Rick O’Hara is no stranger to The Tandana Foundation, having served as a board member since the organization’s inception 15 years ago. But, in May, O’Hara stepped down from the Tandana board to take on a new, more public-facing role as its first Development Director.
Continue reading “Building trusting relationships to advance the mission: Meet Tandana’s new Development Director”
Mike and Gail Lavey always recognized the importance of having access to healthcare, but it was not until Mike nearly died in a car accident after being hit by a drunk driver that the issue really came into the forefront of their minds.
Continue reading “Paying-it-forward: Tandana Donors share what motivated them to contribute to the Sal Health Center’s equipment costs”
After participating in a virtual exchange program organized by The Tandana Foundation, students from Sharon High School in Massachusetts in the United States were motivated to launch a months-long fundraising effort for and with their new friends at the Jaime Roldos Aguilera Intercultural Bilingual school in Urkusiki, Ecuador.
Continue reading “American and Ecuadorian students work together to raise money for music and art supplies for a school in Ecuador”
Approximately 9,000 residents in and around the Sal Sector of Wadouba Township in Mali will soon have access to local basic health care services thanks to the construction of a new health center. The construction of the Sal Health Center represents the largest building project that The Tandana Foundation has supported in the Bandiagara District of Mali, and the need for the center was clear.
Continue reading “Construction complete: Sal Health Center to provide needed medical care to thousands of people in Mali”
Last year, furniture built by participants in the Kansongo carpenters workshop – a program supported by The Tandana Foundation – was delivered to the school in Andjine, Mali, via moto-tricycle. The special delivery was made possible thanks to the Bellbrook United Methodist Church, which helped fund both the tricycle and the furniture. Below, one Andjine villager talks about how important it was to find assistance acquiring the furniture.
Continue reading “Creating a better educational experience in Mali”
Like the rest of the world, university student and Tandana scholarship recipient Jhanina Orbes’ life was changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the following letter, Orbes describes how, as she adjusted to online classes, she also learned to appreciate other aspects of her life more, including spending time with family and having the support of a Tandana donor to help her continue her studies.
Continue reading “The impact of knowing that someone cares”
The Tandana Foundation is immensely grateful to the many individuals who support its efforts in a myriad of ways. The following post tells the story of Dr. Ash B. Varma, M.D., one of Tandana’s earliest supporters, who has given his time, ideas, and financial resources to assist the organization in achieving its goals in Ecuador and Mali. Education is a topic Ash is passionate about. His contributions include supporting the creation of a new scholarship program to help more students pursue educational opportunities and setting up an endowment to help fund an existing scholarship program.
Continue reading “Ash Varma: A passionate Tandana supporter and patron of education”
Thanks to the support of dozens of purpose-driven individuals, The Tandana Foundation was able to raise enough money to increase the number of people who will be able to participate in three programs it organizes with communities in rural Ecuador and Mali. During its annual Friends and Funds Raiser event, Tandana raised thousands of dollars, which the nonprofit will use to welcome more students into its scholarship program in Ecuador, and more women into its literacy and numeracy and student-mothers programs in Mali. Continue reading “Overwhelming generosity enables Tandana to expand programs”
In June of 2019, the Rolling Hills Garden Club of Dayton, Ohio, received a First Place Community Enrichment Project or Program Award from Garden Club of Ohio, Inc. (GCO), an organization of 4,348 individuals in 148 clubs across the state of Ohio. The Rolling Hills club earned the award in the extra small clubs category for its adoption of The Tandana Foundation and taking the GCO’s theme for 2018-19, “Plant America: Give and Grow with GCO,” a step further by extending its impact beyond American borders to Ecuador. Continue reading “Rolling Hills Garden Club of Dayton Ohio receives statewide recognition for supporting The Tandana Foundation”
Hi, my name is Maria Cristina Silva. I am from Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Through my life, I have worked with several non-profits in the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington D.C., India, and Ecuador. I was invited by Anna and Hope Taft to share with you my insights about my experience with the Tandana Foundation, as an Ecuadorian that worked with them. I think it is important for you to get a good idea of what it means to support Tandana in any way you can, so I will start by sharing a personal story. Then, I will tell you about Ecuador, then wrap up sharing what I saw Tandana does in the mountains of my country. Continue reading “What I saw working with Tandana in Ecuador”
The following is a letter written by Kessia Kouriba, a teacher in the women’s literacy program sponsored by the Tandana Foundation with support from Dining for Women in partnership with the Alpha Formation Traduction et Conception Documentaire au Pays Dogon (AFTCD/PD), a technical linguistic service in Bandiagara, Mali. Kessia highlights the importance of women taking leadership roles and overcoming traditional gender barriers, just as she has done.
Hello members and supporters of the Tandana Foundation, Continue reading “A woman leading by example to inspire others”