Our story begins in 2017 with an encounter in Tanzania.
In 2017, Jan traveled as a volunteer to Tanzania. He worked for the small nonprofit organization that Lalahe had founded with his then-wife Claire. It was meant to bring education to Lalahe's home region. Through this work, Jan and Lalahe met. Lalahe, a Maasai, born in the Ngorongoro Crater, had already equipped the Lomiyon community with a first improvised classroom in 2009.
It turned into a friendship. One year later, on July 12, 2018, nine friends from Cologne signed the articles of association of Makuyuni e.V. The 100%-model applied from the beginning: donations go directly into construction, administration is covered by our crew contributions.
Since then, we have been working with Lalahe and Lazaro. They run their own organisation on site and coordinate every build full-time. We finance, they build with the communities.
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Year by year: how we have grown.
Since the first encounter in 2017 and the articles of association in 2018, five schools have been completed and handed over, a well supplies 3,200 people and two more schools are under construction.
- 2009Lalahe and the Lomiyon community start with Idimayii
The first improvised school made of clay walls and a corrugated iron roof is built in Lalahe's home region by the people who live there, long before we existed.
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- 2017Jan travels as a volunteer to Tanzania
Jan works as a volunteer for the small nonprofit organization founded by Lalahe with his then-wife Claire. He meets Lalahe personally. It turns into a friendship.
- 2018Founding of Makuyuni e.V. in Cologne
July 12: Articles of association signed. 9 founding members, the 100%-model from the beginning. First project: Expanding Idimayii, together with Lalahe and the Lomiyon community.
- 2019Orkisima: Start of construction of the second school
In Lalahe's home region. Seven classrooms, a teacher's house, later a well for 3,000+ people. Lalahe and Lazaro take over the construction management on site.
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- 2020Orkisima well completed
Clean drinking water according to WHO standards for 3,200 people. External drilling company, Lalahe and Lazaro coordinate.
- 2021Selela: Start of construction of the third school
A community that had already built a classroom from sticks and clay themselves. Today the largest school in the network.
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- 2022Orkisima handed over. Makuyuni Juu: Start of construction of the fourth school
Handover of the first complete school to the Tanzanian government. At the same time, we join Makuyuni Juu, where the community has been building its school since 2006. We carry on building with them.
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- 2023Selela handed over. Zaburi: Start of construction of the fifth school
Selela becomes an official government school. Construction in Zaburi begins. A family from Germany supports the project.
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- 2025Makuyuni Juu handed over. Lolera: Start of construction of the sixth school
Handover to the government. At the same time the sixth school: Lolera, financed by Bücherbörse Köln, the well by Bücherbörse Stuttgart.
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- 2026Zaburi handed over. Lolera grows. Meleleki is being prepared.
Handover of the fifth school to the government. Well, teacher's house and toilet blocks in Lolera are expanding.
Next stop: Meleleki. Block A has already been built by the community. The main sponsor is Bücherbörse Stuttgart. The preliminary examination according to our criteria is completed.
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Who is actually doing this?
Six people on the board in Cologne, Lalahe and Lazaro in Tanzania and a network of over 90 people that carries it all.
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Questions about the story? Write to us directly.
If you want to know how a volunteer trip became an association, or why we had the 100%-model from the start: Jan will tell you.
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Jan
Jan Grandisch. Co-founder, involved since 2018. First point of contact for donations and projects. He met Lalahe in Tanzania in 2017.