Comment by lukehandcool

Thanks for the comment.

Trust is key in any effort like this. I made some connections to a local church in Njombe (I'm not religious and neither is the organization, anyone is welcome) and met some of the most selfless people I've ever met (special thanks to Sister Theo) who help arrange transportation to and from the schools, and take the kids into town to get supplies, or arrange doctors visits when needed).

The money can be paid directly to the schools via western union and they send me receipts and even report cards.

Another helpful thing is that students have to take national exams in Tanzania at different stages of their education. Those scores get posted to the interent, so I can track progress that way too.

The truth is that there are many families who are working tirelessly to send their kid to school, so the motivation is already really strong in the village.

I go back every few years to check up on things, talk to the schools and give many many thanks to the nuns.

501c3 was fairly easy to set up. About as simple as an llc if I remember correctly, with a little more paperwork. I set it up in Idaho where my mom lives because I tend to move around a lot and she has a permanent address there, and the process is relatively simple in Idaho.