the project
The story of Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge & Children’s Home history began in 2005, when two Dutch doctors were invited to a seminar in Tanzania.
Joris & Marise, moved by the experience, decided to organize other seminars and, more so, to help the community.
Hence, they started searching for a venue that could accommodate doctors and seminars.
Marise went back to Tanzania and started looking for land, she visited many villages and she remained impressed by the great number of children in the streets, without parents and with no one to take care of them.
That’s how Marise and Joris decided to build a venue for the seminars and a children’s home as well.
Having no experience with orphans, the couple decided to do research and visited several orphanages both in Europe and in Africa, one thing was quite clear: they shouldn’t be dependent on donations from third parties.
The desire and the need to be fully self-sustainable led to the idea of “two hills, one goal”. The lodge would host doctors and tourists, using the profits to support the expenses of the children’s home.
In 2006, Joris and Marise created the Rhotia Valley Children’s Home Foundation in the Netherlands, seeking financial backers for the purchase of the land and the construction of the lodge. Today, the Foundation is still working hard to collect donations for school fees and invest in the sustainable farm of the Children’s Home, so they are more self supporting for their food.
With self-sustainability always in mind, the two doctors decided to embed the project completely in the community of Rhotia, with the aim to support the people –especially the children – of the Rhotia area – in a such way to make the entire village part of the project.
This is how we try to make you feel when you are a guest at Rhotia.
Since nov 2021 their legacy is continued by a new dutch owner who continues in their spirit and objectives.
the board
Joris and Marise established the Rhotia Valley Children’s Home Foundation in 2006. It is run by volunteers in The Netherlands, who do not charge a fee, so you can be assured that every given penny will be directly invested into the children!
Founders: Joris Koch & Marise Koch-Hekstra
Chairman: Philip Houben
Board Secretary: Ineke de Geer-Huisman
Treasurer: Wopke van Rhijn
Member: Aagje van Heekeren
the milestones
Discover the story and the milestones of Rhotia Valley Foundation. Every year we try to achieve some goals in the 4 following development areas: Children (C), Projects (P), Sustainability & Community (S&C), Housing & Constructions (H&C)
2006
Land Purchase! – Housing & Constructions
2007
Construction of the Children’s Home: 3 houses, 1 office, 1 kitchen, 1 big class room for welcoming 36 children. – Children2008
Official opening of the Children’s Home – Housing & Constructions
A grader for a soccer field – Housing & Constructions
Renovation of Rhotia Road – Sustainability & Community
New solar panels for the classroom & the three children’s houses – Sustainability & Community
2009
We have been able to purchase Lego, mountain bikes, puzzles, reading books and 100 OLPC e-learning laptops – Children
Construction of 2x 50 000 litre water tanks and a pump system – Sustainability & CommunityDevelopment of a new vegetable garden and chicken coop – Sustainability & Community
2010
Purchase of hot water boilers at the children’s home kitchen – Sustainability & Community
Cows join the Rhotia Valley Family! The children can enjoy fresh milk every morning! – Sustainability & Community
2011
An official Contract between Rhotia Valley and the Tanzanian Government was signed for the co-management of Marera Primary School – Projects
A new water project was started: renovation of the water pipes and construction of the break pressure tank from the Ngorongoro Crater Rim – Sustainability & Community
The official opening of the new bakery! The turnover will be used for the secondary school education and the Children’s Home – Projects2012
The construction of our first Bio-gas tank, which uses cow dung – Sustainability & Community
2013
The opening of the Marera Pre Primary School, fully supported by Rhotia Valley Foundation. Now 100 children between 5 and 7 years old can go to school! – ProjectsThis year we provided all schoolbooks for Umoja Primary School and Marera Primary School students – Children
We bought 4 extra acres for the growing number of cows, 14 at this moment – Housing & ConstructionsA new fertiliser tank and recycle system was built – Sustainability & Community
2014
We made a trip with the whole staff to Pangani! – Projects
We donated 400 new school desks, a new laptop room and a playground to the Marera Primary School – Children
We renovated the kitchen and the houses at the Children’s Home – Housing & Constructions
Eight children finished their studies and found work! 2 tailors, 2 bakers, 1 storekeeper, 1 waiter, 1 waitress, 1 chef – Children
Construction of the 2nd Bio-gas – using human waste – tank began – Sustainability & Community
2015
We found water! We built a borehole with an 80 000 litre tank and a 2 000 meter pipeline that runs uphill to the Children’s Home – Sustainability & Community
We bought a new school bus for the kids! – ChildrenWe were able to pay for the yearly school uniforms for all our children and pay the school fees of the Private Tumaine Primary School – Children
We started a new training project: construction and opening of the Coffee Corner restaurant at the main road! – Projects2016
We started a new educational project: arrangement and organisation of a Small Business School in ‘House 18+’ – Projects
We renovated our vegetable garden! We built a new green house, began the implementation of an irrigation system and started putting up beehives to prevent elephants from entering the garden – Sustainability & Community
2017
We built a new playground for our children at the Children’s Home – Children
We renovated all our roads with a grader – Sustainability and Community
We set-up a new computer room in the 18+ house for the small business school students – Projects
2018
We celebrated the 10th anniversary of the official opening of the Children’s Home! – Children
We built a brand new stable for the cows with enough solar panels on top to power our whole project – Projects
We built a pen for our new pig project – Sustainability and Community
We Built an irrigation system, watering 2 hectares of Elephant, Lucerne and Desmodium grass for the cows -Sustainability and Community
2019
We started a chicken project! We built a new chicken coop and bought 100 new chickens – Projects
The batteries for our solar system finally arrived! Now the Lodge, Bakery and our Children’s Home are powered by the sun – Sustainability and Community
