Africas Promise Village

Local nonprofit receives big donation

Africa's Promise Village, a nonprofit organization that focuses its efforts on the construction of wells, schools and the basic care of residents of Tanzania, Africa, could receive a huge boost in 2013.

After the publication of an article about the nonprofit in the September edition of Community Impact Newspaper, Africa's Promise Village founder Dr. Donna Gunn received a call from a reader.

Doyle Kolle, director of Allied Green LLC and Bastrop resident, has a $380 million contract in Tanzania and offered to help Gunn in her efforts.

"He called me and said, 'Dr. Gunn, we can build that school for you,'" Gunn said. "It is difficult to raise funds, and things don't just fall out of the sky, so I was skeptical at first."

The skepticism faded, and what remained was a promise that the company would build the school, the goat cheese-making facility, the greenhouse and more.

The one caveat is that the project hinges on the contract the company has with Tanzania.

The company, as part of a proposal to the Housing Ministry in Tanzania, is working on one rural project—building the school and other structures with Africa's Promise Village—and an urban project: building 10,000 houses outside of the city of Dar Salaam.

"The company chose Africa's Promise Village as their rural project thanks to Community Impact Newspaper," Gunn said. "If everything goes well, it is going to be the most amazing blessing."

The company is scheduled to be in Tanzania on Jan. 21 to begin work on the projects, barring any problems with the contract.