridge

4. transform Sinya Primary Boarding School into a thriving environment of abundance

5. conduct permaculture internships for Ugandan environmental science uni students

Kids & Community

Our CA “child guardians” (Gretha and Waride) - who provide outreach oversight of our CA Kids in family/Sinya School care and education - report that our kids are thriving in their new environments.

Our first hand chats with the kids confirm this.

Often progress and success is best portrayed by pictures and we believe this is one of those times. 

The following pics share “together time” at Rainbow Ridge.  When school term ends, our kids return Home to Rainbow Ridge where their other CA brothers and sisters now with local families join them.  CA kids, parents and staff get to share the magic moments.

Your support has been pivotal in this progress.  It is most valued.  If you would like to donate or sponsor one of our kids, please go to our sponsorship page here.

Garden To Plate - G2P - Sinya Primary School

Exciting times! Work has begun! - all design parameters have now been physically marked out on site, green fences have been planted and are growing and our gardens have started.

The bore hole drilling and building has commenced.

Once this is complete and water is flowing, the exciting task of planting thousands of plants and trees will begin starting with Zone 1 - kitchen gardens so we can start growing food as soon as possible. 

Turning sand into soil to grow quality/nutritious food will take some time, but with the years of permaculture education under their belts, we know our Green Team will guide the Sinya students/staff and locals to success.  From the photos, you can see the keen engagement of the students and staff in this project.

Rainbow Ridge Spec Thrives As Education Hub

Garden to Plate - G2P - Starts at Home

Rainbow Ridge is proving to be one of the truly pre-eminent demonstration sites/homes of permaculture in East Africa.

The abundance and diversity of food is always growing as the Green Team spends early 2022 honing their planning, recording and reporting skills to prove the site fulfils its purpose as a model of sustainability producing a substantiated diverse range of local organic food in abundance.

This education has included a comprehensive site review/assessment as to nutrition requirements, food availability, plant/growing requirements, planting methods/regimes, staff needs/schedules and record/report keeping to name a few.

Again pictures speak louder than words - Green Team attend further training under tutelage of Greg Knibbs and Maurice Obuya.

Following this training, June 2022 kicked off with the arrival of 8 University Students from Kampala University, Uganda - Environmental Science faculty.  Their collaboration with our Green Team under the ongoing tutelage of Greg Knibbs is proving invaluable to both groups as they work on the plans and objectives from the site assessment developed by the Green Team.

See both teams collaborating - learning & working together - in true permaculture spirit.

Please donate to our Educational Program to assist us in offering the Local Community and others quality lifesaving education here.

Keep tuned for the introduction of our Permaculture Design Courses hosted by our Green Team and Greg Kniggs/Edge 5 Permaculture at Rainbow Ridge and our SPEC (Sustainability Practices Education Centre) - where the magic happens - for late 2022/2023 - local and international students welcome.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

All the best for 2022.

CA Team

10 December 2021

COVID Challenges & Community Partnership Drives CA Forward

2021 has been a transitional year for CA both on site at Rainbow Ridge and with the wider community.

YOUR SUPPORT

Our Commitment to the Care of Children is stronger than ever.  It is now delivered with community in a more collaborative and sustainable way while achieving our more advanced Organisational Objectives.

In addition to the 35 CA children we currently support individually, we are now supporting even more vulnerable and poor children that attend Sinya Primary School and those living in the surrounding community.

These children and their community need YOUR continued support and generosity.

KIDS & COMMUNITY

As we shared in 2020, COVID-19 restrictions resulted in the temporary relocation of CA kids to community families. This allowed CA to consider differently how local community might care for vulnerable children permanently in a more sustainable way.

Through negotiation with local families and a local primary boarding school, we are excited to report the following developments:

1. 19 of our CA kids are now living with local families - for whom we provide in-kind support as needed - extra food, schooling costs, medical needs, tools and infrastructure needs.

2. CA has formally partnered with Sinya Primary School - local public boarding school - to share in the education/care of our remaining 16 kids while we work with them on site in transforming the whole school site into another community demonstration site in sustainability for all school children, their staff, their parents and the local community.

The Sinya School Project is our first large community outreach project and the task is mammoth.

Check out the current condition of the site here.

But we know with our experience at Rainbow Ridge and your support we can do it.

