History
The story of Imunyi Foundation began in early 2001, when Mama Katherine and Phil Collins visited Usa River in Arusha, Tanzania. During their stay near the Dolly Estate, they witnessed a lot of children who were facing harsh realities of poverty with limited opportunities and inability to access basic education. Upon their return home in the UK, Katherine and Phil started to raise funds from their personal savings, friends and relatives and especially, from the people of Brill Village and the Bernwode News Magazine in the UK, and in the following year, they started supporting vulnerable children from the rural villages in northern Tanzania to access secondary school education with help of James Laizer in Tanzania. The impact of Mama Katherine and Phil’s efforts in supporting the lives of the children was profound. Once dismissed as hopeless, many began to dream and aspire for a better future. Through education, these children developed crucial skills and knowledge, equipping them to break free from the cycle of poverty.
To date, we all feel an immense sense of pride and gratitude for the journey Mama Katherine and Phil embarked upon. We also remember Phil Collins who passed away in 2020. Katherine and her family, village and community continue to support us.
What started as a humble initiative fueled by their own experiences and aspirations has transformed into a powerful force of change, impacting the lives of countless children and families in Northern Tanzania. Their story serves as a reminder that the power to bring about transformation lies within the hands and hearts of those who refuse to accept the status quo and fight for a better future. It is in line of the above therefore, Imunyi Foundation was born in 2021 partly, to scale up the good work started in education support, but also to support conservation work across Tanzania.