1.Department of Most Vulnerable Children and Health
The main objective of this department is to invite partners within social, economic and health services to help improve the wellbeing of the Most Vulnerable Children and the community. The department operates through the following programs

(a) The Ilula Orphan Center (IOC)
IOC seeks to provide a safe, loving and nurturing environment for both orphaned girls and boys aged 2-17 years, supported by committed staff and volunteers. IOC promotes education, life skills training and community engagement. The children get all basic necessities of life including treatment, food, clothing, shelter and education. The Center needs additional funds to pay salaries and wages of caregivers and for paying property insurance, water, electricity and travels.

(b) The Sponsor Program
This program stated in 1998 to support most vulnerable children to get education scholarships from preprimary education to university. Individual sponsors are recruited to support a child. There are students waiting for sponsorship.

(c) The Nutrition Program
The main objectives of the project is to reduce maternal problem to pregnant women and reducing stunting for the children under two years of age. The program also provides lunch support to children in five primary schools in Kilolo District and provides farm inputs to schools so as to grow cereals for pupils to get lunch. This reduces truancy among students travelling far away from home to school as well as enabling children to follow lessons well. Additional funding would enable IOP to expand the scope of the project to reach out more beneficiaries.

(d) USAID Afya Yangu
A comprehensive and integrated health service delivery for preventative and curative services with regard to HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Family planning, and Malaria. Under the Support of USAID through Deloitte Consulting Limited, IOP implements this program in Kilolo and Iringa Districts. The main focus of this program is to increase access to high quality, comprehensive and integrated health service in communities.

(e) The Integrated Community Empowerment Project

In this project IOP implements Climate Smart Economic Empowerment activities. The program aims to empower the communities to involve in production processes while taking into consideration the changing climatic condition. It focuses on tree nursery development and management which have been implemented through the formation of production groups within the community. The groups produce different kinds of tree seedlings mostly improved (grafted) avocado and eucalyptus. The Group members are trained to graft the avocadoes and do grafting by themselves. Not only that but also in Climate Smart Economic Empowerment(CSEE), the program mobilizes the communities to establishes Climate Adaptation Coalitions which aim at Mobilizing and forming Community Climate Disaster Mitigation Plans to identify risks, vulnerability and take measures to mitigate climate disasters.

2. Education and Culture Department
The main objective of this department is to improve the organizational capability and invest in high-quality educational services to the students/stakeholders to enable them to lead transformations in the community.
Included in this department are the following programs:

(a)The Kids’ Corner Pre Primary School
A Swahili medium day preschool located in Ilula- Itunda Hamlet to provide pre-primary education to prepare kids to join elementary (Primary) schools. The age range is 3-5 years. The School has two classrooms, a kitchen and to offices. The school provides breakfast and lunch to all pupils and fruits twice a week. The parents pay school fees which covers 20% of the costs. The rest of the costs are covered through donations. This is the only registered school and a school with all the teaching and learning aids in the area. The school has 80 pupils with a long list of applications to join the school. However, shortage of classrooms remains a hindering factor. Increasing the number of classrooms remains a panacea to the kids to get their right to elementary education. The school is in dire need of a fence to keep away speeding motorcyclists passing by the school thus endangering lives of the kids.

(b)The Sunflower Pre and Primary School

An English Medium, Montessori Pedagogue day and boarding, Pre and Primary School to provide elementary education to pupils aged 3-14 years. The preschool pupils take two years while the Primary ones take seven years before joining secondary education. The School was built by support from Christian Solidarity International (CSI) In Luxembourg from 2016. The school has 18 classrooms, computer laboratory building (No computers), Library, administration block, two dormitories, and dining hall and kitchen. The school provides four meals per day all paid by parents/guardians /sponsors. Parents pay school fees which covers only the running costs but infrastructural investment is covered through donations. The school is a solution to congested classrooms in the area but poverty among some parents is a hindrance to access the quality educational services. Subsidizing the main school cost centers and sponsoring the vulnerable kids remain a solution to increased access to poor students. The school has 450 students from preschool to grade seven. The school is in need of funds to level sports fields for football, basketball, netball and volleyball. Other needs are two additional dormitories, one additional school bus to carry students daily to and from reachable distant homes, text books, sports gears such as shoes, balls and jerseys. The school needs $ 37,000 to connect water from the government water supply tank located about 2 kilometers from the school. Currently the school gets salty water from a drilled borehole. Follow us: https://www.sunflowerschools.ac.tz/

