THROWBACK – 13 YEARS. Reaction to ETI’s first “tweet”. It’s March of 2011 and the Nerdery’s Overnight Website Challenge produced ETI’s website complete with About Us, What We Do, How to Help and a Donation Page. In just 24 hours. Our stomachs were growling, our eyelids drooping and turbo caffeine was consumed in frequent intervals. But we gained a top-notch website in a 24-hour period of time. This was thanks to the ten members of Team Bigfoot, led by Chris Locher and Eric Johnson. ETI, Nerdery’s Team Bigfoot, Tron and Bigfoot himself – March, 2011 Within one month, the site had ta ..read more

Did you hear ETI shouting from the rooftops? The long-awaited Groundbreaking and Blessing of the Rural Opportunity Center (ROC) Food Processing Plant took place on March 8, 2024. The story unfolds thanks to the transformational leadership of the Karagwe Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, her partners and colleagues. Hongera! THE ROC DEDICATION – March 8, 2024 DEDICATION & BLESSING OF THE RURAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER Guest Writer: Rev. Dr. Benson Bagonza, Bishop Karagwe Diocese, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania Friday the 8th of March, 2024, on I ..read more

Here it is. The proposed MEL House. The MEL House is an extension of the existing MEL Program at KARUCO (Karagwe College of Agriculture in Tanzania) and is intended as housing and a hub for those who are starting new businesses through the Micro-Enterprise Loan (MEL) Program (described below). KARUCO Administrators, Dr. Emmanuel Ngambeki and Mme. Sophia Kanyamwenge, along with all other faculty and staff presented case after case of individuals needing a hub, a business incubator and a place to live while their businesses get off the ground in Karagwe. The need is great. Take Jesca Domician f ..read more

AND THERE WAS LIGHT  Can you imagine no light? Those at KARUCO can. Since the campus Groundbreaking in 2012, there has been no light except by candle, fire and flashlight or torch. But now, the KARUCO Campus has light thanks to ETI donors and to EVS CARES.   The last grant funding the ETI Board of Directors approved in 2023, was $25,000 to expand the KARUCO Solar Array and Battery Storage and to add street lights to the KARUCO campus. KARUCO was pleased to share their light with ETI so we are at 8 new lights and counting. KARUCO administration, faculty, staff and students hope ..read more

Did you hear ETI shouting from the rooftops? The long-awaited Groundbreaking and Blessing of the Rural Opportunity Center (ROC) Food Processing Plant took place on March 8, 2024. The story unfolds thanks to the transformational leadership of the Karagwe Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, her partners and colleagues. Hongera! DEDICATION & BLESSING OF THE RURAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER Guest Writer: Rev. Dr. Benson Bagonza, Bishop Karagwe Diocese, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania Friday the 8th of March, 2024, on International Women’s Day, Karagwe Dioces ..read more

Building on a strong “yesterday”, ETI gives this energizing newsletter reporting on the present with the promise of a transformed “tomorrow” in Karagwe. Read on to meet our inspiring partners in Tanzania and see what our ETI / KAD partnership is unfolding. Click here if you’d like to receive our monthly newsletter. ETI never shares contact information. Promise. NO TIME? Here’s the FEBRUARY SUMMARY  ______________________________________________________________________________                           &nb ..read more

January 27, 2024 I’m writing this bit from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda. Mohammad Zuwa collected me from the Mutukula border after Neema, Accurate, Meribu and Peter got me there from Karagwe. All was peachy with visas and customs and it was a good day. We left Karagwe at 9:30AM and arrived at Entebbe at 5:30PM. This is a worthwhile but not an easy trip. ETI/KAD SUMMIT GOALS Move forward with the Pineapple Juice Processing Plant. Align BE Design & KAD. Ensure that architects, engineers, builders and KAD are on the same page. Finalize Division of Responsibilities. Set timeline fo ..read more

January 26, 2024 Today was the final day of the ETI/KAD Summit. Internet was very spotty so this update is later than the others were. Morning: KARUCO Management led by Principal Ngambeki sailed through many issues with a close eye on the clock. How we managed to cover so much ground in 2 hours is beyond me. I was given some lovely gifts from KARUCO and the morning is highlighted in the photos below. Asante sana, KARUCO. Lunch and Afternoon Meeting: Bishop Bagonza, BE Design architects and ETI met to finalize a few details regarding the ROC (Rural Opportunity Center) and specifically the ..read more

It was a great day. The top accomplishment was KAD and BE Design discussing technical issues and agreeing on almost everything. Much was moved forward. It started with breakfast with Bishop, a ride to KARUCO with Edson and coffee at KARUCO to get started. The Tanzanian culture in my view is a hospitality industry unto itself. No request is too big or small to accommodate. People are always thinking of others. I know of no one who has visited Karagwe and didn’t feel cared for in a meaningful way. We began with prayer, introductions and tone-setting by Bishop. The major successes and challe ..read more

January 23, 2024 Last blog of the day (unless anything more happens). BE Design: Bruce Engel and his staff arrived tonight from Rwanda. We enjoyed dinner together on the balcony of Bishop’s home. We got to know a little bit from Bruce’s staff members – Yves and Emmanuel who evidently had some interesting and comedic travel experiences to share. General Secretary Jeremiah and Dean Wakami joined us which is always nice. Accurate and her staff provided the most amazing food. You really need to come to Karagwe and have her chicken with red sauce, rice and beans, her fantastic chips and my favorite ..read more