About us

The Humanity Force.

An oasis is a small place in a dry land where life can grow. We want every school and every home we reach to feel like one: a place where a child has what they need to learn, eat, rest and grow.

Our story

Started in Arusha, by people who work here.

The Little Oasis Foundation was founded by Chance Liganga. For more than ten years his work in travel has taken him along the roads between Arusha, Moshi and the national parks, through the villages and towns where the guides, drivers and cooks he works with grow up and raise their families.

Over those years he kept meeting the same quiet problems. A bright child who stopped going to school because the uniform no longer fitted. A family with four children and one mattress. A fever left too long because the clinic cost money. None of these needed a large project. They needed someone to notice, and to follow through.

The foundation was registered as a Tanzanian NGO on 15 May 2024. In January 2025 its board set up the foundation’s finances and named its two authorised signatories. Its name says what it wants to be: a little oasis, small enough to know every child it supports by name, and careful enough that every gift can be traced to what it paid for.

We work in two places: at school, with uniforms and books, daily meals, reading rooms and health insurance; and at home, where we visit families with local leaders and bring beds, mattresses, bedding and food. Three Arusha travel companies give $25 for every traveller they host, and donors in Tanzania and abroad do the rest.

#togetherWeCanChangeLives

Leadership

Our board

Chance Liganga

Founder and Chairperson

Chance founded Barafu Tours in Moshi in 2014, starting on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and growing it into an Arusha travel company known for private climbs, fly-in safaris and the Barafu Luxe concierge.

Years on the road between Arusha, Moshi and the parks showed him the other side of the journey: children who stop going to school because of a uniform or a pair of shoes, and homes where a child shares one mattress with siblings. He founded The Little Oasis Foundation in 2024 so that the work he does with travellers could reach those children directly.

As Chairperson he leads the board, builds partnerships with schools, local leaders and donors, and joins home and school visits himself.

Nishashila Singh

Director and Chief of Finance

Nishashila is the founder of Trailheads Safaris in Arusha and a co-founder of Wildcation Travels, which brings school and educational groups to Tanzania.

At the foundation she is responsible for the money: budgets, purchasing, bookkeeping, receipts to donors, and the audited accounts and annual report the foundation files under the NGOs Act. She is one of the foundation’s two authorised signatories.

She also keeps the records of every child and family the foundation supports, so that each gift can be traced from the donor to what was delivered.

Accountability

How we use your gift

We are a young foundation, so we keep things simple and visible.

How donors receive proof

Delivered, not cash. We buy uniforms, food, books, beds and mattresses from local suppliers and deliver them to schools and homes.
Recorded. Every delivery is signed for, and schools keep simple attendance, meal and book registers.
Authorised payments. Only the foundation’s two authorised directors can make payments from its bank account.
Running costs shown openly. About 13% of our budget pays for the people, transport and yearly audit that make the programmes work. No one receives a share of the foundation’s income; staff are paid only for work done.
Proof for donors. A receipt for every gift, and proof of delivery once it is spent.
Published every year. Our activity report and audited accounts are filed under the NGOs Act and available to the public.

Working within Tanzanian law

The rules we follow

The Little Oasis Foundation works under Tanzanian law and alongside the Government’s own programmes for children.

The NGOs Act, 2002 (as amended in 2019)

We are registered under the Act as NGO No. 00NGO/R/6520. Each year we prepare an activity report and audited financial statements, file them with the Registrar of NGOs, and make them available to the public.

The Law of the Child Act, 2009

Every decision is made in the best interests of the child. We protect children’s privacy: no names, faces or home locations are published, and nothing is shared without a parent’s or guardian’s consent.

The Personal Data Protection Act, 2022

Personal details of children, families and donors are collected only for our work, with consent, kept securely and never sold or shared for marketing.

The fee-free basic education policy

We never pay tuition or contributions that public schools may not charge. We provide what families are expected to supply: uniforms, shoes, books and stationery.

The national school feeding guidelines

School meals are run with the school committee and parents, following the Government’s guidance on school feeding.

Local Government

We work with the street, village and ward leaders and with the district social welfare and education officers, and seek the permissions they require before working in a school or community.

Health insurance

Children’s cover is bought from the National Health Insurance Fund or insurers licensed by the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority, through a licensed broker.

Visitors and volunteers

Visitors on tourist visas come as visitors, not volunteers. Anyone volunteering with us must hold the permit the Immigration Department requires.

Registration

The details

Full name: The Little Oasis Foundation (TLOF)
Registration: NGO No. 00NGO/R/6520, Tanzania Mainland
Registered: 15 May 2024
Tax number (TIN): 175-194-959, Tanzania Revenue Authority
Address: P.O. Box 10417, Arusha, Tanzania
Phone and WhatsApp: +255 746 162 779
Email: thelittleoasisfoundation@gmail.com

Questions

Is the foundation registered?

Yes. The Little Oasis Foundation (TLOF) is a non-governmental organisation registered in Tanzania Mainland under the NGOs Act, No. 00NGO/R/6520, registered on 15 May 2024.

Who runs it?

A board led by Chance Liganga (Founder and Chairperson), with Nishashila Singh as Director and Chief of Finance. Both are authorised signatories of the foundation’s account.

Where do you work?

In the Arusha region of northern Tanzania, starting with one partner school and the homes of the children we support.

Is the foundation part of a travel company?

No. It is a separate, registered NGO with its own bank account and accounts. Three travel companies help fund it.

Together we can change lives.

A uniform, a hot meal, a health card, a book, a bed. Small things that change a child’s life.

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