We have had a new social worker at Maisha Bora since the end of last year. In this blog you can find out more about Stephano with an insight into his work, his responsibilities and skills, as well as an example of a training session he did with the children.

My name is Stephano and I have been working as a social worker in the Maisha Bora family since December 2023. I am really happy and it is exciting to be part of the Maisha Bora team and the NUKIA team. I am grateful and appreciate the opportunity I get to work with Maisha Bora. This is truly my area of expertise where I can exercise my skills working together in a community for children and families. In the meantime, I am familiar with all the characteristics of Maisha Bora, the environment, the children and the staff. We work together with trust and dedication to ensure that we can achieve the goal of Maisha Bora and NUKIA.

At Maisha Bora, I am responsible for the following:

• Prepare a schedule for all children according to Mama Leah's tasks

• Preparation of weekend activities in cooperation with the team to look after the children

• General counseling and coaching for children, family members and employees

• Together with Masia and Lucy, organize the program for the school and club children for the Saturday club

• Preparing and writing a quarterly social welfare report and other documents for the region's social welfare officer

• Preparation of the children's visit report for Winrose

• Teach caregivers and staff about parenting skills and early childhood education

• Manage or supervise fundraising activities for programs and local public relations

My goals for and with Maisha Bora

I really want to use my commitment and experience to ensure that developmental changes take place at Maisha Bora. According to the rules and regulations for children's homes in Tanzania, the social worker is the main actor who must ensure the well-being of the children in all areas of life. To achieve this, I will make sure that I put all my skills and knowledge at the disposal of Mama Leah and the whole Maisha Bora team.

In my academic career, I have learned a lot about child welfare and community development. I feel that I have found the right area to specialize in and I have dreamed of working where I can use my experience, skills and knowledge to help children and those in need.

In general, I have been taking care of children and providing them with relevant knowledge and skills to help them be productive in their communities and bring about change. They should also be able to make informed decisions regarding their development.

Despite some challenges, it is our job to keep going and learn from them. This will allow us to improve our trainings with the children and bring in more creativity to design new programs, events and activities. This is how we want to make the organization's mission comprehensive and successful.

As Maisha Bora, it is our duty to move forward with confidence and ensure that we follow the goals of our organization to give Tanzanian children the opportunity to achieve a better future for the benefit of themselves and the nation as a whole.

Training in leadership skills with the children

At the end of January, we held a training session with the children from Maisha Bora and the Saturday club to develop their leadership skills. The training was specially designed for the children by Stephano with the support of Masia.

The aim was to make the children more familiar with what leadership means, what skills make a good leader and what qualities a leader should have. It is never too early to deal with this topic and it already plays a role in the children's lives. It should boost their self-confidence and teach the children that they can stand up for something. They asked us adults many questions, and a lively exchange ensued. A place of trust was created.

We then immediately put the principles into practice with a fun exercise. The children had to run blindly through a small course of water bottles with the help of other people's guidance. How does it feel to be led (to trust blindly)? What are the challenges of leading someone? How do I solve a problem? Are there several ways? How do I approach something? Do I need help from other children/adults? How do I learn to trust? Am I allowed to make mistakes? What and how do I learn from mistakes? All these questions could be experienced and discussed during the game.

The children were taught knowledge and life skills to make rational decisions that can be beneficial to themselves and others. It was another step in preparing the children to be part of the Maisha Bora development and to bring about changes that are beneficial in their communities and families.