The CA Green Team & Management Staff are now teaching/training school staff, students and local families at the SPEC (Rainbow Ridge), the school and community homes in all relevant aspects of sustainable living.

Our CA Care Staff oversee the welfare of CA kids and all kids subject of our projects.

CA’s agreements to partner with local schools AND local families as part of our “Garden to Plate” Program - G2P and community outreach work - are made on the strict basis that these parties formerly commit to subjecting students/staff/parents/community to our training courses with practical classes conducted on site at the school and families homes - real transformations.

Partnering with schools AND families allows us to gain the trust and commitment of community to encourage greater community education and transformation from nothing to sustainability.

Watch this space - it will be exciting and it will happen.

RAINBOW RIDGE

You may recall that last year heralded the start of our new “GARDEN to PLATE” program - G2P

G2Ps AIM: TO ensure how and what we grow in the garden RESULTS in the most nutritious and abundant food on plate.

Under tutelage of sustainability experts Greg Knibbs and Maurice Obuya, our Green Team has - amidst two lengthy bi-annual intensive training courses - transformed Rainbow Ridge further.

The refinement of design including syntropic farming techniques and the introduction of new indigenous seeds and plant species has taken Rainbow Ridge to the next level as a sustainability demonstration and teaching site.

A big thank you to each of you for your ongoing support! Let’s make Christmas special for those who need it most. 

Take care & be happy!

Your Communities Assist Team

9 December 2020

COVID 19 and the challenges we faced on the ground in Tanzania

The volunteer team who travelled to Rainbow Ridge in February 2020 returned to Australia with little time to spare in avoiding the disruptions that were to come. Mandatory quarantine was hours away with several of the team opting to self-isolate as a precautionary measure.

It seems COVID restrictions were slower to reach Tanzania which gave us time to anticipate how to best pivot in the interests of our African family and friends.

Once COVID became apparent in the local community, the fear factor rose immensely and managing the situation from afar was dynamic to say the least.

The Australian board, in conjunction with the local Tanzanian board responded to issues as they arose and a phoenix of sorts has risen out of the ashes so to speak and a new improved model and maturing of our original concept is the result.

We go into 2021 with many exciting new initiatives underway and a clearer vision for the future.. Below are just a few examples:

• New “Garden to Plate” concept and planting regime with a laser focus on improved nutrition across the board at the centre.

• Indigenous food and plants sourced of a higher order and variety (as opposed to starchy and fibrous low nutritional, low cost options the team are used to consuming)

• Improved communication platforms

• Innovative and sustainable community based childcare programmes

• Extended outreach programmes for the local community and a net cast to identify future leaders and collaborators.

• Broader based educational programmes offered to the wider community from our education facility (SPEC) which has now been completed and set up fit for purpose. English lessons, permaculture and sustainable farming classes and regular yoga classes (with options available for teacher training qualifications. ) Music and comprehensive library resources are now available.

• Qualified English teacher engaged. Qualified Yoga instructors, Expert permaculture Teacher.

9 December 2020

Meet Our Sponsors

“I attended a fundraiser eight years ago, hosted by Rodney and Mari Sen at my favourite local restaurant, Barzura in Coogee. I was moved by the work this homegrown organisation was doing in supporting children whose families had been ravaged by HIV & AIDS.

I was already supporting a small orphanage in Johannesburg but felt compelled to do something in addition for this particular charity. I asked my financial adviser to help me with an affordable strategy and set up a modest savings plan to achieve this goal. I am in a good position now to sustainably support these 2 small charities long term.

As I was born in Africa and had backpacked extensively throughout the continent as a 23yr old, I witnessed first-hand the struggles and the poverty suffered by the people but I still found myself shocked by the large number suffering from blindness. I loved the people I met on my travels and appreciated their hopes for a better future and their cheerfulness under such deprivations.

I feel a special  affinity with the children living under Mount Kilimanjaro, as I climbed the mountain in 1973 and would have looked out over the village and surrounding land which was to become Rainbow Ridge”

26 June 2020

In COVID We Adapt & Thrive

COVID 19 has rocked our world and brought unexpected challenges to all communities. CA and Rainbow Ridge are no exception.

It was claimed that poor communities are generally at much greater risk of significant health and economic impacts from COVID 19. However, at Rainbow Ridge, our aim is to prove that this need not be the case.

Please watch our latest video below which shares our success and vision - and how with your help, we will not only survive this crisis but adapt and thrive.

