David Gonsalves (BComm’01) steeled himself for heartbreak. He was travelling in Tanzania, fulfilling a lifelong dream to see Africa, and had made the decision to visit an orphanage in Mwanza.

“I had heard it would be a very harrowing experience” he says. “I had been told that there were babies who were not being held and children starving for attention. What I found were children who, despite their very troubled pasts, were full of life and often very happy. I also met students who truly valued education as a means of securing their future. This was very eye-opening for me. Some students were walking three hours each way just to go to school.”

Envisioning change

Photo: Bridge2Aid/Les Jones

The change came in increments. First, Gonsalves became a volunteer at the orphanage. He read to the kids, helped out with math lessons and played games with them. All the while, he was thinking of what he could do to ensure they had a chance to earn an education, learn skills and find employment in a country widely recognized as one of the poorest in the world.

Upon returning to Canada, Gonsalves partnered with a charitable organization on a program designed to raise funds for teachers, books and supplies for a Mwanza school. It was a good start but Gonsalves, who works as a controller for Magna, believed he could do more. What he didn’t know was how.

A little help from his friends

The answer came to him one night over drinks with friends Raymond Jordan (BComm’01) and Jasmine Plummer (MSc (Neuroscience and Physiology & Biophysics)’02). “I was sharing some of my stories and fundraising initiatives I had undertaken to sponsor tuition for students in Mwanza. They suggested that I should register my own charity for this purpose.”

Gonsalves admits he hadn’t given the idea much consideration. “I thought it would be a very long and difficult process to register a charity. But they were very encouraging and offered to lend their support.”

The next day, he filed an application to incorporate Masomo For Children, a non-profit organization that drew its name from the Swahili word for ‘lessons’ and ‘studies.’ Three months later, it received charitable status. As Gonsalves explains, Masomo For Children sponsors tuition scholarships for Mwanza youth to attend primary and secondary schools and vocational colleges, while providing them with the supplies and resources they need to achieve their academic goals.

“Our charity is focused on helping some of the most vulnerable children and youths in Tanzanian society. Scholarship recipients include: children who have lost their parents to AIDS, malaria or other diseases; children who have been brought to orphanages by destitute families unable to care for them; and youths from poor and marginalized communities.”

Masomo for Children in action with Felix

Felix (right) and Frank in vocational training.
Photo: Bridge2Aid/Les Jones

Masomo for Children has sponsored 20 students in Mwanza since it was founded in 2010, mainly using funds that Gonsalves and his fellow board members have raised through their personal and professional connections. One student, a teenage boy named Felix, is doing an apprenticeship with a carpenter in Mwanza. Gonsalves says his story illustrates how funds raised can make a difference.

“Felix did not achieve high enough marks to attend secondary school. He had suffered the loss of his father, and his mother did not encourage Felix to pursue his studies. Instead, she wanted Felix to work on a farm or go to the city to beg. Felix was eventually enrolled in a vocational program, but it was offered in English and he speaks Swahili. So, Masomo For Children set up a special apprenticeship for Felix with a local carpenter.”

Gonsalves continues, “I met Felix during a visit to Mwanza last July. I was very pleased to see that he was building chairs, desks, tables and doorframes all on his own. He’s learning skills that will allow him to earn an income once he’s certified. That’s just one example of how this initiative is making a difference.”

A common bond as Dal alumni

Clockwise from top left: David Gonsalves, Raymond Jordan, Jasmine Plummer, Fay Weston (field volunteer), Rob Fletcher, Clayton Atto.

It’s an initiative that has, from day one, been driven mainly by Dalhousie alumni. The executive board includes Gonsalves as executive director and secretary/treasurer, Jordan as president, Plummer as vice-president, and Clayton Atto (BComm’01) and Rob Fletcher (BComm’01) as directors.

“It’s pretty amazing when you consider we were Toronto kids who never really connected until we went to the university,” says Plummer, who is a post-doctoral fellow with the Zilkha Neurogenetics Institute at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. “We came back, became closer and hung out together. I don’t think this would have happened without that connection.”