Empower 35 students with disability in Tanzania

INTRODUCTION: This report will summarize the highlights and main achievements of SSLC in 2025  with emphasis on the period from October to December 2025  vis-a-vis our Vision, Mission, and Goals. The main focus of the year was to complete construction of an Adult Program Centre (APC) and for the specified period review each of our student's learning goals set on his/her Individual Learning Program (ILP) for 2025 and write a progress report a copy of which  was sent home and another to a sponsor if they have one.

MISSION STATEMENT

SSLC’s mission is to promote the physical, intellectual, psychological, and social development of each child through a holistic educational provision in an inclusive, empathetic, respectful, positive, and stimulating environment so that special needs students and their families feel safe, accepted and loved. Staff use child-centered training and learning methods to encourage all children, including those having severe disabilities, to reach their maximum potential.

 VISION STATEMENT

SSLC aims to grow its capacity to provide a safe and stimulating learning and working environment for mentally and severely physically challenged students for as long as they need such support to progressively improve and learn appropriate Life and Employment  skills in order to achieve a degree of independence and dignity.

 MAIN GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

1. Forty young students (age 6 to 17) with mental and physical challenges will access appropriate education, life skills training and appropriate therapy.

2. Twenty young adults (over 18) with mental and physical challenges will get training in Job skills and thereafter employment, income, self-esteem, confidence and emotional empowerment.

3. Six Income Generating Projects (IGPs) will receive enough input to become viable, sustainable and a significant contribution to SSLC’s income and employment and livelihood for the young adults.

4. Fourteen Staff will receive support to provide compassionate, high quality holistic teaching, training and therapy to SSLC students.

5. The East African region will look to SSLC as a model of care, quality Education and exemplary mentor.

6. Drawing an Individual Learning Program (ILP) for each student with input from his/her parents or guardians, then setting goals for each student.

7. Conducting one on one, hand-over-hand, experiential teaching and training the young students in basic functional literacy and life skills

8. Providing professional therapies (Physiotherapy, Reflexology, Occupational Therapy and Speech Training plus Music, Dance, Art and Crafts.

9. Training and mentoring young adults on the job in the Income Generating Projects (IGPs): jewelry making from beads; gardening and Livestock keeping of cows, sheep, chicken and bees.

10. Expanding the IGPs and professionalizing the job skills to make the projects financially viable and sustainable.

11. Providing administrative and support services to the program.

12. Collaborating with parents, community leaders and other similar programs in order to advocate for the rights of the disabled and sell the SSLC model.

13. Participating in advocacy activities like International Autism, Downs Syndrome. Cerebral Palsy and Disability days.

14. Raising funds from various sources to keep SSLC running.

 MAIN ACTIVITIES

For this period, the main activities centred around the set programs for students, completing APC and end of year evaluations and reporting.

STAKEHOLDERS: SSLC impact remained more or less the same with a total number  of 362 stakeholders. These were active project participants and beneficiaries (196 females and 166 males). They included students, staff, parents, guardians, caregivers, local and international partner organizations. A further unknown number of people were impacted by word of mouth around SSLC's local community.  Internationally through social media Facebook and LinkedIn, the reach has increased to over 5,500 followers.

 JUNIOR CORE PROGRAM (AGES 3 TO 17)

The Junior Program maintained full capacity with 20 students. They had varying degrees of physical and mental challenges: 9 with autism, 6 cerebral palsy, 2 Downs syndrome, 1 Hydrocephalus, 1 epileptic and 1 slow learner. Attendance remained steady and good except for two students who had to be followed home  to find out what challenges they were facing. One resumed full attendance and the other was still facing health and family challenges up to the time we closed.  Over 80% of the students were able to attend school 80% and above. Some of the students attended over 90 percent. 

Staff evaluated and reported on the goals  set in the Individual Learning Programs (ILPs) for each of their five students. 

 SSLC OUTREACH SERVICES (S.O.S)

A professional therapy room was ready for use in the  Adult Program Centre (APC) during this period.  We had our first training in Reflexology in it. An Occupational Therapy team from Belmont University were also able to work with our students and staff from there. We were still not quite ready to start offering paid for service for non SSLC children.

 ADULT PROGRAM (AGES 18 AND ABOVE)

The spacious and airy workshop in APC was in full use by the end of the year. We put together a few catering equipment together to be able to add Catering to our IGPs and start mentoring the students to sell their service to the first group of visitors. 

The first graduation of 12 vulnerable young adults from the junior to adult program in a big, exciting ceremony finally happened in 2025. The big day was a day of joy when we also celebrated  SSLC’s 20th anniversary. 

 ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY IMPACT

In 2025 SSLC had a good reach in advocacy and impact as detailed  under stakeholders above.

INFRASTRUCTURE

By the end of 2025, the Adult Program Centre, APC, was basically complete except for a bit of electrical work. This was a major step towards implementing SSLC vision 2024, a road-map towards sustainability,

SOCIAL MEDIA

SSLC increased its over five thousand combined social media contacts, friends and followers mainly on Facebook and LinkedIn to over 5,500 followers. These were valuable links for garnering support and selling our vision, mission, goals, activities and projects.

DONORS

We were truly grateful to all our donors, sponsors, friends and supporters of SSLC. We were delighted to meet and thank some of them in person during the celebration.

PARTNERS

We were blessed to maintain our formal Global Hope Partnership with Accessible Hope International (AHI) - our much needed Fiscal Sponsor and ambassador to the International world. EduAfrica - a unique tour company continued to connect SSLC with professionals and Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy students from four universities  abroad. GlobalGiving remained our reliable platform for fundraising and getting noticed by an international audience. Support from the local and regional community improved a little bit.

 SUSTAINABILITY

We continued to pursue the bold move we took from January 2024 to launch SSLC’s Vision 2024: a Road map to Sustainability. A major component to it was the APC which was largely in place by the end of 2025. The other major component, pending funding, is a Model Inclusive School (MIS). We are trusting God to make it happen in due course.