CA's Plans 

CA Kids and Staff

Over the last 3 months, we have reshaped our care and development work - adapting to a COVID new normal.

Our plan was not just survive - but determine how we best ADAPT & THRIVE.

So as soon as the pandemic took hold in the west, we adapted and prepared our staff and kids for the inevitable challenges of the restriction with COVID life.

Our social workers fast tracked 2 years of ground work investigations to reintroduce 8 of our kids to new, permanent, safe and healthy family environments.

This remarkable achievement ensured we could decrease our staff levels so that only those staff that could actually live on site remained working at Rainbow Ridge - excepting those few workers that are required to work within and beyond our gates - but who have no physical contact with in-house staff or children.

All working staff have been trained in new mandatory cleanliness and safe distancing practices at Rainbow Ridge and beyond to keep a lid on infection.

Any vulnerable children and staff with elderly or vulnerable family are no longer working or residing at Rainbow Ridge to reduce the potential for infection that could have significant adverse health consequences to them and their loved ones.

We have adopted a cautious approach given that all children will be likely required to return to School nationally in the very near future.

Those children and staff who are unable to work or live on site have chosen to fall under our new CA care program and care packages to assist them and their families/guardians during the COVID period with basic necessities - particularly food.  Your financial assistance would be greatly appreciated.

CA’s Project Work

2020 was shaping up as CA's golden year where we embarked on vamping up CA’s community sustainability education program and courses at our SPEC - including 2 x 2 week intense workshops with Greg Knibbs and our Green Team followed by much field work in the community led by the Green Team.

COVID restrictions and effects have put those plans on hold but allowed us to replan our future by consolidating our in-house education and the quality of our demonstration site.

Our newly planned project for 2020 has now been designed and aptly named “GARDEN TO PLATE” where our whole focus for 2020 will be on improving the design, quality and volume of the food we grow and produce on site - translating to a super diverse, organic and healthy diet for our staff and kids.  

This will be no mean feat where we have trained professional nutritionists assisting our sustainability experts with this endeavour.  We are investing in a satellite dish or like at the SPEC to improve our internet connection so we can hold bi-weekly educational sessions between our experts and our Green Team.

So the objective now is to not only practice and teach communities how to produce foods sustainably to survive but produce the best foods to thrive.

CA’s Team Paves the Way

Our “GARDEN TO PLATE" Project is only ripe to run now because of our late 2019/2020 volunteer works and donations - thanks to all involved,

Our larger works included: 

1. Greg Knibbs and John O’Reilly Sustainability teaching workshop in December 2019 - for staff and community.

2. Livingroom Yoga School and Barzura’s annual community service retreat to Rainbow Ridge - led by Mari Pizzinga & Georgia Brownlee

3. Emjay Insurance Golf Day - run by our trusty Emjay team - Mario, Jeff, Jordan/Smokey & Matt.

You are all familiar with Greg, John and Emjay’s wonderful work so we thought in this newsletter we would focus on the work of some of our newest CA team members that tripped over with Mari and crew.

Their experiences are best shared by some of the videos created by a professional videographer by the name of Cristian Trujillo - one of our newest team members that we hope can continue to share his skills to promote our work - particularly to those small and large businesses that have CSR budgets.  Our track record is now worthy of support as shared in Cristian’s videos. 

Thank you Cristian and team and all our volunteers and supporters that donate and offer their precious time and money to support our work.

We, the kids and the staff and the local community are most grateful for your support.

30 October 2019

From a SPEC to Abundance

In last News, we shared with you the Transformation of Rainbow Ridge through our MUST SEE INSPIRING VIDEO - “TRANSFORMING RAINBOW RIDGE”

It talked of CA's Sustainability Practices Education Centre (SPEC) - where we teach our staff and local community how to transform their homes into sustainable living environments through the application of sustainability principles, practices, technologies and solutions.

But our SPEC is also a place where we seek to transform physical and mental health and vocational opportunities. That's why we introduced SPEC Yoga in February 2019 and why we are now introducing SPEC English and SPEC Sewing. Soon we will have SPEC Music and SPEC Dance. Please DONATE to support our programs. The more you help, the more we do.

All courses are available to CA Kids, staff and community.

The name SPEC is not only the acronym for our Sustainability Practices Education Centre.

