About the Centre
FARAJA is a Swahili word, which reflects the feeling of 'relief after overcoming a period of extreme physical or psychological hardship'. For the 15 million people in Tanzania living below the national poverty line, every single day can be a struggle. Due to extreme poverty and a lack of opportunities in rural areas, children, sometimes as young as 10 years old are forced hundreds of miles from their families to cities and urban areas in search of a better life or the ability to support themselves or their families. In some cases, children are coerced by human trafficking profiteers with the promise of employment, educational opportunities or a better life. In the worst cases, children are forcibly removed from their families and used as cheap labour or even sold in to the sex trade.
Due to the nature of human trafficking, it is difficult to obtain reliable statistics of the number of victims of human trafficking. Estimates have been made at 600,000 to 800,000 people trafficked across international borders each year. The numbers trafficked within their own countries has not been able to be estimated. Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world with a global annual market of around $42.5 billion. It is estimated that 70% of people trafficked across borders are female and 50% are children.The
Faraja Centre was established in Arusha, Tanzania to recover and
rehabilitate young female victims of human trafficking and offer them
skills training in order for them to build a better life. The centre
supports the following three main target groups;
- Victims of human trafficking, which includes girls being sold into forced or exploitative labour or the sex trade
- Orphaned young women who are in difficult circumstances and in need of assistance and life skills training
- Young mothers, many of whom have been abandoned by their husbands and/or families
- Cooking, food production and nutrition
- Tailoring
- Computer training
- English
- Handcrafts & embroidery
- Mathematics
The centre currently relies on sponsorship from Non Government Organisations such as the International Organisation for Migration and other independent bodies and individuals to be able to accommodate the young women. Sponsorship is greatly appreciated and desperately needed. Without the funds to accommodate these women, their options for a life after they have been recovered from human trafficking are limited. If you are interested in sponsoring a young woman at the Faraja Centre, please see our sponsorship page.
Steps are being taken to try to move the Faraja Centre closer to financial independence. This includes the establishment of a restaurant to be operated from within the centre. The restaurant will generate income for the centre and it will have the added advantage of giving the young women practical experience to prepare them for jobs once they graduate.
Volunteers are also an integral part of the Faraja Young Women Development Unit. In the last two years, volunteers from Australia, England, Canada and the United States have been fundamental in a number of developments at the centre including the renovation of the child care centre, the establishment of the computer and English courses, the landscaping of the central area of the school, and the purchase of a backup power generator. There are long term and short term volunteer positions at the centre. If you are interested in volunteering at the centre, please find more information in our volunteers page.
Mission Statement
To build the capacity of the young women in taking care of themselves and their children through care, support, education and networking in order to improve their living conditions.
“Lead me from darkness to light.”