Author: sharon_manage

We celebrated with guests this past Sunday, October 12 for our annual Toast to Tanzania Event! Thank you to Barry and Kathy for coming to Oregon to join in a toast to our new project in Northern Tanzania! Thank you to Cana’s Feast Winery for their strong support over the years!

On Monday, October 13, 2025, Barry visited the Stafford Primary School along with Kathy, Frank and Sharon. While presenting, Barry asked the students… what does empathy mean? One student quickly raised her hand and said it is sharing kindness without being seen. A truly inspiring day! Thank you teacher Leslie and all of those who make Stafford a very special place. We appreciate the strong support of This Is My School program.

Listen to Close-Up Radio Podcasts about Africa Bridge! Barry has completed four interviews. Jim Masters conducted a first interview. Click Here for the link. Doug Llewelyn, Close-Up Radio Host created a dynamic second interview with Barry. Click here for the link. Jim Masters conducts a third interview with Barry. Click here for the link. Doug Llewelyn conducts the fourth and final interview with Barry. Click here for the link.

Why I Joined Africa Bridge and What I Hope to Contribute

I joined the Board of Africa Bridge because its mission speaks directly to the values that have guided my life’s work: empowering rural communities, uplifting the most vulnerable, and driving sustainable change culminating with intergenerational wealth creation. The Africa Bridge model, centered on enabling families to help themselves while improving the lives of children, resonates deeply with me. Having worked in rural development for decades, I’ve seen that lasting transformation begins with practical, community-led solutions. Africa Bridge has found a powerful way to do just that, and I was particularly impressed by the rate of lowering poverty in Southern Tanzania villages, from over 70% to below 40%.

My background is in agricultural economics and development policy. I have spent over 30 years teaching, researching, and advising governments and institutions across Africa. I’ve served on boards and committees overseeing inclusive finance, agribusiness, and rural innovation, always with a view toward building systems that are scalable, impactful, and rooted in local realities. From advising on Tanzania’s long-term development plans to leading organizations like the Private Agricultural Sector Support Trust, The CRDB Bank PLC,Africa Guarantee Fund, Technoserve, The Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides authority and The Financial Sector Deepening Trust, I’ve been fortunate to work where governance meets grassroots transformation.

As a Board Member, I hope to support Africa Bridge as it transitions from implementing its model directly to facilitating its adoption by others. I look forward to contributing strategic guidance on model improvements e.g. on access to finance for farmers, monitoring and evaluation, partnerships, governance, and growth while ensuring the model’s impact is amplified across rural Tanzania and time allowing Africa. AB provides a good ground for me to pursue further my research interests on rural development. I also hope to help raise awareness of the evidence-backed results Africa Bridge has achieved through publications, and to champion its vision in spaces where policy, research, and funding intersect.

It is a privilege to be part of a team committed to practical, compassionate change. I believe that with clear vision, collaborative spirit, and deep community trust, Africa Bridge will continue to be a model of hope, and a pathway to prosperity, for many more families.

You may listen to our most recent Webinar – Poverty: Consequences, Perspectives and Actions. Chris Rich, Managing Partner of Perkins Coie LLP was our Emcee. Dr. Heath Prince, Director and Scientist, Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, University of Texas spoke on the realities of extreme poverty. Dr. Andrew Temu, Executive Chairman of Diligent Consulting Ltd spoke about the long-range goals of the Tanzanian government. Barry Childs, Africa Bridge Founder, spoke about the plans to partner with the Manyara Ranch Management Trust to implement the program model in a wildlife corridor. Click here for the link

Congratulations to the 37 villages and over 70,000 people engaged directly in our program over the past 25 years!

RSVP for ‘A Toast to Tanzania’ on October 12, 2025, from 1 to 3 PM at Cana’s Feast Winery. Barry will be speaking about our latest work in the Esilalei Ward, part of the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem. Email Sharon@africabridge.org with your RSVP and questions.

Barry will be visiting Stafford Primary School on Monday, October 13. Shout out to Stafford Primary School and the teachers for sharing the Africa Bridge story with children. This has been a wonderful partnership for years. We can hardly wait until next year for the international market!

Join us on our next adventure! The Tarangire-Manyara Wildlife Corridor Project in the Esilalei Ward in Northern Tanzania! Our Objective:
To enable the 22 communities living in and around one of the few remaining wildlife corridors in East Africa to become stewards of their own environment by alleviating extreme poverty.