It also captures the nature of our work. Our mission is to transform from nothing - from the SPEC to abundance through effective demonstration, education and practice - whether the improvement is in the quality/volume of the land, resources, food, language, or physical and mental well-being (through vocational training, yoga, music, dance or just a healthy environment). 

The success of CA’s demonstration and education program is best reflected by:

• the growth of trees and plants with improved fertility and soil condition;

• the growth in the volume/quality of nutritious organic food produced on site;

• the healthy and peaceful environment in which the kids and staff now live and work and

• the improved physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our CA family at Rainbow Ridge.

Pictures speak a thousand words.

The kids and staff have really taken to yoga and meditation which are well proven tools to increase health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally.

Special thanks to our local CA Green Team that tend to the land and our caring staff that feed, care, educate and love our kids.

Lessons For Us All - Education Collaboration

To build on the quality of demonstration and education we provide at Rainbow Ridge and the SPEC, we have this year collaborated with Sydney University and Clayton Utz Lawyers in a novel partner project between tertiary, industry and community.

The project is aimed at exploring the additional sustainable practices and technologies that CA can showcase and teach at Rainbow Ridge to address local issues such as:

• Sustainable approaches to food production

• Post-harvest technologies

• Alternative renewable energy generation

• Sanitation of water

• Water/waste water management and recycling

This project involves interdisciplinary groups of students from different faculties/backgrounds assessing issues in a local project context to identify strategies and solutions that can be successfully implemented and employed.

If you would like to share in any of our sustainability work first hand, we are staging 2 educational and vocational experiences in the next 6 months:

1. Sustainability Practical Training Course - staff and community - Rainbow Ridge - 5 -18 December 2019 - convened by Greg Knibbs.

2. Vocational Trip - “Moving Mountains not Climbing Them” - 27 Feb-15 March 2020.

Moving Mountains, Not Climbing Them

Location: Moshi - Tanzania - Foot of Mt Kilimanjaro plus Zanzibar Island stay.

Accomodation: Moshi- Keys Lodge (11 nights), Zanzibar- Panga Chumvi Beach Resort (3 nights). Accommodation is modest but comfortable

Daily Schedule: Morning Yoga at our hotel > day at Rainbow Ridge volunteering > afternoon meditation/reflection back at the hotel > dinner.

We are not charging anything to be your guides over the 10 days, you will just need to pay the travel expenses. Approximate total will be $5-6K AUD. 

We are calling anyone who feels the pull to be of service and contribute to this amazing project in Africa!  Some volunteering examples: yoga classes, music sessions, photography & videography for marketing, permaculture/gardening, building/labouring, painting, health & education services etc.

To get a sense of what your trip to Rainbow Ridge might be like, see UPLIFTING VIDEO of our team's experience last year - ”CA YOGA AT RAINBOW RIDGE” It will make your heart glow.

CA is a proven team that creates real and sustainable transformations to the lives of those in need.  

Link us to your CSR program at work & join our growing list of corporates working with us to transform the lives of children and communities in need.

If you are interested in either trip, please email info@communitiesassist.org

25 June 2019

Transforming Rainbow Ridge - The Video

When John O’Reilly (CA) and Greg Knibbs (Edge 5 Permaculture) conducted a 2 week training course with our local sustainability team at Rainbow Ridge in November 2018,  they took some video footage of the site.

We have now compared this footage with older footage of 5-6 years earlier and produced a MUST SEE INSPIRING VIDEO - “TRANSFORMING RAINBOW RIDGE” It will blow your mind!

Thank you to all our supporters for helping us realise this milestone.  Onwards and Upwards we Go.

Please DONATE as we embark on educating the local community on the remarkable benefits of sustainable living – as John and Greg head back to Tanzania in November 2019 to conduct a community based sustainability education course at our newly completed SPEC (Sustainability Practices Education Centre).

CA Yoga’s Trip To Rainbow Ridge

In Feb 2019, Mari Pizzinga & The Yoga Travel Company returned to Rainbow Ridge with another 10 very skilled and enthusiastic volunteers to achieve very clear goals in a very short number of days. 

1. Team Children & Staff – Angela & Alexandra Brownlee interviewed all the children and staff members to create current profiles for each to be able to build upon in future but also to develop systems for creating content to keep valued supporters, sponsor updated on the children’s progress. 

