German executive director Michael Gschliesser receiving a present from the Prime Minister - Photo: H. Atkins
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On 11 June, the title deeds for 20 acres of land neighbouring the SOS Children's Village Arusha, were handed over to SOS Children's Villages Tanzania by the Arumeru District Executive Director Bernadette Kinabo. The land will be used to house an SOS Hermann Gmeiner School which will be open to children from the village and the surrounding community.
At the official inauguration of the SOS Children's Village Arusha last month the Prime Minister of Tanzania, Fredrick Sumaye, announced that the Tanzanian government would give 20 acres of land to SOS Children's Villages for the construction of the school. The Prime Minister added that procedures to start transferral of the land would begin within seven days and that SOS Children's Villages would receive possession within a month - a promise which has been fulfilled.
Photo: A. Gabriel
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The news of the land transferral will be greeted enthusiastically by Norwegian donors who are largely responsible for the financing of the village and whom, it is hoped, will similarly finance the school.
The SOS Children's Village Arusha has been open since May 2000. It has ten family houses with a total capacity of 100 children. It also has a kindergarten which is open to the community. The village, which is situated just outside Arusha in the foothills of Mount Meru, is the second SOS Children's Village in Tanzania, the first being on the island of Zanzibar.