A fishing community near the port city of Tanga in northern Tanzania is very proud of its boats Kiwijade and Manawahine, which go out every day, weather and seas permitting. And now thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Riccarton, New Zealand, they have a donkey and cart to take their fish to market.

Jackie the donkey is strong, fast and has a lovely nature and has a foal named Iris. The woman of the community have been taught to brush the donkeys and treat them like their own children as they play an essential role, not just in transporting goods to market, but carrying wood for their fires, shifting house and taking people to hospital.

The Rotary Club of Riccarton has donated $16,000 over the past three years from funds raised at its Riccarton Market, which has enabled the village to build a community kitchen- a focal point for meetings, funerals and weddings, and to hang the washing when it rains- as well as establish garden plots

The money has also enabled school uniforms to be purchased for the children, who cannot attend school unless they have a uniform and stationery, Christchurch woman Sally Gidall travelled to Tanga to oversee the expenditure and has presented more than 50 dolls to the school made by members of Riccarton Inner Wheel. The Children are currently sitting their entrance exam to high school. “They get one chance at it and they are passing”, Sally said.

From the Riccarton Market - a successful Rotary enterprise that has been operating every Sunday since 1986 – to a fish market in Tanzania, this community has been given meaningful and practical support that has made a huge difference to their lives.