Worldwide, children in orphanages often do not receive the love and attention necessary to thrive. This lack of attention can lead to many challenges for the children as they grow towards adulthood. Alfred Maganga (YES 2014-2015, Tanzania placed by YFU in Ann Arbor, MI) noticed that the children at the Maunga Orphanage Centre in Dar es Salaam would benefit from some love and attention. He and 20 others from various organizations volunteered to implement the Carnival of Love event to advocate for compassion and charity.

The four-hour mentorship event brought 30 children together to teach emotional intelligence, social resilience and intellectual growth. For a successful day, Alfred and the other hosts told the children how compassion and charity has affected their lives in order to encourage the children to open up to them for the day. The workshop consisted of interactive activities such as one-on-one discussions, group discussions and teachings to encourage meaningful conversations. The team also encouraged the children to embrace their talents like singing, dancing, drawing and poetry. 

The workshop gave the children a different perspective of who they could be instead of letting their vulnerabilities shape them. The children left the program excited and ready to work towards their dreams including one boy who would like to create a company that would do events similar to The Carnival of Love. The boy said he wants more people to feel the love that he felt from the event in the future. An official from the center thanked the volunteers for the event and told them that this event will leave a significant impact on the children. “Thank you so much for your time and effort to bring love to us today and for giving us a chance to share something together.”

Alfred is grateful for the success of the Carnival of Love and the awareness it brought to the Maunga Orphanage Centre. He looks forward to hosting more events with the children of the center and the public. Organizing the Carnival of Love has sparked a passion in Alfred, and he hopes to be involved in youth mentoring programs and charity projects in the future.“I always look to the young people who have great potential but are underprivileged. By helping with these projects, I believe I can make a bigger change in my community.”