Rotarian from Tanzania visits area, makes stop in Amherstburg

By Ron Giofu

A Rotarian from Tanzania has come to Canada to help spread the word about a school in the African country.

Timothy Massawe has spent time in the Windsor-Essex County including last weekend in Amherstburg. He was hosted in Amherstburg by River Town Times co-publisher and sales representative Laura D’Alessandro and her family, a former Rotarian who travelled to Tanzania in the past.

“I’ve come to Canada to meet Rotarians and Rotary Clubs that we’ve been working with in Tanzania to talk about the school we’ve established,” explained Massawe.

The school often works with marginalized children, he added, and he is in Canada helping to look for sponsors to help fund the school. Massawe will be spending one month in Canada as he heads for Ottawa after leaving the Windsor-Essex County area.

It is not Massawe’s first trip to Canada, as he was here in 2016. During that visit, he was in both Windsor and Toronto.

“The message is to find opportunities to serve and to support the community and its needs in Tanzania,” said Massawe.

Massawe added his message is gaining traction with people in Canada.

“The people are showing interest,” said Massawe.

Toilets in public schools in Tanzania is a specific project they are working on, he pointed out.

“They are in a very, very bad condition,” said Massawe.

In Tanzania, most people live in rural areas and said where he has been in Canada is different than what he is accustomed to.

“It’s much developed,” said Massawe. “People have more job opportunities here and that is something we don’t have in our country.”

A lawyer by trade, Massawe said he has served as president of his Rotary Club in Tanzania as well as an assistant governor. He has also travelled to Germany to discuss his projects while he has travelled to the United Kingdom for his studies.

Massawe’s involvement in Rotary was due to his upbringing. He said he didn’t have opportunities to be sponsored for schooling as that is what it took to be able to go. Fortunately, that ended when the head mistress at a school sponsored him and allowed for him to go.

“My parents were very poor,” he said.

Now, he said he wants to give back and give others the same opportunities.

“We invite people who are interested to visit Tanzania,” he said. “When people visit, they see what we are talking about.”

For more information on the school in Tanzania, please visit the website at www.brightfutureschool.ac.tz.