(c)The Lord’s Hill Secondary School
The school provides secondary education for students aged 12- 17. The school was opened in 2012. Currently the school has 200 students. The School provides science, arts and commercial subjects to all students. At form three a student opts to take science and arts or arts and commercial subjects (Book keeping and Commerce). The school is in need of one physics laboratory, two additional dormitories to accommodate the increasing number of students as a result of good performance over the last two years. The school has one football ground but lacks fields for other sports. The school is in need of sports gears, solar panels to illuminate classes and dormitories during electrify cut off from the national grid. The school needs $ 37,000 to connect water from the government water supply tank located about 2 kilometers from the school. Currently the school gets salty water from a borehole. The months of September to November the water table goes down thus creating shortage of water. The school uses over 500,000 shillings every month on pumping water from the salty borehole.

d)The Holland House of Books Library

Built by donation from the people of Netherlands the library provides a wide range of books for children and adults. This is a house of knowledge history and culture. Included in the library services is a computer class for the community to learn, a grandmas room for storytelling to kids who faces a generation gap following losing parents during infancy or early childhood, adults room for assorted adults’ books, children room specifically equipped and decorated to meet the children needs. The Library if funded by IOP Netherlands. However, the Library needs additional funds to buy highly demanded primary and secondary school text books. For one to enjoy the library services one has to pay annual membership fee.

(e) Ilula Tigers Sports Club (ITSC)

The club was founded and registered by the National Sports Council in 2014. For years the Club has been organizing annual sports competition involving children, youth and adults in May-June connected to the African Child day to commemorate the Sharpeville massacre. The main objective of the club is talent identification and development. ITSC intends to build relationships with key partners in youth sport to create a conducive environment for children and youth to develop their sporting potential. Through providing opportunities for these young adults to experience an array of sports and monitoring their progress, ITSC is paving the way for the champions of tomorrow. The idea is to connect the IOP educational institutions namely Kids’ Corner Pre School, Sunflower Pre and Primary School, the Lord’s Hill Secondary School and the Ilula Peace makers Empowerment Centre with the sports programs of ITSC. ITSC believes that it is possible for student-athletes to successfully balance sports, academics and life. This is possible through balancing education and sports programs which allows students realize sporting potential while preparing themselves for a future beyond sport. ITSC has football teams for under 14, under 17 and adults. Plans are underway to establish girls’ team. The Club has two three volunteer coaches and medical doctors. The ITSC soccer adults’ team are the runners up in Iringa Championship. Needed are funds to upgrade and fence sports fields, sports gears, buy a club bus and other related expenses. The club is looking for sister clubs who can visit the club and combine tourism with soccer training and friendly matches.

3. Sustainability, Volunteers and Fundraising Department

The main objective of this department is to establishes a competent management and obtain necessary fundraising to complete the IOP strategies. The projects falling under this department include:

(a)Shopping Center

This is a shop for groceries aimed at generating income to fund the IOP strategy. The IOP shopping Centre is the procurement unit of all IOP projects.

(b)Bite Café

The café provides breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks and snacks. The profits are used to fund the IOP strategy. The Bite café needs funds to complete the missing furniture, fittings and kitchen utensils.

(c)Block Machine

The block machine makes cement blocks and paving for IOP’s own use and for the local customers. The profits from this project are used to fund the IOP strategy. The block machine has bracken even and earns profits.

(d) Farming

This includes crops production and animal husbandry. Crops produced are for consume by the orphans and schools as well as for sale. Chicken, Hogs, dairy cows and dogs are the animals and birds kept at the Centre. 

(e)Avocado Farm

Located in Isagwa about forty kilometers from Ilula Township the 28 hectors farm is located at a unique place flanked by two permanent rivers of Nyaga and Funzugwa giving a huge potential for IOP. Already 14 hectors have been planted with avocados. The avocados planted two years ago will start bearing fruits in one year thus giving the most vulnerable children and IOP schools access to the highly nutritious fruit. The surplus will be sold to the expanding local and international markets. The missing items are funds to install the pumping and irrigation infrastructure costing Tanzania shillings 60 million ($ 26,000) and to build a farm house.

(f) Rentals Properties and Equipment

IOP has 12 rental properties and farm equipment for own staff use and for the use of external customers against payment.

