With Reneal Team Tanzania [2026-10-04]

I just returned Wednesday from the annual trip to Tanzania. It was wonderful to be with Reneal Team Tanzania and Reneal’s partners in Arusha. It’s a chance to learn from each other and join together to improve our work. In particular, Reneal Team Tanzania has done a great job this past year of systematizing the maintenance process. This is a key tool for Reneal’s sustainability. From planning replacements to identifying needed tools to working side-by-side on repairs, it was productive – and fun! I also had several meetings with our partners, including Arusha Node Marie and Terrawatu. I finished the trip by visiting the supportive officials of Arusha Region.

Arusha Node Marie has continued to field new computer labs using Reneal servers, and we have been discussing how to share maintenance tasks to keep all of our labs running well. I also joined Angella Marcel from Terrawatu to visit one of our jointly-supported schools, Mkonoo Secondary School. Then we paid a visit to Terrwatu’s Lynn Bretsnyder Women’s Centre, supporting livelihood projects for local women.

Now that I’m back home, it’s time to begin preparations for the 2026 Phase 2 projects. We are so grateful to our long-time supporter Apto Solutions, who will be helping Reneal reach ten new government secondary schools in early 2027.

Thanks go to Reneal Country Director David Nyangaka and Reneal Team Tanzania. We all deeply miss Reneal co-founder Neal Bierbaum’s leadership and passion, but we are working hard together to carry on Neal’s legacy.

[Photo: With Reneal Team Tanzania]