Our Story

Our Origins

When Mohamed Mwinyi came to the United States from Boko, a small village outside of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, he felt an overwhelming difference between both cultures. He realized that at every corner in the US, you could find a “maktaba” — the Swahili word for library — which was scarce in his hometown. In Boko, there was no library — the nearest one was a complicated and costly all-day bus trip, and access to books was limited. Mohamed knew he had to do something. He wanted to give other kids like himself, access to learning material.

Where We Are Now

Currently, Soma International is focusing on fundraising and gathering resources to build a new rural learning center in Mkwaja, Tanga, Tanzania. Our aim is to grow stronger rather than bigger. We are working to make our learning centers run efficiently over the coming years before expanding to add more rural learning centers.

We want you to join us in this endeavor to spread rural learning centers and learning materials in Rural Tanzania.

What We See For The Future

Our vision for the future is:

Increasing pass rate for kids in primary and secondary schools
Increasing educational opportunities
Decreasing rural underdevelopment through local job training for women and youth
Decreasing rural poverty through entrepreneurial skill training for young people