Staff Spotlight: Mr. Simon

Editor's Note: This Staff Spotlight features Mr. Simon, JBFC's librarian! Not only is he instrumental in running our library, literacy evaluations, reading club, and Family Literacy Program, but he is also an incredibly positive force on campus. Last year, Mr. Simon joined the Office of Student Development, where his impact on students has only grown. 

How long have you been working at JBFC?:

I have worked here since 2011.

What is your position? What are your responsibilities?:

I am the Literacy Coordinator. This means dealing with students and giving them books to read. I have to make sure that I give them the correct level. For this, I measure them and talk with their teachers. If there is any student with difficulties, I have to inform the teacher so we can help him or her.

What is the biggest challenge you face?:

The biggest challenge is having students not willing to read novels because they think it won't help them to pass their exams. I try to explain to them that improving their English level will help them not only in their exams, but also in their future life. 

What is your favorite part of your job?:

My favorite part is doing the literacy check because it shows me the students who have difficulties in their studies and, by doing so, I can help them.

What are you looking forward to this year?:

I would like to see a big improvement of the students in reading. Through this, they will improve their concepts to even answer their exams in a better way.

Mr. Simon has been an integral part of the Joseph and Mary Schools and our larger JBFC community since 2011. Simon spends a lot of time advising students both in IEP and informally, running sports programs, and building friendships with staff and parents.  He helps organize and execute everything from literacy programs to sports to Planned Parenthood programing and clubs.

New Faces to the JBFC Staff

Our campus and mission are growing, and with it, comes a need for more staff! We have several new faces (and a couple familiar ones) who are joining the JBFC teams on both sides of the world.

In Tanzania:

Seraphine Lyimo – Second Campus Director
Lyimo is a lifelong educator and passionate about social change through the empowerment and
education of youth. Having worked in several different roles in various schools, as both teacher and administrator, Lyimo recently joined the JBFC team as our Second Campus Director. Currently, he is training under Chief Operating Office, Seth Diemond, on our flagship campus in Kitongo before he ultimately moves to our second campus site to oversee the development and operations of that separate campus. Lyimo has a Masters in Education Administration, Planning, and Policy Studies.

Jeff DeViller - Volunteer Coordinator

Jeff and his wife, Bethany, are our first Canadians to the JBFC team. Jeff will be working in Tanzania as our Volunteer Coordinator, helping to host our various school partners, visitors, and Experience JBFC trips. JBFC expects to have over 130 volunteers this year, so Jeff has quite the task ahead of him, but we are confident he is up the challenge as he has previously worked as the Coordinator of Volunteer Services for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and various other non-profit organizations in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Bethany is a trained nurse and lifelong farmer and is going to be working with our Public Health Outreach program as well as help with various aspects of JBFC’s permaculture program.


Christina - Graduate Social Worker
Christina, our new Graduate Social Worker, will be living with JBFC residential girls who recently graduated from Form 4 and are awaiting their placements in post-secondary education. While living with them, Christina will be responsible for registering the girls for their short-term technology courses, helping file college applications, setting up volunteer and internship opportunities, and coordinating various training and enrichment seminars. She will also be tracking JBFC's eight 2015 graduates in their various placements, which means lots of travel, as those girls are spread out all over the country.

Christina (left) with 2016 JBFC Residential Girl Graduates, Vero, Neema, Kulwa, and Rose in their new off-campus home.

In the U.S. Office:

Travis Purser - U.S. Expansion Coordinator

Travis will be a familiar face to many of our JBFC supporters. He arrived on JBFC’s campus in Tanzania at the end of 2013 to volunteer, quickly joined the staff as our Guest Coordinator in 2014, helping coordinate volunteer itineraries and activities, and finally moved to the Campus Director position on our flagship campus in Kitongo. While in Tanzania, Travis became very familiar with JBFC’s model and all of our children, staff and community, and is now using this knowledge and passion to help in our Tulsa office as our Expansion Coordinator. Travis is responsible for improving JBFC’s monitoring and evaluation processes and helping in the expansion and growth of JBFC.


Katelyn Jackson - U.S. Development Assistant
If you came by our office last Fall, Katelyn is also a familiar face! She spent last Fall working as the
JBFC office intern while finishing up her last semester of school. She graduated this past December from Oral Roberts University with a degree in International Community Development. Katelyn will be helping to manage our supporter database, send out various communications, and help to keep the JBFC US office in good order (no easy task, if we do say so ourselves).

