.png)
OUR STORY
The idea behind HELLO TANA – Help Enrich and Lift the Lives of Others in Tanzania and Alabama, Cultural Exchange Project – was born of two sisters and Birmingham natives, Stacey Scott-Msaki and Willow Scott. As a medical volunteer in the Moshi and Himo areas of Tanzania in 2014-2015, Stacey found a calling to utilize her training in acupuncture, herbal medicine, and massage therapies to bring healing to the people. In researching opportunities to start a holistic medicine NGO, Stacey met, and later married, a native Tanzanian who was involved in similar work of his own as founder and director of the Africa Volunteer Corps NGO. Together, the Msakis co-founded AIM Tanzania – Africa Integrative Medicine. This nonprofit organization supports projects for healthcare, education, and community development. Stacey serves as HELLO TANA’s Director of Community Health and Wellness Programs.
The younger Scott sister, Willow, is an arts administrator in the Birmingham area. Willow’s diverse career includes working with numerous art initiatives, organizations, and events around the “Magic City” of Birmingham. A master in “upcycling’ – ecofriendly art made from recycled or upcycled materials, also known as creative reuse – Willow puts the “A” in this cultural STEAM venture. Willow serves as the Director of Arts Advocacy, Education, and Talent for HELLO TANA.
Stacey and Willow contacted local educator, Dr. Samantha Elliott Briggs, about the possibility of a student exchange program between secondary and post-secondary youth from Tanzania and Birmingham. As the trio worked towards this project-based adventure, Samantha began identifying similarities between Tanzania, the inner-city of Birmingham, as well as the rural Black Belt of Alabama. For nearly 30 years, Briggs has built a career embedded in non-profit social justice education initiatives, teaching, curriculum writing, and evaluating grant-funded education projects. Samantha is HELLO TANA’s Director of Programming and Implementation.
Finally, the team is rounded out by Stephanie Rudolph, who has a background in counseling, student advising, and international student exchange programs. Stephanie serves HELLO TANA as the Director of Community Outreach.
OUR BRAND
According to Legends of America, every nation has its symbols – specific objects that represent beliefs, values, traditions, or other intangible ideas that make it unique. These symbols can help bind a nation together by reminding its people of their nation’s history and most important principles. In search of connective tissue between Alabama and Tanzania, a look at symbolisms important to both was as good as any place to start. Uncovering a giraffe and a woodpecker yields imagery that lies somewhere between irony and allegory. The giraffe is Tanzania’s national symbol. A graceful animal whose long neck represents the ability to be visionary, while still viewing the past and present. The giraffe reminds Tanzanians to increase their understanding by viewing life from all angles. The giraffe also reminds Tanzanians to use their strength and flexibility to align the physical, mental and spiritual, as does the giraffe. The Northern Flicker “Yellowhammer” is Alabama’s state symbol. According to Native American mythology, this woodpecker is believed to bring good luck and healing. Some tribes believe dreaming of the Yellowhammer is a sign that a person will become a traditional healer, and the Hopi consider the bird as a directional guardian associated with the South.
​
Together, the giraffe and woodpecker symbolize an alignment of these two resilient, visionary communities collaboratively working to bring about healing from the affliction of poverty and establishing a sustainable legacy of growth. Tanzania and Alabama – two is better than one – “Wawili sio mmoja.”
