Two teams –
a shared goal

Amani Orphans Home Mbigili – Tanzania

In Tanzania, our partner association runs the children’s village, cares for children, coordinates the Home-Based Care program, and manages the farm. A skilled and experienced team ensures structure, education, care, and development in the region—every single day.

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Kinderdorf Mbigili Tansania e.V. – Germany

Our association in Germany organizes donations, public relations, and the strategic development of the project. With a great deal of commitment and volunteer work, we ensure that aid reaches where it is needed—directly in Mbigili.

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The Tanzanian NGO – AOHM at the heart of daily work

The Amani Orphans Home Mbigili (AOHM) is an independently registered NGO in Tanzania and responsible for the on-the-ground implementation of all programs. It works closely with local social services and is subject to regular reporting and accountability requirements to the Tanzanian government.

The team consists of 38 full-time staff members: a manager, two social workers, an accountant, a driver and maintenance officer, a farm supervisor, a matron (senior housemother), housemothers, a kindergarten teacher with Montessori training, security personnel, farm staff, and kitchen staff.

The children’s village runs an internal kindergarten group, led by the kindergarten teacher. Our volunteers from Germany provide active support in caring for the youngest children.

Each children’s house accommodates around twelve children, together with a housemother and an assistant—forming a family-like structure that provides security, stability, and a sense of belonging. The housemothers are responsible for the children’s care and daily well-being, serving as trusted, consistent figures who foster trust, warmth, and emotional safety.

There is another children's house for older children who attend boarding schools but come to the children's village for vacations, celebrations, and holidays.

Everyday life in Mbigili is organized by the Tanzanian teamwho are responsible for everything from looking after the children, preparing them for school, and providing healthcare through to the administration, supply and maintenance of the children's village. Through their experience, closeness, and reliability, the staff members carry out indispensable work— every single day, with heart and professionalism.

2025

After a preparatory trip to plan the project together with the team and children, two playground designers travel to Tanzania in September to bring the new therapeutic playground to life. With the involvement of local carpenters from Mbigili, the Tinga-Tinga artist Manayatta from Iringa, and the AOHM team, the imaginative world of the “Big Five” comes to life in the heart of the children’s village.

Many young people have now completed their vocational training, so the alumni list currently includes over 100 young adults.

2024

At the beginning of 2024, the nearly unused Doctor’s Room is given a new purpose: the new play and creativity room is officially opened. This provides a dedicated space for the youngest children in the kindergarten group, as well as for afternoon activities organized by the volunteers.

Numerous new young children have been welcomed into the children’s village and the HBC program, meaning that over 150 children are now being supported on a long-term basis.

External psychologists regularly visit the children’s village to conduct various therapy sessions and train the housemothers. From now on, AOHM’s social workers are systematically developing an individual Care Plan for each child.

2023 – 2021

2021 and 2023 – New summer holiday formats are introduced: The Forest Camp is a tent camp in the highlands of Kilolo, designed for children and youth to learn about nature conservation and environmental protection through hands-on experiences.

The first Imarika-Kijana training, “Empowering Youth,” takes place in 2021 at AOHM. A local NGO from Iringa conducts workshops with youth aged 16 to 18 on topics including self-awareness, entrepreneurship, and sexual and reproductive health.

2020 – 2019

In 2020, AOHM celebrates its 10th anniversary with a large celebration attended by honored guests and visitors from the village of Mbigili. All children’s houses and the staff house undergo comprehensive renovations. A new social worker for the HBC program begins her work. The first young adults are supported with individual startup packages to help them make the transition toward independence.

The Mkawaganga Food Project launches in 2019: vegetables grown on the farm are provided to prepare a hot midday meal for 350 children at the local primary school.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in Tanzania were closed for three months and the German volunteers had to return to Germany. During this time, the children from the children’s village remained at the village, while those in the HBC program were provided with food and essential supplies to ensure their well-being.

2018

Job Information Day: The first career information day at the children’s village takes place on September 15, 2018. The children receive an overview of various career opportunities from older alumni and are inspired and empowered to make their own informed career choices.

As part of the Job Information Day, the Job Information Tour is established. In the following years, children visit various companies to gain firsthand insight into different professions and workplaces.

In the HBC program, a pilot project in poultry farming is launched with selected families, providing them with the opportunity to generate a small additional income.

2017 – 2016

It is a special year for the successful Mbigili Children’s Village. Through consistent and steady development, the conditions have been created to entrust the Tanzanian management with even greater responsibility than before. The children’s village is growing into a key and widely recognized institution in the region.

The assembly hall «Ukumbini», with its large thatched roof, is built with financial support from the German Embassy in Dar es Salaam. Ukumbini has since developed into a central and popular gathering place within the children’s village.

