Naretoi Foundation

Naretoi Foundation was born from a powerful, shared vision, a calling to uplift, empower, and transform the lives of women and their families.

It all began when Frida, our Founder and Executive Director, felt an undeniable pull to support widowed women in her community, women who were struggling to put food on the table and fighting daily to keep their children in school. She saw not just their hardship, but their strength, the kind that just needed a chance, a spark of support, to ignite a better future.

Around the same time, Erica, now Co-Founder of Naretoi, met Frida. In what began as a simple conversation, they uncovered something deeper: a shared dream, Erica, too, had long carried a passion for empowering women, especially those left behind by systems and circumstance. That day, purpose met partnership and Naretoi was born.

Over the past ten years, this sisterhood has grown into a movement of impact. Together, Frida and Erica have:
• Fed hundreds of families,
• Provided startup capital for women to launch small businesses, and
• Supported children’s education and daily upkeep, ensuring dignity and hope ripple across generations.

Today, the Naretoi Foundation stands as a beacon of sustainable change, still rooted in the passion of its founders but fueled by a growing network of supporters, dreamers, and doers. At its heart, Naretoi is a reminder that when women rise, communities rise with them.

The Meaning of Naretoi Foundation

Naretoi Foundation (NAFO), meaning “helping and supporting each other,” is a grassroots, women-led Tanzanian non-governmental organisation committed to the holistic well-being of marginalised women nationwide.

Our core mission is to empower disadvantaged women, particularly widows, women living with HIV/AIDS, and those facing socio-economic hardships, by bolstering their efforts to secure basic family necessities and build pathways to financial sustainability.

We implement targeted interventions, including the provision of micro-capital grants, entrepreneurship skills development, and capacity-building support for women’s collectives. Guided by the principles of inclusivity and equity, we partner with women from diverse backgrounds, fostering resilience and creating opportunities for a brighter future for themselves and their families.

In many Tanzanian communities, women, especially widows and single mothers, carry the heavy burden of providing for their families alone. With some men absent or unable to support, these women are left to shoulder the full responsibility of feeding their families, paying rent, and ensuring their children’s education. Too often, children are forced into street vending or labour to help, leading to poor school performance and, in many cases, dropping out entirely.