Songea Women and Children Care Organization (hereinafter referred to as SWACCO) is a registered non-governmental organization founded in 2000 by Mrs. Regina Mathias Chinguku in the help of her beloved children, Flora Glimsdale and Fidea Kobayashi. It is registered by the Registrar of Trustees in Tanzania and on the 14^th September, 2009, SWACCO was issued a Certificate of Compliance, No. 1475 under section 11(3) of Act No. 24 of 2002 of NGO Act, 2002.Its office is in Songea Municipality opposite Majimaji Stadium.SWACCO is led by a Management Advisory Board and managed by the founding director who is assisted by a Project Manager and one program coordinator.

Vision
The vision of SWACCO is to run self-sustaining children’s home that will raise respectable and self-reliant elders and to promote sustainable development of women and children in Tanzania.

Mission.

The mission of SWACCO is to provide self-supporting environment for women and children through basic needs support to children, ensures better women and children living environment and promoting income earning to women for sustainable development.

SWACCO is dedicated to take care of Orphans and those children who live in a very difficult conditions, by providing them with food, living accommodation, medical and health care, and education.

The organization has a partnership with Mwangaza Jitegemee Kirkland USA, Mwangaza Foundation Japan and Mwangaza Foundation Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The motto of SWACCO is:
To raise respectable, self - sustained and reliant child for sustainable development.

Target Group

The Organization targets Orphans, most Vulnerable Children and Women in Songea, Ruvuma.

Functions and Objectives

The main functions and objectives of SWACCO are to:

• To promote and advocate for Orphans’ rights inTanzania
• To provide improved services and care of the Orphans and vulnerable children in Songea.
• To enable Orphan Children to develop confidence, self – esteem and Life skills through training, facilitating access to existing Social and Economic Services and enabling their full participation in developmental activities.
•  To Create and promote opportunities for Orphan Children to share experience, express themselves and advocate for their rights through performing and visual arts, meeting and forum in an open and secure environment.
•  To sensitize the public about children’s Rights and to provide them with an access to information for advocating and educating the orphans.
• To create an effective and efficient forum for dialogue and for designing, conducting and researching on Orphan children’s related issues and for effectively participating in policy making on children’s Rights, concerns and related matters.
• To liaise, collaborate, affiliate and work with Governmental, International and Local Organizations and individuals in the interest of furthering the development, and protection of social, legal and Human Rights of the Orphans, and Launching fund raising activities.
• To establish and run children’s homes that have information centers where counseling activities will be done on issues like HIV/AIDS Awareness, drug Abuse, and Child Labor.

Organization and Management of SWACCO

SWACCO is led and managed by the founding director and advised by a ten-member Management Advisory Board. The Director is assisted by a Project Managerand a program coordinator who make up the SWACCO Management team. Ten volunteers carry out the SWACCO service operations. Operations of SWACCOare guided by a five year strategic plan (2010/2011-2014/2015).

Organizational Values

Be an Example

SWACCO team is a model of good morals and behavior. The care givers are patient, mature, and make wise decisions in order to be a good model for the children as well as the community that surrounds us.

Love

SWACCO caregivers are ready to help all children equally, without discriminating based on condition, gender, religion, or the environment which a child is in or which he/she came from. Caregivers are tolerant, perseverant, wise, and have the ability to protect confidential information about the children, other caregivers, and the organization.

The Pursuit of Excellence

SWACCO team prioritize learning – learning from other caregivers, from their experiences (the action leaning cycle), and other various ways, with the goal of continually improving the job performance. Caregivers are inquisitive, investigating deep into situations before making a decision. SWACCO team is creative, trying new methods to accomplish our responsibilities successfully, efficiently and appropriately, so that day after day, we pursue further excellence.

Dedication

SWACCO care givers work with energy and commitment, volunteering to help out cheerfully where needed without needing to be supervised. We work from an inner drive, doing good and guiding the children in the path of good morals.

Integrity

SWACCO caregivers are trustworthy and faithful in all interactions with the children, the organization, and the surrounding community. Integrity has to do with how they handle their time, the material and financial resources of SWACCO confidential information, and the way that they provide services to children and Women.

Why We Do This Work

UNAIDS reports estimate that in 2003Tanzaniahad 980,000 AIDS orphans; the number increases each year. The traditional system in which extended families care for orphans has broken down due to the overwhelming and growing number of orphans. National and local governments ofTanzaniaare inviting NGOs to help. Some orphans can live with relatives, but many children become homeless. No residential orphanage exists in the Songea area, and very few exist inTanzania, for the most vulnerable children not well served by community-based care.

As parents die from HIV/AIDS, orphaned children have no place to go except to grandparents or relatives who often have no means to help them.  These children are the focus of the SWACCO, their lives and futures depend on our success.  The SWACCO provides the necessary elements that bring children stability, safety and nurturing care.  Funds from different donors allow caregivers to feed and shelter the orphans and pay secondary school fees to enable students to continue their education. 

Beyond the elementary school level. Funds have been raised to purchase land and support farming to provide foodstuffs both for the use of the community and to provide income through food sales.  Finally, the SWACCO continues to plan for a new facility for the caregivers and orphans.  This will be well-constructed and a safe compound.  There will also be structures that will allow for communal as well as individual use.  (Kitchen, dining, meeting, etc.)