2. Team Building- Nic & Ray Brownlee- Were able to bring the SPEC to practical completion by fitting in windows, doors and joinery while training the local joiner to complete works after we had left. 

3. Team Yoga- Georgia Brownlee, Tammy Shemesh, Fran Guajardoa- were able to launch a clear Yoga Program in collaboration two Tanzanian AYP trained qualified yoga teachers who have been holding Yoga one Sunday every month.  Two classes are taught on these Sundays.  One for the older children ( their school friends) and CA staff and another for the younger children and CA mammas.   

4. Support Team- Irene sen, Ella Crowley, Maeve Gordon were invaluable! Doing all the most intense and random jobs which included sorting and cleaning out shipping containers filled with children’s clothes, toys; books; furniture, tools; musical instruments etc which have been donated over the last 10 years.  These 3, with the hand of a few of the others also painted one of the new class rooms of the SPEC.   

CA’s Georgia Brownlee prepared this UPLIFTING VIDEO of their experience ”CA YOGA AT RAINBOW RIDGE” It will make your heart glow.

Thank You CA Yoga!!!!

Inspired - all you Yogies out there – invite your schools to assist the CA yoga team to bring the wonderful benefits of yoga to Tanzania.

Contact us at info@communitiesassist.org or +61 404 241 239

CA Golf Day

In March this year, our Team at Emjay Insurance and clientele ran another hugely successful annual golf day at St Michael’s Golf Course raising a whopping $32,000 which greatly assists our annual operating costs at Rainbow Ridge.

We could not do the work without you.

A big thank you to Mario, Jeff, Jordan, Smokey, Matt and all the team for being part of CA’s drive to help children and communities in need through sustainability.

This is a highly successful corporate run event that recognises and appreciates the work that CA does. 

CA is a proven entity that creates real and sustainable transformations to the lives of those in need.  Link us to your CSR program at work & join our growing list of corporates working with us to transform the lives of children and communities in need.

26 December 2018

Rainbow Ridge - That's Progress

With the great fundraising efforts this year from far and wide, Rainbow Ridge and CA Kids are hurtling toward showcasing a truly sustainable living environment.

To all our supporters – too many to mention – thank you!!!

You have helped transform 5 acres of barren unproductive land into a rich, fertile productive oasis which over 30 kids/local carers/staff now call home.

And Rainbow Ridge is not any ordinary home.    

This home demonstrates how we can live sustainably and enjoy all that nature provides.  It showcases how the locals too can transform their land and lives through sustainable practices.   

See our SPEC enveloped by the vegetation now on site.

While we don’t have all the modern gadgets at Rainbow Ridge, our kids/local team now:

• eat healthy organic food every day;

• drink clean spring water every day and

• work and play outside every day - breathing in clean air and experiencing the impacts of nature at its best.

At Rainbow Ridge, we maximise opportunity – our local team strive to get the most out of all elements on site where all output is utilised by other elements so increasing productivity/quality and minimising waste

The result - WOW!!!!  Thank you team.

Support our team’s great progress.

On the Ground at Rainbow Ridge

Training

Last month, Greg Knibbs (Edge 5 Permaculture) and John O’Reilly travelled to Rainbow Ridge to conduct a 2 week training course with our local sustainability team.

The growth in vegetation witnessed from only 6 months prior was phenomenal as seen behind John, Neema and some of our little kids.

It is true to say we are past the initial stages of slow/juvenile growth. The site is now thriving.  We are in the midst of compiling current video footage with that from 5-6 years ago to share our PROGRESS.  Coming Soon.

The results have certainly surpassed our expectations – not just the size of vegetation, but the fertility of the site and the quality of the soil.

Having said that, there is so much more to do.  While we have dramatically increased the supply of our food from garden to kitchen, we are not yet at 100%.  That’s one goal.

We know that growth comes from learning and improved application – our progress is no different.  Our training continues to ram home the basics in respect of watering, composting, mulching, weeding, pest management, tree maintenance/pruning and planting/seed sowing.

It was great to see Greg and local teacher, John Laizer, motivate and ignite the passion in our workers to learn through intelligent design, practice and the celebration of results. 

Building Works – the SPEC and Clayton Hall

Progress continues with our SPEC (Sustainability Practices Education Centre) – as we are now fitting out the inside rooms and painting.  Like any SPEC should, it nestles into the newly created environment beautifully.

