SCHOOL OF HOPE

Dave Tolmie supports Tanzania’s Faraja School, a primary school for children with physical disabilities.

“It’s never too late to make a difference,” says Lake Forest’s Dave Tolmie. “My mom and dad were each 70 years old when they founded the Faraja School in Tanzania, Africa.” In 2001, Tolmie’s parents, Don and Joann, went to Tanzania with their Lutheran church. “One day, my parents asked what was being done for the children with disabilities they saw,” he recalls. “They were told that children can go to vocational training school if they receive a primary school education first. But at the time, there were no primary schools for children with disabilities.”

To the couple’s surprise, the church had already drawn up plans to build a school. They were simply waiting for the right people to help. The Tolmies were those people. “My parents had taken lots of trips like this to India, China, and Europe. They weren’t out looking for a project, but they knew they were the ones to help build this school.”

After discussing it with their three sons, the Tolmies made Faraja School their family’s mission (faraja means comfort or hope in Swahili). Less than a year later, the school welcomed its first students.

Located on a 35-acre campus, surrounded by Mt. Kilimanjaro and called “Miracle by the Mountain” by the locals, Faraja School provides physically disabled children education, compassion, medical treatment, and an opportunity for a life of purpose and self-sufficiency. At this only school of its kind in Kilimanjaro, a region with the highest percentage of children with disabilities, students live in a boarding school-like environment where they share responsibilities and learn to rely on themselves and each other.

Today, Faraja has more than 100 students in kindergarten through Level 7, with a waiting list of nearly as many, and has graduated 10 classes.

In addition to providing a safe place to live and an education that ranks among the top five percent of all schools in Tanzania, Faraja provides students access to medical treatment that may strengthen their physical bodies and their self-esteem.

Tolmie is chairman of the Faraja Foundation, which provides financial support for the school. “When we celebrated our 20th anniversary, our board asked, ‘What will the next 20 years look like?’” he recalls. “After commissioning a study with a leading Tanzanian research group, we started a new program called Faraja Forward. This is a mobile clinic that can reach the most rural areas. Many of these children have never seen a doctor. And we’re trying to do more for their mothers. Many times, fathers abandon the family when a disabled child is born. The hope, emotional support, and the uplift we offer mothers is astounding.”

“With Faraja Forward, we are trying to expand our impact and go from helping hundreds of disabled children to helping thousands. It’s about giving all people the chance to live with dignity.” 

Most of the initial funding for Faraja came from the Tolmies’ family and friends. Several members of the Board of Directors and many annual donors are from Lake Forest and the greater Chicago area. Now, with the bigger endeavor of Faraja Forward, the Faraja Foundation has hired its first executive director, Jeryl Levin, who is leading the effort to secure larger institutional grants. Last year, the foundation raised more than $1.1 million.

“Disabilities are the forgotten health care crisis,” Tolmie explains. “As some programs are stepping back, we are stepping up. That is our calling, and we’re doing it as fast as our funding and programming allow.” The impact has been evident in the students’ successes in the classroom and after graduation. Many alumni are healthcare workers, accountants, IT professionals, or operate their own small businesses.

“Hundreds of graduates are living fuller lives, light years from where they started,” Tolmie recounts. “They area beacon of hope for other children with disabilities of what can happen with the proper love, support, and training. My dad used to say that if this is something that appeals to you, we would love to have you join our mission. But if it doesn’t, we hope this story moves you to help others. That’s part of the mission here. We’re all in this together. The takeaway should be, if we all live beyond ourselves, we can make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.”

To learn more about the Faraja School and how you can help, visit farajaschool.org.