2015 – 2013

A Montessori-trained educator was hired for the kindergarten and has successfully led it to this day.

The first children transition to an English-language secondary school and are housed in boarding schools. The goal is to improve their career prospects and build strong English language skills.

The German Ambassador and his family are deeply impressed during a visit to the children’s village by the pedagogical care and support concept, as well as the wide range of extracurricular activities, including group play, singing, and dancing.

2012

In 2012, the association “Kinderdorf Mbigili, Tansania e.V.” (Children's Village Mbigili, Tanzania) was founded.

With the laying of the foundation stone for the maxi houses for older children and teenagers, the children's village continues to grow. Furthermore, a deep well over 120 meters deep is successfully drilled.

For the first time, and from now on every year in December, the children will be taught traditional dance and singing by music teacher Hassan. All house mothers receive specialized training for their work with the children from the local counseling organization REPSSI.

2011

The Home Based Care Project (HBC) was launched in 2011. It is aimed at orphaned and needy children in the surrounding villages who are growing up with relatives or neighbors.

The HBC program provides better access to food, healthcare, and education, as well as support for school and vocational training. The children are regularly visited and supported by a social worker from the children’s village.

2010 – 2009

On September 30, Ursula Lettgen passes away in Germany after a prolonged illness. In her final years, she had spent most of her time in Tanzania. The children’s village loses its founder, but her work continues through the dedicated team from her circle of friends in Rheurdt.

From summer onwards, the first two WorldWarts volunteers begin their one-year service at the Mbigili Children’s Village. Their responsibilities include structuring the children’s daily routine and organizing recreational activities.

A German-Tanzanian team from Vivo International, Konstanz, works with traumatized children at the children’s village. Together with the AOHM team, they introduce a reward system to strengthen the concept of non-violent education.

2008

The first ten children move into the children’s village and begin attending the local Mkawaganga Primary School.

A staff housing building is under construction, as is a kindergarten in the heart of the village of Mbigili. This is part of a mutual agreement, serving as compensation for the land provided free of charge by the children’s village. Additionally, a farm is being developed across the expansive grounds, cultivating cereals, vegetables, and fruit, while also raising cows, pigs, and chickens. The biogas plant is brought into operation.

During a stay in Germany, Ursula Lettgen falls seriously ill, after which Ingo L. takes over leadership of the project.

2007 – 2005

The community of Mbigili, located about 30 kilometers from the city of Iringa, provides a plot of approximately 15 hectares for the establishment of a new children’s village. The village of Mbigili is home to around 2,800 people, including about 350 orphaned children. The mayor and local leaders support the project positively.

On July 10, 2007, the Tanzanian NGO Amani Orphans Home Mbigili (AOHM) is founded and officially registered. By the end of 2007, three children’s houses and a staff and administration building are completed.

2004 – 1999

In 1999, the idea emerged to establish a children’s village in central Tanzania. The Diocese of Iringa provided the land, while financial support came from the parishes of St. Hubertus in Schaephuysen, St. Remaclus in Retterath, and the Pontifical Mission for Children (PMK) in Aachen. The foundation was laid for what would become the current Mbigili Children’s Village.

But Ursula Lettgen soon took on a new challenge: in view of the increasingly worrying situation of many AIDS orphans in the Iringa region, she developed a plan for another children's village in Mbigili.

1998 – 1987

The foundation for this German-Tanzanian partnership project was laid in 1987 by Ursula Lettgen from the Lower Rhine region. As an active member of the parish in Schaephuysen, she established correspondence with the community of Kimashuku on Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania. Soon after, a container filled with donated clothing, medicines, and sewing machines was sent to Tanzania.

In the following years, donations from Germany enabled further important projects to be implemented: the construction of a parish building and a church, the laying of water pipes, and the financing of a corn mill. In addition, numerous young people received long-term support with school fees.

The German association – the heart of the support

the associationKinderdorf Mbigili, Tansania e. V.was founded in 2012 and grew out of the long-standing commitment of the parish of St. Hubertus in Rheurdt-Schaephuysen under the leadership of Ursula Lettgen.Since then, the German side of the collaboration has focused on strategic and critical development of the assosiation, the fundraising and public relations. This website is therefore also subject to the control of the association's members in Germany.

Thanks to the voluntary efforts of its members, all donations flow directly into on-the-ground work—without any administrative overhead. The association maintains close communication with the team in Tanzania, organizes events, informs schools, communities, and interested individuals, and ensures the project remains vibrant and sustainable.

Through dedicated personal commitment, people in Germany are working tirelessly to ensure that children in Mbigili receive long-term protection, education, and a sense of belonging—driven by a strong, cross-continental partnership.

Our association always wants to realize new visions.

Interested in getting involved? We offer space for meaningful charity work.

Two teams – a shared goal