On 23 November at approximately 23:00hr a fire swept through a hostel at Buhangija school for children with albinism and special needs in Shinyanga, Northern Tanzania.

The hostel which housed 32 girls -11 with visual impairment, 18 with albinism and three with a hearing impairment - was completely gutted.

Three girls - Catherine (11), Miriam (11) and Caren (9) all with a visual impairment were killed in the fire. The matron who awoke as the fire took hold raised the alarm and managed to evacuate the other 29 children. By the time the guards arrived on the scene to help the fire was already too severe and the three girls could not be saved.

The surviving girls have lost everything. Funds are urgently needed for bedding, clothes, shoes and personal belongings for them.

The school, which has over 300 pupils, has been closed pending an investigation by the authorities and parents asked to take their children home. However, over thirty children abandoned by their parents cannot go home. Funds are needed to purchase some basic games and equipment to help the children recover from their trauma.

In 2020, FOAT worked with the Diocese of Shinyaga to establish a vegetable garden at Buhangija https://amanitzuk.org/shinyanga-archive-news to provide food and an educational resource for the children. A recent storm has destroyed the seedlings. The garden needs terracing and replanting. This activity will provide therapy to assist the children left behind. Funds are needed to restart the garden.

The Headmistress of Buhangija School has made an urgent appeal on the Tanzanian TV network https://youtu.be/GAsWOD0f8qU and the church is seeking local support.

The cost of replacing the children's destroyed belongings, purchasing games to occupy them and assist in their recovery, and re-establishing the vegetable garden is estimated at £3,500.