The Hawega Story

The Hawega Foundation was founded in 2021 by Sainga Gidobat, a member of the Datooga Tribe in Northern Tanzania but .

When Sainga was a child, Amy, a traveling anthropologist from the United States, came to stay with his family to learn their traditional way of life in the bush. Sainga’s mother looked after Amy during her two years with the tribe. As a sign of gratitude, Amy decided she wanted to give back to the family and offered to sponsor Sainga’s education. This placed Sainga in a unique position as one of the few members of the Datooga tribe to go to school. He went on to graduate from college with a degree in economics and finance. In 2018, Sainga founded his own tourism company – BLiT Safari and Film.

Through formal education, Sainga became aware of the harmful effects of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practiced by the tribe. He knew that a lack of education was at the root of the problem. Inspired by how Amy changed his life with no expectation of anything in return, Sainga started the “Amy Challenge” as a way to give back.

The survival of the tribe and their traditional way of life is facing unprecedented threats as more and more of their land is converted into national parks. Sainga’s tourism company became a means of connecting travelers with girls from the tribe who need their education sponsored. In return for this sponsorship, the mothers of the girls agree not to perform the traditional practice of FGM on the young girls.

It is Sainga’s mission through the Hawega foundation to eradicate FGM in the area, while providing educational opportunities to Datooga children that will grow up to continue the butterfly effect of the “Amy Challenge”.