Armonk Teen’s Effort Raises Over $15G to Feed 600 Tanzanian Children
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A local student’s Food For Thought initiative raised more than $15,000 in private donations this past year to provide over 600 students at the Esilalei Primary School in Tanzania with one year of lunch and basic supplies.
Tyler Bond, a Byram Hills High School senior, is no stranger to the Tanzanian school. Last year, he started an organization called Armonk to Africa (A2A), a cultural exchange and traditional letter-writing program connecting the Wampus Elementary School in his hometown and the Esilalei Primary School located in Monduli, an impoverished region of Tanzania.
“I lead Wampus (Elementary School) fifth-graders through monthly activities to create meaningful connections with their new African friends and to expand their appreciation of the world,” Bond said.
Bond was inspired by his aunt, Monica Bond, a wildlife biologist and activist who has worked in Tanzania for many years educating people about ways to protect wildlife.
“Tyler always expressed a keen interest in our environmental education work here in Tanzania,” Monica Bond said. “After Tyler created and successfully implemented A2A, he asked what resources the school might need. Our coordinator suggested food because most of the kids do not eat anything all day, making it difficult to pay attention and learn.”
Bond also discovered that students often miss school because of the significant distances they must walk to get there and back.
“It became clear to me that if food were made available at the school, parents would be much more eager to send their children,” Bond said. “I created Food for Thought because no child should have to go hungry but also as an incentive for these children to consistently attend school and get an education.”
“We never imagined that the Armonk community, plus their families and friends, would raise enough funds for all 600 children to receive a daily free lunch of corn and beans for an entire school year,” Monica Bond said. “The teachers are already reporting much higher attendance since the lunches were introduced.”
Tyler Bond traveled to Tanzania in July and spent a day at the Esilalei school. When they brought out the lunches, and he announced that the children would be receiving lunch every day, he could hardly hear himself over the cheers.
“That was an incredible experience I will never forget,” he said.
Bond also organized a fundraiser with Wampus fifth-graders called Hoops for Hunger to raise money for Food for Thought. This year, he plans to continue holding fundraising events while also seeking corporate sponsors.
The high school soccer team, of which he is a member, recently pledged a donation, and a student from a neighboring district has inquired about launching a Food for Thought club at his school.
Food For Thought and A2A are sponsored by The Wild Nature Institute, a nonprofit corporation and a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. The institute, located in Tanzania, manages and coordinates the programs locally, ensuring that the food is delivered to the school and administered appropriately.
Donations to Food for Thought may be made by visiting armonk2africa.org/give.
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