We look forward to continuing our education with the local community at our new SPEC in 2019.

The renovation of Clayton Hall also nears completion with new roof, new verandahs, floors and paint job - a fine meeting hub for our kids, team and visitors. 

The Kids

Throughout 2018, we have had success in reuniting some of our CA kids back with extended family – where they continue as part of the CA family while we assist them as required in respect of education, clothing and any other miscellaneous needs.

See Esther, Fatael and Johnson preparing to join their Grandpa who with our support has taken on custody.

Reintegration of our kids back with family and community fulfils our mission and allows us to take on additional orphaned or abandoned kids who lack adequate family support.

Our next newsletter, will share some stories from Neema – our social welfare Mama – regarding the journeys of our kids – those reuniting with relatives and those just joining our family. 

For now, please consider joining us as a CA parent today and Sponsor a Child so that we can continue to provide the brightest futures possible for CA Kids. 

For more stories, information and weekly updates, please join us on Facebook.

Thanks for your ongoing support.

14 June 2018

Demonstration of Sustainability

Much has been happening at Rainbow Ridge and time to share with lots more new photos in our various galleries.

Before doing so, thank you so much to everyone who attended our amazing event on Friday the 22nd of June at Dexus Place and to all our supporters who were unable to attend but who donated anyway <3. We're truly humbled that together we raised approximately $65k!!! This covers over half our annual running costs. This is truly amazing!

Thank you also to all of our volunteers: LeeAnne Wilson, Marcus, Vincent and Gabby of Clayton Utz, Zoe, Eleni, Dyah, Benne and photographer Lara from Barzura, to the musicians Emanuel Leiberfrund and Afro Moses. A big thank you also to Alexandra Brownlee of Dexus Properties for organising such an ideal venue and to Jamie Toko and her wonderful staff at 1 Farrer, many thanks for your hard work and support.

Please see our pics of the event here.

On the Ground at Rainbow Ridge

The Site – Demonstration of Sustainability

Rainbow Ridge is truly blossoming into a sustainable village. Each year the site grows in abundance – the transformation is hard to believe.  See before and after shots in our new spiffy Sustainability – the Land Gallery.

This is largely due to the unique and intelligent swaling/garden bed design and planting implemented by Greg Knibbs and our permaculture team. Impressive! Thank you!!

The land between the swales is more fertile than 4 years ago as the water has not run off the landscape. It has been captured in the soil – creating a slow-moving reservoir beneath the topsoil.

This accounts for the plant/tree growth all over (citrus trees now bearing fruit). Visit the pics in our new Sustainability - the Land Gallery. 

The Sustainable Practices Education Centre - SPEC

Thanks to Vince Dyck, his volunteer team & our TZ builders/staff, our SPEC is currently 2/3 complete.

Visit the pics in our new Sustainability – the Spec Gallery which showcases our work so far.

While building has slowed in the last month with heavy rains, it is now back on track with completion is expected in 2 months - ready to host our 1st International Permaculture Design Course/Nov 2018 taught by Greg Knibbs for international and local students.

Successful practices can now be demonstrated and proved – and locals can replicate our success.

Thanks to the Keneally Foundation for sharing our vision with this project.

Clayton Hall

After losing our roof in a big storm, we have now replaced it.  The hall is also undergoing renovation which we will showcase on completion.

While building has slowed in the last month with heavy rains, it is now back on track with completion is expected in 2 months - ready to host our 1st International Permaculture Design Course/Nov 2018 taught by Greg Knibbs for international and local students.

Successful practices can now be demonstrated and proved – and locals can replicate our success.

Thanks to the Keneally Foundation for sharing our vision with this project.

Clayton Hall

After losing our roof in a big storm, we have now replaced it.  The hall is also undergoing renovation which we will showcase on completion.

They learn how their environment provides for them – the importance of respecting that which feeds them - eager to learn from our staff - be it sowing seeds, watering, mulching, picking veggies/fruit.  Some of our older ones are often spotted watching and helping with the building works.  See the pics in our Sustainability – the Land Gallery  and Kids and Staff Gallery to see how the CA kids spend their time with fun and chores.

They are blessed to be breathing in healthy air and eating healthy organic food – unlike the unhealthy foods to which many of our kids are regularly exposed. However, we know we can do so much more in this space. 

