Who We Are
Opportunity Builds Africa
Learn about the mission, vision, and history of our organization.
60+
Years partnering with African communities
3,000+
Schools and clinics supported in Tanzania
85%
Tanzania literacy rate, up from 10% in 1965
Mission
Why We Exist
OBA partners with African communities to expand access to education and opportunity, especially for women, children, and marginalized communities. We value our relationships with local partners that provide us with insight on local needs.
Vision
What We're Building Towards
We envision African communities where women, children, and marginalized groups have the education, support, and agency to shape their own futures, and where opportunity is built from within, strengthening families and communities for generations.
History
Over 60 Years of Impact
Founded by Lutheran missionary Rev. J. David Simonson, OBA began its work in northern Tanzania during the country's early years of independence, partnering with local families to build schools and clinics.
The partnership model expanded to support more than 3,000 schools and clinics across Tanzania, with community members contributing labor and leadership to determine their own priorities.
In response to the urgent need for girls' secondary education, OBA partnered with local leaders to establish MaaSAE Girls Lutheran Secondary School, creating access for academically gifted young women.
Partnerships expanded to include the Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre, Selian Hospital, and the Arusha Lutheran Medical Training Centre, strengthening access to quality healthcare across the region.
OBA works across Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Madagascar alongside schools, healthcare institutions, and community-based partners. While our name has changed, our foundation remains the same.
For more than 60 years, Opportunity Builds Africa has partnered with communities across Africa to expand access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.
Founded in 1965 by Lutheran missionary Rev. J. David Simonson, the organization began in northern Tanzania during the country’s early years of independence. At a time when rural communities had limited access to schools and healthcare, David and his wife, Eunice—a nurse—worked alongside local families to respond to urgent community needs.
What began as a grassroots effort to help build schools and clinics quickly became something much bigger: a model of partnership rooted in local leadership, shared responsibility, and long-term investment. Community members shaped bricks by hand, contributed labor, and determined their own priorities—laying the foundation for a development approach that continues to guide our work today.
Over the decades, that partnership model has helped support the construction of more than 3,000 schools and clinics in Tanzania and has expanded into long-term initiatives across education, healthcare, and community development.
In 1995, in response to the urgent need for girls’ secondary education, Opportunity Builds Africa partnered with local leaders to establish the MaaSAE Girls Lutheran Secondary School (MGLSS), creating access for academically gifted young women who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to continue their education. Today, hundreds of graduates have gone on to higher education and leadership roles in their communities.
As healthcare needs grew, our partnerships expanded to include institutions such as Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC), Selian Hospital, and the Arusha Lutheran Medical Training Centre—strengthening access to quality care and investing in the next generation of healthcare professionals through scholarships and strategic support.
Today, Opportunity Builds Africa works across Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Madagascar alongside schools, healthcare institutions, and community-based partners to invest in education, leadership development, healthcare access, and opportunity for people with disabilities and underserved communities.
While our name has changed, our foundation remains the same.
Opportunity Builds Africa reflects who we have always been: an organization rooted in faith-inspired compassion, grounded in collaboration, and committed to building lasting change alongside local leaders. We believe sustainable transformation happens from the inside out—when communities have the resources, relationships, and opportunities to shape their own future.
Our history is not simply about what has been built. It is about what becomes possible when opportunity is placed in the hands of those closest to the challenge—and the solution.