The Umaki – Neema Crafts Guest House

Neema Crafts, in partnership with the Mother's Union Women's group in the Diocese of Ruaha, has built the first disabled-run guest house in Africa, if not the world. This is the final part of the Neema Crafts Centre, built on our top floor above the workshops. It provides ten en-suite rooms, ranging from large family rooms with beautiful views over the hills surrounding Iringa to smaller double and twin rooms. The Guest House has WiFi internet and for those without lap tops our internet café is right alongside.

The Guest House will allow us to provide training and jobs for more of the deaf and disabled people on our waiting list, some of whom it is hoped will also be enabled to find work with other employers in town after their training with us. Profits from the guest house will be used to help cover the costs of running the physiotherapy centre for disabled children, and for all the other much-needed free services we provide for disabled adults in the town, so the positive impact of this part of the centre will be extremely far reaching!

We hope the Guest House will bring many more people through our doors, opening their eyes to the capabilities and the issues of disabled people in Tanzania. It will also help us to be even more sustainable as a project, bringing more people through our shop, restaurant and our internet café.

The Guest House will open early in mid July 2011, so watch this space and be the first to stay!

We are still actively fundraising for the funds needed to complete the final touches and furnishing. If you would like to help or even sponsor a room, please do get in touch and have a look at the Guest House Project Proposal, thank you!

If you would like to book a room, please send an e-mail with your booking request to: neemaguesthouse@gmail.com