Roots and Culture Foundation

Street kids in Mwanza

Mwanza is second biggest town in Tanzania and has many street kids. Most of them have run away from home due to domestic violence or after being orphaned. Although there are government facilities that take care of these kids, most street kids have also run away from them due to overcrowded facilities, lack of food and unattractive environments placed far away from society. Most kids face difficult times in the streets and are trying to find their way out. Although there are quite a few organisations claiming to help these boys, many of them fail as they cannot relate to the lives of the kids or to their needs.

Roots and Culture Foundation

The Roots and Culture Foundation was founded in 2012 by Joseph Mwandwanga who himself had lived on the streets of Dar es Salaam after being orphaned. He was taken in by a Rastafarian community who thought him the skills of making artwork and craftwork that enabled him to change his life and become self-sufficient. After moving to Mwanza he decided to support street kids in the same way he had been supported. A few years later the Roots and Culture Foundation was founded. The name reflects the strong ‘roots’ of the street kids that enable them to survive in any circumstance, ‘culture’ stands for the artwork and craftwork that they will learn and which will keep them off the streets.