So What’s New – Experts & You

So with our new SPEC, Aussie expert nutritionists will be joining our international/local permaculture team and local elders to develop seasonal growing and eating plans to get the best out of the environment and into tummies.

We are also working on the introduction of additional extra-curricular activities at the SPEC for CA and the local kids – and have just employed part time English and music teachers. 

OUR AIM: HEALTH & HAPPINESS – mind and body – for all.

If there are any long term volunteers that wish to assist us in developing our program to teach our kids and the local kids English, Music, Art, Dance or Yoga – please contact us – we want you!!!

We have run out of space this news so look forward to sharing some of our new kids and CA Kids’ achievements in our next News.

Thanks for your ongoing support.

12 May 2018

We are celebrating our 10th birthday! 🎉

Celebrating 10 Years - Canapés For A Cause

This coming 22nd of June, Communities Assist will be having our annual Canapés For A Cause fundraiser in support for our projects. This year is extra special as we celebrate our 10th birthday!

We would love for your to join us in an evening of gourmet canapés & drinks, live music, auction, raffles and an update on our progress over 10 years.

The function will be held on 22nd of June 2018, 6:30 PM to 9.00pm AEST at Dexus Place, Level 15 Rooftop 1 Farrer Place, Sydney (near Wynyard).

This will be an opportunity to reflect on all that we have achieved together as an NGO since 2008.

Dexus Place is one of Sydney's luxury grade corporate event locations overlooking the CBD. Bring a warm layer so you can enjoy & admire the outdoor view.

Bring your wallets for raffle tickets & auction items!

Dress code: Business Attire / Smart casual

About Communities Assist

Just a little over 10 years ago, CA’s founding members  saw the pressing need to provide a safe haven for homeless children in Tanzania. They set about raising much needed money, and in 2008 selected a small farm at the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro to operate their facility, now known as Rainbow Ridge.

In 2009 building construction commenced and there are now four homes, acommunity hall (Clayton’s Hall), kitchen facilities, amenities and class rooms for the children and staff, set in an agricultural environment.

It has been an incredible journey, and while there have been many challenges and rewards along the way, due to their perseverance and hard work, so much has been achieved.

Some of the significant highlights are:

1. We employ our own staff including child carers, teachers, nurses, child social workers, administration, agricultural workers, all looking after 34 Orphaned or Vulnerable Children, in a safe and caring environment we call “Rainbow Ridge”.

2. The daily management of Rainbow Ridge is now managed by locals, which simplifies day to day activities and creates a strong sense of ownership and responsibility.

3. We have held NGO status from the beginning and continue to send around 98% of donations directly to Rainbow Ridge due to our voluntary structure with minimal overheads.

4. We initiate and facilitate on-going development of permaculture practices and outputs giving the community a sense of purpose.

5. Our latest improvement is a new Special Purpose Education Centre (SPEC), to be used for training in agricultural techniques and other more general subjects to ensure sustainability and the on-going development of latest practices.

None of this would have been realised without the generous support of our many loyal donors. We would like to share the 10 years of success with you all.

Remember $50 a week supports a child for a full year.

You can check CA's activities on our Facebook page here.

Asante Sana,

John O’Reilly
Managing Director, Communities Assist

22 December 2017

CA Kids Update

Under the Tanzanian Children's Homes Regulation Act (2012), section 3(c) states that   "Placement for a child in a children's home should be temporary rather than a permanent measure and must be used as a last resort".

This is consistent with our mission in recognising family life is invariably the best environment to provide the individual love and attention for children in the long term.  Finding a family home for our kids also opens up an opportunity to provide another orphan or abandoned child with a home as long as they need one.  We work closely with the local social welfare office to provide further opportunities when space becomes available.  

Our experienced childcare managers, Duncan and Neema together with their scouting team are always busy conducting home visits and talking to families, neighbours and village leaders to determine whether we can place any of our kids back with family – their own, relatives and/or community - without any adverse impact.

We are happy to report that this year we have placed five kids back in family environments:

• Siblings Esther, Johnson and Fatael with Ndekarisho Family

• Mengilaki Mushi with Chuwa family

• Lilian Hilary with Chami family

Our team are always conducting follow-ups with the families as we also assist with educational and other needs.  The future health of these families equates to sustainable futures and health for the kids.  These families will be drawn into our sustainable education program once it gets rolling in the local community.

