What We do

Find out how our innovative, holistic model, which prioritizes family, community, and local leadership, is achieving amazing results.

SPONSOR

Create life-long opportunities by building a relationship with a child or helping to keep a family together through monthly sponsorship.

Educate

Provide over $1,500 of school supplies to more than 150 kids for less than 1/3 of face value through our school supply wish list!

“We ourselves know that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less without that missing drop. We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” ”
— Mother Teresa

Why do you love sponsoring a child?

  • “ "I love seeing those priceless smiles and thinking that I can help make more of those happen!" ”
    — Anne, sponsoring Ema (10)
  • “ For the kind of money that we all drop on frivolities (fancy coffee, eating out) you can change lives- literally. And then you get to know the kids! Love you Dainessi! ”
    — David, sponsoring Dainess (9) and Olivia (2).
  • “ When I am feeling sad I go to the website and look at the kids smiling faces, and it cheers me up. ”
    — Barbara, sponsoring Shalom (4), Diana(2), and Johnny(2).
  • “ I love watching him grow and hearing all about his education. Knowing he is thriving make my heart smile! ”
    — Kristina, sponsoring David (9).
Happy #InternationalDayofPeace! Here at TST we believe that small acts can create big change, and we're committed to working together to build and support peace within and among all nations and peoples for future generations. Peace begins with all of us! #TheSmallThings #Peace #SpreadLove #BeKind #BuildingBlocksforPeace "Some days I am so grateful to be able to do what I do that I can hardly believe it. I first met Veronica two weeks ago, unable to walk due to injuries from domestic violence, when she was reluctantly surrendering her two sons to the orphanage to protect them. Today she came back, seeming like an entirely different person, standing on her own two feet both literally and figuratively, having left her abusive husband and excited about the opportunity to build a better life for her family. She was able to take home Joshua immediately, her younger son who is still nursing, and my amazing outreach team will be talking to her next week about long term plans to build sustainable business and get her other son, Ezekiel, home where he belongs, once the day care opens at TST's new community center. She told us today that without TST's family preservation program, she would have had nowhere to go and no future after leaving her husband, and she would have had to leave her sons at the orphanage for their safety. Days like this are a breath of fresh air that make all the pain and heartache worth it - I'm feeling very, very lucky to get to be a part of it." - TST's Founder, Bekka Ross Russell. With 2 weeks left in the #SmallThingsSummer campaign, you too can help create safe and happy futures for many more families in #Tanzania! #CommunityDevelopment #BuildingBrightFutures #TheSmallThings #BigImpact #FamilyPreservationProgram #Family #Love We are thrilled to announce that Faraja has moved home to live with her father, grandmother, and big sister, Maureen! Faraja came to the Nkoaranga Orphanage as an infant when her mother died shortly after giving birth. Her father, Godson, is employed as a security guard for TST, and has worked very hard to create a safe home in which to raise his daughters. As they continue to collaborate with TST's outreach team, we look forward to watching this special family create many more happy moments together! #TheSmallThings #HappyFamilies #FamilyReunification #BuildingBrightFutures #MotivationMonday #Tanzania #CommunityDevelopment Happy International Youth Day! Today we celebrate youth around the world and the important role that young people play in eradicating poverty and achieving sustainability. Raise your voices with Auntie, Pendo, and Loveness to ensure equitable socioeconomic development for future generations! #YouthDay #Youth2016 #TheSmallThings #BuildingBrightFutures Happy 2nd Birthday, Adam! Now walking, running, climbing, and swinging at every chance he gets, this smart birthday boy is beginning to speak and can usually be found wearing this adorable smile. #TheSmallThings #HappyBirthday #HappyFamily David #WordlessWednesday We're half-way there! Thanks to our wonderful donors, we can now transport Loveness and 26 of her friends (and then some) to and from school everyday in our new school bus. We have raised $30,000 toward our $60,000 goal for #SmallThingsSummer, and now look forward to the opening of the community center at the @happyfamily Children's Village- complete with