History: Kulea Villages
From building orphan villages to building up families for a sustainable future
Founded 2009
Kulea Villages was established in 2009, inspired by the vision of its founder, Deborah Brown Magaya. Her journey began after numerous mission trips to Watoto in Uganda, where she observed their model of caring for orphans during the peak of the HIV epidemic in Africa. Watoto's approach involved creating family-style communities consisting of individual homes, each led by a house mother who cared for 5 to 8 children, with schools and strong church support. Deborah aimed to replicate this successful model in Tanzania.
Early Years: Homes for Children
The first mission was to find a church partner in Tanzania and establish the first home for children. The initial home started with four children and grew to nine. The cargivers/ parents received support for their feeding, clothing, and education. Following this, Kulea Villages purchased land and later completed the engineering plans for the first village. The land served multiple purposes: it housed another family; a new well provided water to many widowed caregivers and their families in the area; and the land was used for farming, to generate income towards a building fund.
Kulea Villages then established a second site in Kenya, receiving significant support from the Mana Bible Church. This new site was dedicated to ensuring children have access to education with consistent, strong local support. The mission to help children remain in school was also expanded into Tanzania.
Early Lessons
These early sites provided significant learning for Kulea Villages regarding ethics and fund management over the years. Key lessons learned during this period:
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Involving local social workers and community leaders ensures we reach families with the greatest need.
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Providing funds directly to a family may lead to uses that differ from the nonprofit's original intentions.
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Direct management of vendors that supply items or medical services eliminates middlemen, allowing the nonprofit to negotiate better prices and terms.
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Distributing food or infant formula weekly reduces the temptation for resale.
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Education and reinforcement of life skills and business management are critical to lasting impact.
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African culture places great value on family. Immediate or distant relatives, and close friends, feel a duty to care for orphaned children.
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Providing school fees alone does not change the trajectory of a child, living in abject poverty. Support for the family unit provides better long-term outcomes and sustainable change.
A Sustainable Model
When Kulea Villages was founded, HIV deaths had devastated Tanzania, with children abandoned on the streets and a great need for orphanages. This is no longer the case. So we have returned the Tanzania land to the community for farming and as a water source. We no longer focus on building children homes. Instead, we aim to keep children within their extended families, and strengthen these families to support themselves.
Our founder, Deborah Brown Magaya, has lived in Tanzania for about 7 years and has helped first-hand bring our improved Mission to life. As a former teacher, she has implemented substantial class materials for life skills training. Working alongside her husband, Paul Magaya - a Tanzanian native and trained educator - and the Kulea Village Country Director, she helped establish entrepreneurial training programs. Today, we take pride in serving more families and witnessing real results as they become self-sustaining community leaders. Many of these caregivers share life skills training and operate businesses within their communities. We have shifted to a model that builds sustainability for both family and community.
