Our Projects

Project 01

Tír na nÓg Children’s Village

Following the release of the documentary Kilimanjaro Mama in 2020, Tír na nÓg launched a major fundraising campaign to create a new Children’s Village, a place where children can grow up in a safe, nurturing family environment while receiving the education, healthcare, and support they deserve.

The village consists of four cottages, each home to a group of children with its own live-in Mama. Intimate living and study spaces sit alongside expansive areas for sport and play, so children of different ages can grow, learn, and develop together as part of a family community.

Sustainability is built in: solar heaters provide hot water, rainwater collected from the roofs is used for laundry and irrigation, and the power, water, waste, and drainage systems can all operate off-grid, keeping running costs to a minimum while protecting natural resources for generations to come.

Project 02

Pre-School

Our Preschool provides a safe, nurturing, and stimulating learning environment for up to 60 children from both the Children’s Home and the surrounding local community. Two bright classrooms sit alongside a dedicated rest area, an outdoor playground, and a planting garden where children grow and care for their own fruits and vegetables.

A Structured, Caring Day

Each school day begins at 8.00am with a morning assembly, helping children develop a sense of community, confidence, and routine. Every child receives two nutritious hot meals a day, and as temperatures rise in the afternoon there is a comfortable rest area with individual sleeping mats.

Modern, Engaging Education

ICT has been integrated into literacy and mathematics lessons, helping children develop essential digital skills from an early age, and the whole pre-school is fully solar powered as part of our commitment to sustainability.

Safe Travel and School Pride

A dedicated bus service brings pupils home each afternoon. Children wear our distinctive red and blue uniform through the week, with Fridays reserved for sports activities in the school tracksuit.

Project 03

Primary School

For over fifteen years, Tír na nÓg has been committed to providing children in northern Tanzania with a safe, nurturing environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive. Our Kao la Amani Primary School is at the heart of this mission, serving children from both the Children’s Village and the surrounding community. The school day runs from 8.00am to 4.00pm, every child receives two nutritious meals, and our school bus brings a quality education within reach of children outside the immediate catchment area.

Our school development project will expand educational opportunities for more than 350 children, with improved classrooms, dedicated ICT facilities, enhanced playgrounds, and expanded sports areas. Every class has access to laptops and iPads, and daily ICT lessons introduce computer literacy, coding concepts, educational software, and digital research skills.

Sport and scouting are a vital part of school life. Our football and netball teams proudly represent the school in local competitions, while our thriving Scout Programme meets weekly to learn practical life skills, teamwork, leadership, and community service. Through sports, technology, scouting, arts, and environmental education, every child is encouraged to become a confident, capable, and compassionate young person.

Project 04

Dental Clinic

Since 2024 we have proudly partnered with 3Dental Ireland to improve access to high-quality dental care for children and families in our Children’s Village, our schools, and the wider local community.

Our fully equipped on-site dental clinic provides examinations, preventative care, oral health education, hygiene treatments, and essential restorative procedures. Hundreds of patients have benefited from expert care that would otherwise be difficult to access, with a strong emphasis on education and prevention: good oral hygiene, healthy eating, and regular check-ups.

The clinic has become an important community resource, reducing barriers to healthcare and ensuring families can access the dental services they need close to home. We are deeply grateful to 3Dental Ireland for their ongoing commitment, expertise, and support.

Melic’s Story

When Melic was 11, he fell while playing and broke half of one of his front teeth. He became the very first patient treated in our clinic by the team from 3Dental Ireland, and his smile was fully restored. Watch Melic’s story on Instagram

Project 05

Tír na nÓg Scholarship Programme

Our Scholarship Programme supports more than 70 children and young adults who have limited or no family support, helping them access quality education from primary school right through to university, vocational training, and postgraduate study.

Education in Tanzania is not free. Through the programme we provide school fees, boarding accommodation, laptops, study materials, uniforms, healthcare, transport, and monthly living allowances, so students can focus on their studies. Our team provides mentoring, guidance, and emotional support at every step of the journey.

Former scholarship students have qualified in law, medicine, engineering, psychology, hotel management, tourism, and social work, with several completing master’s degrees and building careers in Tanzania and internationally. By supporting a child through education, the programme helps break the cycle of poverty for students, their families, and future generations.

Project 06

Food Sustainability

At Tír na nÓg Children’s Village, sustainability is part of everyday life. We grow lemon, pomegranate, banana, passion fruit, sugar cane, and guava trees alongside vegetable gardens producing spinach, chard, tomatoes, chillies, and herbs. Each child has their own vegetable patch, learning to plant, care for, and harvest their own food while developing valuable life skills and taking great pride in growing food for their community.

The model has been successfully replicated at our pre-school and primary school, where gardens serve both as an educational resource and an important source of fresh produce for the hundreds of nutritious meals provided to pupils each day.

Beehive Project

We keep colonies of the native Nyori stingless bee, which produce hundreds of litres of delicious medicinal honey each year, often used to soothe sore throats and coughs. The honey is harvested twice a year, and the children love harvest time, enjoying the honey as a special treat while learning about the vital role bees play in pollination, biodiversity, and food production.