a library, daycare program, and adult education classes to be open to the public! Help us reach our goal by visiting the link in our bio. #TheSmallThings #BuildingBrightFutures #HappyFamily #Fundraise #ThankYou #Asante #CommunityDevelopment #Education Last week 10 extraordinary individuals graduated from our Family Preservation Program after completing business training and creating and maintaining their own businesses in collaboration with our dedicated community outreach team. We are so proud of these hard-working mamas for their commitment to break the cycle of poverty for their families and communities. Hongera sana! (Congratulations!) #TheSmallThings #CommunityDevelopment #BuildingBrightFutures #Tanzania Since launching our #SmallThingsSummer campaign, we have raised over $13,000, including matched funds. We've now reached 20% of our $60,000 goal thanks to the generosity of donors like you! There are many ways to get involved this summer and spread the word. Start your own fundraiser or donate to a friend's to help us purchase a new bus so that Angel, Pendo, Maureen, and 25 of their friends can get to and from school everyday! http://bit.ly/1PiZ9n8 #TheSmallThings #TST #Fundraise #Donate #BigImpact #Education #SpreadtheWord #Repost from @howtodrawalion: I'm going to miss these rascals. We had a blast making art this past week and I can't wait to see them again! @smallthingsorg #howtodrawalion #tanzania #thesmallthings #africa #africaday #tst #hope #schoolbus #mischief #mischiefmanaged #kids #nkoaranga #mtmeru #Kilimanjaro When you #StartWithaSmile we can provide a safe and happy home and an education for wonderful kids like Miriam! #Tanzania #TheSmallThings #Education #BuildingBrightFutures #AmazonSmile smile.amazon.com/ch/45-2466306 Happy #AfricaDay2016! Today we celebrate this day in 1963, when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed. Now the African Union (AU), #Tanzania is proud to be part of the 53 states celebrating the #unity and #progress of African people and recognizing the common challenges faced throughout this vast and beautiful continent we call home! #TheSmallThings #Africa A BIG #ThankYou to our friends at @fredsworldbygreencotton for our beautiful new clothes- keeping us comfortable and stylish! Your generosity is going a long way here at the @happyfamily Children's Village in #Tanzania, and creating big smiles on many happy faces. #fredsworldbygreencotton #organiccotton #gratitude #fashion #kidswear Gift's first #selfie, and he's a natural! This 5-month old cutie came to the Nkoaranga Orphanage in January and is growing and thriving with the support of his dedicated mamas #TheSmallThings #SelfieSaturday #Gift #BuildingBrightFutures Happy #Friday from Miriam and Pendo! These strong little ladies are full of personality and brighten our days with their contagious smiles. They often help the mamas with chores around the house at the @happyfamily Children's Village and won't let the boys have all the fun when it comes to playing football! #TheSmallThings #FriendshipFriday #TGIF #ThrowbackThursday to Peace "having a ball" in 2012. Now 4, this smart preschooler loves to color and write his name! #TheSmallThings #Peace #Playtime #Preschool #Punny #TBT #Tanzania It feels like a good day to #ShareaCoke with Sule and Diana! Don't worry, we're not actually serving the toddlers soda quite yet, but they sure do look cute. #TheSmallThings #Sule #Diana #Thirsty #ToddlerTuesday #Tanzania #Africa #Smile #BuildingBrightFutures Introducing, Afraeli! This sweet boy's life began under difficult conditions, as his mother passed away shortly after giving birth and he has endured some early health complications and undernourishment. Like fellow new addition, Elifuraha, pictured on the right, Afraeli has been placed in our one-to-one care program; providing the necessary individual attention to support their early development. Because we currently require additional caretakers for Afraeli and Elifuraha, your generosity is especially important. Help us ensure a healthy start for these special babies in just a few clicks! http://bit.ly/1pwULIT #Welcome #Afraeli #Elifuraha #BuildingBrightFutures #Tanzania Happy International Day of Sport for Development and Peace! We believe that sport can play an important role in achieving sustainable progress. It empowers communities and individuals, enhances communication skills, and breaks down barriers. That's why we make sure kids like Ema can grab a ball and head outside! #IDSDP2016 #TheSmallThings #PlayMatters #SportforDevelopment Irene dives head first into the day! We think it's safe to say the new slide at the Nkoaranga Orphanage is a hit #TheSmallThings #ToddlerTuesday #Playtime