Our Story
Jenny Watson was born in South Africa, moved to the USA in her 20's and through a passion for travel and her career, had an opportunity to visit Tanzania many times over the last 2 decades. She was deeply touched by visiting a local school on one of her trips and made it a goal to do something practical with what she knew about Africa, what she had learned about rural education and the necessity of providing skills for ongoing economic development.
"Ubuntu" is the humanist African value that you are, because of others and not only because of yourself with a foundational, moral respect for humanity. The Tanzanian people are happy in the deepest sense of the word even when faced with poverty, hardships, or limited material possessions. They are kind and generous of heart and soul and in the face of desperate poverty and tough challenges, they remain supportive and thoughtful of others. This is a powerful juxtaposition to modern day living.
It is with this in mind, that Jenny founded the "Inala Foundation" (which means abundance in Zulu), to make meaningful impacts to the lives of children through focused projects, with small steps and big outcomes.
The Inala team brings an international perspective (born in South Africa and Canada), with African "know-how" and deep corporate & non-profit experience. We apply flexible approaches to informal rural settings and have a proven track record of project delivery.
The team has 30+ years of c-suite corporate experience solving challenging and complex problems. They have helped both corporations and non-profits grow and scale through strategy, ops and technology improvements. Practical "on the ground" expertise in project management, construction, drip-irrigation and water catchment design translate projects from ideation to funding and implementation.
Your support and contributions translate directly to the outcomes.
Our vision is to provide ongoing education and economic development opportunities for children to thrive into adulthood. Projects include, but are not limited to, support of additional schools and related infrastructure (water, food, solar power), school supplies, and incremental teachers to improve education outcomes. Our goals are to lift the quality of life for these children, their families and the broader communities within which they live.
It's the perfect blend of passion and purpose and what it means to be human; to love and be loved, to be seen, to feel heard and feel validated. Everyone, regardless of their start in life, deserves these fundamentals. We are your trusted partner to make this a reality.
Small acts. Real impact.
Your support really matters!
Jenny