Mondo Foundation

Our aim is to provide sustainable support for education and livelihoods in developing countries in Africa and Asia. We believe in community based programmes, where the Foundation works together with local people to improve lives. In Tanzania, we support women affected by HIV by helping them set up small businesses. We provide training and grants so that these women can buy their initial stock and equipment. Our team of local mentors provide support and those that show promise can take top up loans to help their businesses grow. Typical businesses include tailoring, selling vegetables in markets and running home based cafés. Over women have benefitted, each having on average five family dependents. We carry out regular impact assessments and find that most women within our programme are now able to afford three meals per day for their families, can afford school costs and have improved accommodation. Most important of all, they have the feeling that they are making a contribution to their families and are looking after their children; something that every mother strives for! In Nepal, we have provided emergency aid to villagers in Helambu, one of the worst affected areas after the earthquake. We then built 205 Temporary Leaning Centres so that children could continue their education. Our task now is rebuilding the classrooms in 15 badly affected schools and we have made an excellent start. We are also funding additional teachers, libraries as well as games and sports equipment. The programme in Nepal is run by Jimmy Lama, one of our early pupils who has now set up his own NGO, HELP Nepal. In Kalimpong and Darjeeling, India, we work with the local community to support schools and livelihoods. We have a volunteer programme which encourages visitors to spend a few weeks in the schools, helping with teaching, helping with games and other activities.