“Our School looks Clean and Attractive”, Baraka Thomas.

4th August 2025

“Our School looks Clean and Attractive”,Baraka Thomas.

Baraka Thomas is a grade four student at Minazi Mirefu Primary School at Ilala District, in Dar es Salaam. Baraka is among many students who are happy with the Taka ni Mali project , we visited their school and Baraka had this to share with us. ”Ever since we started separating wastes using the three different color dustbins ( RED for/hazardous/dangerous wastes BLUE For non-decomposable/dry waste And BLACK for Decomposable wastes like garbage ) we have noticed that our school environment is clean and we are free from outbreaks of diseases.

I and my fellows were not knowledgeable on how to make use of the collected and separated waste but for now, we fully utilize the collected wastes for making school items such as paper bags etc. which we get some products for school use. One can even start a business / project out of the gained knowledge ”. Explained Thomas.

The Taka Ni Mali project demonstrated how community driven efforts can create lasting impact. It reduced cholera cases by 80% from 2017 to 2019 and empowered 145 women and youth, increasing employment by 60%. Income for these groups grew by 198%, and over 60,000 people were directly reached through awareness campaigns. The project also strengthened partnerships between local authorities and waste entrepreneurs. These successes were made possible with support from Madrid City Council and implemented by Amref Tanzania partnership with the Tanzanian Government.