The Impact of Solar Lighting

Since 2013, our flagship campus in Kitongo has used the power of the sun to generate power. We started with our water pump, which had previously been powered by a generator and cost thousands each year. Our campus has grown since we first introduced solar power, and with that growth, came a higher need for electricity. 

Last year, Brunswick School out of Greenwich, Connecticut helped raise over $11,000 for JBFC's solar power infrastructure. Thanks to the students, parents, and teachers at Brunswick, not only has JBFC increased the amount of electricity to our Secondary School, Administration Building, Primary School Computer Lab and Office, Papa's Cafe, and all guest housing, but individual lighting systems have also been added to each dorm and the dining hall. This means that our residential girls and matrons can study later and have the much needed safety of light in the evening and nighttime hours.

Below are quotes from some of our staff about how this change has impacted their lives and work on campus.

Mr. Samo, Dean of Students: "It gives them [the residential girls] consistent light to study, without having to worry about power cuts."

Felista, JBFC Social Worker: "It will help them to get more time to study at night. If there's any social event, now they will be able to do it. It can also help the matrons to wake up earlier for doing their different duties."

Boniface, Campus Registrar: "They use the dining hall to study so the solar power will help them to keep studying in the dark hours. Also, it will enable the girls to get light during supper, improving social life."

Mr. Fred, Head of Joseph and Mary Primary School and 7th Grade Teacher: "We always give them homework. They have also to study and now they have the chance not only to do it but to choose when they feel better to do it, at night or early in the morning. Also, it will help the matrons to charge their phones. During entertainment hours now they can put music on, dance, practice choir, etc. so it will also help to refresh their minds."

Mr. Kidapanda, Head of Joseph and Mary Secondary School: "This enables them to concentrate in their studies, especially at night. It gives them the proper environment for their studies."

Vero, JBFC Residential Girl and 2016 Graduate: "It helps us to study and to do other activities like clubs!"

On behalf of all our girls, students, and staff in Tanzania, THANK YOU to the entire Brunswick community and all of our supporters who have enabled JBFC to "Go Solar" since 2013. You are not only helping us to be more eco-friendly at our campus, but you are enabling us to have 24/7 electricity without the worry of high fuel costs, ultimately helping with JBFC's self-sustainability goals!

Staff Spotlight: Fatuma

Editor's Note: We would like to continue with a series we started last year, where we introduce our supporters to some of our staff in Tanzania through interviews. These employees are very much the back-bone of our operation, and work hard to ensure that operations continue to run smoothly on campus our campus. 

This month's Staff Spotlight features Fatuma, who has had a variety of different job titles and responsibilities over her past four years at JBFC, but who currently works as JBFC's House Manager, overseeing all hospitality regarding the guest housing and international staff housing on campus. Fatuma has moved from being kitchen staff at Papa's Cafe and Bungalows, to running the Papa's kitchen, to assisting with the cooking and cleaning for the volunteer program, to now managing all hospitality for our volunteer program. In 2016, that meant she was responsible for making sure the basic needs of over 150 visitors and volunteers were met while also managing a three person team. We expect an equally busy 2017, and to ensure that Fatuma has the help she needs, we have added an additional member to her team.

How long have you been working at JBFC?:

"I've worked at JBFC for 4 years and 2 months."

What are some of your responsibilities for the work you do?:

"I am the House Manager. My responsibilities are cooking, cleaning, making sure that all the guests needs are covered, and coordinating the rest of the house helpers."

What is the biggest challenge you face as the House Manager?:

"My biggest challenge is coordinating the house helpers. For example, if one of them doesn't properly clean one room, because I am the House Manager, I am responsible for that and I find it sometimes difficult to check everything constantly and make sure that my part of the work is done."

What is your favorite part of your job?:

"My favorite part is cooking, even when we have a lot of guests!"

What are you looking forward to in 2017?:

"I'm excited to see my team work very hard!"

JBFC's Chief Operating Officer in Tanzania, Seth Diemond, says "In addition to brightening my life (and basically anyone's life who has visited JBFC over the past four years) day in and day out, Fatuma truly embodies what JBFC stands for. Her work ethic, friendly personality, and the example she sets have rubbed off on our entire campus."

"Fatuma is a favorite among our residential girls and can often be found hanging out with various groups of kids in her free time. She loves to teach the girls how to cook, especially pancakes, and was awarded in August with a Certificate of Recognition for her amazing work during our peak volunteer season. To say the least, Fatuma is an integral part of our team, impacting all the various moving parts of JBFC's work; volunteers, staff, residential girls, and students."