We are happy to report that this year, we have received 3 new kids with the local social welfare office approval.  They are siblings Ally and Lightness Mlacha and Paskalina Mathias.

21 December 2017

My Trip to Rainbow Ridge

Hello to all of our extended CA family!

I wanted to share with you all my trip to Rainbow Ridge.

I wanted to share this with you because I believe Communities Assist has now turned a corner – and with the building of our SPEC in Tanzania this year and funding for our sustainability program over the next 3 years - together with the new branding our marketing sub-committee has been working on – the future is only rosy for CA and the communities it seeks to assist.

The Site – Permaculture/SPEC

When I first arrived at Rainbow Ridge on the morning of 18th of August the first thing I noticed was that the plant growth had really blossomed since I had last visited in January and there was now mulch in every garden with new plants placed in specifically requested areas. The site was spotless with bins located all around the site for rubbish disposal. I was so impressed; first impressions are everything!

It was so incredible to see small but important improvements such as in areas where plants were previously not growing (i.e. along pathways) the team had planted lemon grass, rosemary etc. – Plants in various places which are consistent with the principles of permaculture provided some particular purpose and input for some other element on the site.  Trees along the swales were really booming – particularly the fruit trees which means that fertility must be great.

The Moringa trees are getting so large and you can now see bean like seeds hanging, this is amazing as these trees are known to be a super food and have a variety of different ways in which you can use their produce. They can be ground into a powder and used on site for medicinal properties and also for soap. Moringa seed pods can be eaten like green beans when still green and the leaves are also great for greens in food (you can see them hanging from the branches below!). 

It was so inspiring and rewarding to see that Gretha and team doing are doing such a great job with the development and maintenance of permaculture practice on-site. The focus now needs to be on food production to achieve one of our primary aims; to make Rainbow Ridge sustainable from a food point of view (not including staff wages). 

The NGO/CATZ/The Board

Prior to arriving at Rainbow Ridge, our social welfare officer, Duncan, had warned me of our status and new government requirements for NGO’s with the new president – so I was ready for a busy week. I drafted CATZ’s new constitution and arranged a meeting to appoint new local board members. I felt it was time for the locals to take ownership and control with 8 potential local directors – Mari Pizzinga and I being the 2 foreign directors. The meeting was incredibly positive and dealt with many issues including the NGO’s purpose, vision, mission and objectives as outlined in the Constitution, local community perceptions and local community. Board members were appointed and constitution executed with application for new NGO registration currently undergoing assessment. Success! 

Staff/Management/Kids

The staff of Rainbow Ridge and CA Kids is now fully local! All our managers speak English and they are all performing excellently and have the staff all operating effectively and happily. They all advised they have everything under control and it was evidenced during my visit. I had a meeting with all the workers on the last day and the cohesion, cooperation, humility and happiness was so impressive.   

Overview

It has taken us a long time to get a harmonious team working at CA Kids, Rainbow Ridge and it is now an environment which is taking off.

I believe that our message and our objectives are becoming even clearer – they are truly crystallising and everything is falling into place. 

In short, it is my view as discussed at length with one of our new local directors - experienced NGO executive Wilfred Mlay (previously World Vision executive for 20 years in Kenya) that we have the ability - as evidenced by what we have already done – to work with local communities to create sustainable living environments around us. The food that our kids are eating, the air they are breathing and the life they are living in my view is healthier than the lives we live in the west. It is my view that we need only uplift the local community from below the margins so they can feed themselves all year round nutritiously and school their children – without over working – which can deprive them of time with friends and family – and we can show that they are living healthier and happier than us.  

I like – many of us (not all) – have walked to the post-industrial/corporate tune – like an ant among many other ants – working in jobs we don’t like to acquire things we don’t need with insufficient time to enjoy the simple things in life.  Let’s ask ourselves the general question across the board.  Has time with family and friends increased or decreased since we were kids – since our parents’ time? Do kids today have more stuff than we did? Do they need it? Does it assist them? Do they appreciate it?  You need not answer.  It is obvious. Let’s show these people around Rainbow Ridge that there is a better road than that which the we have taken. They need not aspire to have a life like us.  Sustainability and simple objectives (education, good food, home and time with family and friends) – that is the answer to health and happiness – and we can give them that.

You need only see what we have created so far to see what can be done.  Each trip I take increases my belief that we are really onto something here and we will succeed. 

 Thank you all for your continued efforts!