Projects
Current Projects
2025 Cohort of Men With Albinism
After 3 months of learning to make clothing, batik cloth, snacks, soaps, and lotions, the first class of men with albinism graduated from the vocational center on May 17, 2024. The diocese is hoping to welcome a new cohort of men (at least 10 people per cohort) to the...
Diakonia World Federation Assembly
The Diakonia World Federation Assembly is held in a different location every four years, and in July 2025 it will be held in Tanzania for the very first time. We wanted to ensure that Tanzanian church leaders had the opportunity to meet and network with church leaders...
Security Wall for Mwanza Secondary School
Mwanza Lutheran Secondary, which opened in 2020 with 8 students, now has over 140 students. They have also made progress on construction of the dining hall. However, the diocese has realized that a greater priority is building a wall around the campus. Numerous...
Start Up Costs for Mwadui Secondary Clinic
Now that 36 children are living at the Children’s Home in Mwadui along with the over 300 boarding students at Mwadui Secondary, it is vitally important to open the clinic for the school and greater community. The school is trying to register the clinic with the...
Student Sponsorship 2025/2026
In Tanzania, primary and secondary schools begin in January, while undergraduate schools begin in September. Many students and families, especially those missing one or more parent, cannot afford school fees. Sponsoring a Tanzanian student costs $500-$1000 per year,...
Past Projects
2025 Cohort of Women with Albinism
Thanks to an incredibly generous $10,000 donation, a new cohort of women received training at the Vocational Center for People with Albinism. This is the first class of women with albinism since 2022. They began their training in early March, and over the next three...
Student Sponsorship 2023-2025
Thanks to generous donors, in January 2024 Next STEP Tanzania was able to sponsor 11 Tanzanian students in need, and in January 2025 Next STEP Tanzania was able to sponsor 18 Tanzanian students in need. We have also sponsored 2 undergraduate students. Many of these...
2024 Cohort of Men with Albinism
Thanks to generous donors, especially Tangible Grace Fellowship and the Lutheran Deaconess Conference, the first cohort of men with albinism started at the vocational center in February 2024. After three months of learning how to make clothing, batik cloth, snacks,...
2024 Volunteer Trip
In July 2024, the Funke family returned to Tanzania to check in on past projects, hear the dreams of Tanzanian leaders for future projects, encourage and bring supplies for current missionaries, and attend the wedding of their friend Omary. Additionally Eric Funke...
Start-up Costs for Vocational Center for Men with Albanism
Originally the Right to Live With Albinism program, primarily funded by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission, began in Shinyanga in 2017 and served young women with albinism. This 3-4 month training program taught women how to make clothes, batik cloth, mats,...