(g)Volunteers and interns Programs

IOP mobilizes, encourages and invites volunteers from all over the world to come to work, teach and learn. IOP has connections to Volunteers World Wide organization in Netherlands which sends volunteers to Tanzania. Volunteers can work in a number of professional and non-professional works including teaching, animal husbandry, forestry, fishery, beekeeping, sports, electricity, construction, maintenance, cookery, housekeeping, carpentry, tailoring, photography, video editing, fundraising, gardening to mention but a few. IOP also arranges safari for individuals and groups coming from different institutions who combine volunteering work and safari. IOP has safari standard hostels for volunteers to stay. IOP also receives interns from training institution inside and outside Tanzania who wish to do field practicum in one of our projects. For details concerning volunteering visit the IOP website www.ioptanzania.org 

(h)Workshops

IOP has carpentry and tailoring workshops aimed at making furniture and uniforms for the sponsored students and IOP schools as well as repairing the same. The workshops are also used as practical training arena for IOP sponsored kids completing from vocational collages. The carpentry workshop is in need of several machines including wood plaining and molding machines. The workshops brings a small income as a percentage of profits from the outside works.

4. Women and Empowerment Department

The main objective of this program is to empower communities, targeting women, elders and the youth, in social, economic and political aspects so they can establish and run profitable income generating activities, and achieve gender equality in the community with focus on two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 (gender equality), and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).;

The department has the following projects:

(a)The Senior Citizens Program

This program advocates for the rights of, and provides care for the elderly in Ilula, Tanzania. Most of the elderly who have worked for the nation have been left unattended by their children while the government provides no social security to them. HIV and other diseases have exacerbated the problem by consuming the lives of the young people who previously acted as insurance for the aging parents. Some elders are killed on unfounded superstitious allegations while the underlying reasons is to inherit their remaining meagre properties. The elderly are forgotten, lonely and diseased. The government has come up with different initiatives like free treatment but absence of essential medicines in health clinics stunts the efforts. IOP is there to speak for and advocate for the rights of the voiceless elderly. There are over 70 elders in the program from one hamlet only. The program is conducted through monthly elders meetings, speaking in congregations, village assemblies, visiting the elderly and lobbying to the duty bearers. Shortage of funds limits IOP efforts to reach out many needy elders.

(b)Change Program

This is a youth exchange program run by NOREC and IOP/Ilula YWCA. The exchange program is between the developed North and the developing south focusing on youth leadership. The program aims at building young leaders to a global movement for justice and peace. The participants acquire skills, knowledge and experience through trainings and workshops related to youth mobilization in the south through webinar. The program has full funding. (c)Young Mothers Program

A program to support the vulnerable single young mothers who get early pregnancies so as to realize their life potentials and take care of their children. This is a three year program to empower single young mothers on economic empowerment and economic independence to young mothers. Family planning and nutritional education is provided to single young mothers to avoid unplanned pregnancies and take care of their children. Young mothers learn among the different skills offered to them. The program is supported by Y-Global Norway and IOP Germany.

(d)Girl guides and Boy Scouts

Girl Guides and Boy Scouts is a group of young girls and boys ranging from 5 to 25 years old aiming at contributing to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and social potentials so as to become responsible citizens in their society. The mission is to contribute to the education of young people through a value system based on the scouts law and promise, to help build a better world where people are self- fulfilled as individual and play a constructive role in the society. There are over 1000 scouts under IOP scouts movement. Ilula Scouts are looking for partners outside Tanzania.

( e)Ilula Peace Makers Empowerment Centre(IPEC)

The center planned to operate as a Folk High School model that will focus on empowering and enabling the trainees through practical life experiences. The center will operate as both, a boarding and day center. Girls will be given a priority for the boarding opportunities. The Project is supported by Y-Global Norway. Registration process for the Centre are underway with the Vocational and Training Authorities having visited the Centre ones. Core technical courses including information and communication technology (ICT), tailoring, carpentry, Masonry, electricity, sports management, etc. will be provided. The Centre needs funds to complete the missing computers and renovation of two additional classrooms.

5. Finance and Administration Department

This is a department which provides support functions to the line departments of IOP. The department is responsible for corporate governance. It consists of the following units:

(a)Finance Unit- Finance Management and reporting

This unit help to optimize the use of financial resources, make informed decisions, and achieve organization goals and objectives

(b)Human Resources Unit

This involves employee relations, conflict resolution, workplace safety, diversity and inclusion initiatives. The HR Unit plays a critical role in ensuring that the organization has the right talent to meet its objectives and that employees are supported and engaged in their work. (c)Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Unit

This unit provides technical assistance and support to other departments or teams within the organization to help them develop and implement effective monitoring and evaluation systems. It is also responsible for communicating the results of evaluations and reports to external stakeholders, such as donors or partners, and for ensuring compliance with reporting requirements.