Frequently Asked Questions
Ask a question on the Contact Us page, or just send an email to MIchael@neemavillage.org.
Question:
Why does it cost so much to sponsor a baby at Neema Village when I can sponsor a child at other places like Compassion International for lots less money?
Answer:
First of all, you can sponsor a baby for as little as $30 per month. You can sponsor a baby for any amount. We are not picky! But to fully sponsor a baby it is $300 per month. Why so high? Neema cares for abandoned, orphaned and at risk babies who require frequent trips to the doctor and expensive formula. They also require full time, 24 hour a day care. Babies seem to want their bottles at night and on Christmas. Who knew! Many of our babies have spent weeks in the hospital recovering from malnutrition and premature births. Caring for babies is much more costly and labor intensive than caring for older children. The World Bank Organization says that caring for children in an orphanage is six times more expensive than caring for a child still living at home. Most of our babies have no home. We are not in competition with any other organization working in Africa. Compassion International cares for children living at home; they also support children beginning at age 3 to 22. We only take in babies under the age of two.
We take newborns.
Babies require more staff. Neema tries to have a ratio of 1:4 nannies per babies, as well as have 24/7 care. To do this we have three shifts of nannies. In addition to nannies, we have other support staff, such as people to cook, clean, wash diapers, and provide guard service.
While it will vary some from month to month, the figure of $300 per baby per month is an honest and realistic amount of what we are actually spending. We opened Neema in June 2012 and since then we have seen that $300 is an average that was spent per baby per month. Our monthly budget is posted on our web site. We invite you to take a look at it. Notice there is no salary listed for Michael and Dorris, Kim, Marquesette, or Ashley. At Neema Village, only Tanzanians are paid a salary from Neema donations. www.neemavillage.org
Question:
How much of my contribution goes to administrative salaries?
Answer:
At Neema Village, only Tanzanians are paid a salary from Neema donations and a very small percentage of all income to Neema goes to pay for advertising, printing, travel, etc. Astounding isn’t it! All donations go through the 501c3 non profit Neema Village so you get tax deductible status for your donations. Neema Village Tanzania, Inc will send you the tax deductible receipt for your contributions that are $250 or above. The IRS only requires a receipt for donations of $250 or more.
Michael and Dorris are semi-retired, have their own source of income, and do not take a salary from Neema contributions. All money given to Neema is used for operational expenses unless otherwise specified, such as for land purchase and building projects.
Question:
Would my donation be tax deductible?
Answer:
Yes, Neema has tax deductible status through “Neema Village Tanzania, Inc.” which is our registered 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Waco Texas. All contributions through Neema Village Tanzania, Inc. are tax deductible.
Also, Neema Village Tanzania, Inc. is a registered and certified NGO in Tanzania
Question:
Where do you get your babies from?
Answer:
Neema Village is licensed through Tanzania Social Welfare, and our babies are assigned to us by them. Sometimes a hospital will contact Neema Village to tell us that a baby has been abandoned or that a mother has died in childbirth. Other times the police will call, or the government social welfare office may contact us. Elliot came from a call from the hospital. Michael John came from a call from the police. Zawadi was abandoned at the bus station. Babies are abandoned in the forest, along roadsides, and at the doorsteps of churches.
Neema has made it known to the officials that we are available to care for these babies. Other times we become aware of babies who are at-risk due to malnutrition, illness, or the lack of adequate care. The tiny triplets weighing 3 pounds each or less are at-risk babies. We are always ready to step up and help a baby in need.
Question:
What role do volunteers play at Neema Village?
Answer:
Volunteers are a great blessing to Neema Village because they provide extra hands to care for our babies. Volunteers help feed, change, bathe, play with and love our babies. Because of their often tragic beginnings these babies require lots of cuddles and love. On some occasions volunteers may take a shift with the nannies, and at other times they help take babies to a doctor’s appointment. Volunteers may help with special things, like book keeping, website design, photography, videography, art, building, and maintenance. Even short-time volunteers provide welcomed relief and services for Neema.
Question:
What health problems do you face in Tanzania?
Answer:
The major health problems in Tanzania are malaria, dysentery, and HIV/AIDS. Most guests take a malaria proplaxis and sleep under mosquito nets to avoid malaria. Drinking bottled water and not eating uncooked vegetables, eliminates most dysentery. Being vigilant in hand washing and not coming into contact with blood, reduces the HIV risks. Other health concerns are Typhoid and Cholera, and the normal colds, viruses, and infections that you can get anywhere. While many government hospitals in Tanzania fail to provide the standard of care you may be used to, there are good private clinics and hospitals available in Arusha. Most medications are available in Tanzania at a reasonable cost.
Question:
How do I sponsor a baby?
Answer:
Click on the donate button and follow the instructions. You can make a one time gift or set up automatic monthly donations for the amount you choose.
We invite you to ask questions. There is no question you can ask that we will not try to answer honestly and to the best of our knowledge. Our books are open for anyone to see, we invite you to look, to question and then we invite you to help!