Our Story
Connect Autism Tanzania is non-profitable organization registered in 2015 to conduct its activities to Tanzania mainland. Connects Autism Tanzania(CAT) was founded by GraceAnna Lyimo a mother of the Son with Autism Eric Lyimo to support people living with Autism and co-occurring conditions through capacity building, advocacy, community awareness and developing opportunities for success.
Since 2015, Connects Autism Tanzania hosted workshops and seminars that brought together families, teachers, government officials, social service providers and even law enforcement officers aiming to create awareness about children with cognitive challenges to reduce stigmatization and encourage early identification and proper intervention. Developed a volunteer program to work in rural area to provide teacher’s support on special education program strategies to increase children with special needs enrolled to schools
Background Story
Connects Autism Tanzania was registered in 2015 to build a basis of support and advocacy for caretakers of children and youth with autism. Erick is the inspiration behind Connects Autism Tanzania. Erick Lyimo’s youth (a youth of CAT Founder) had a series of challenges on his growth, as his mother GraceAnna Lyimo, noticed many development delays when Erick was a toddler and spent countless hours visiting doctors and talking to healthcare professionals, trying to get answers. The mother was told her son was hyperactive, had child psychosis, and would “grow out of it” one day. Finally, a Tanzanian pediatrician who had trained and worked in the UK told Erick’s mother that her son had autism. This was a reason for Erick’s mother to learn about autism and later started the organization (CAT).
Our Mission
The mission of CA Tanzania is to support people living with Autism and co-occurring conditions through capacity building, advocacy, community awareness and developing opportunities for success.
Our Vision
CA Tanzania envisions a country in which all children, youth and young adult with Autism and other intellectual challenges are supported by a society that works to ensure they are able to live with dignity, quality of life and to strive for a bright future.
Our Team
We have team of dedicted staff that work with great effort and energy to make sure we meet our goals and atain our vision.
Grace Anna Lyimo
Founder
Grace James
Director
Kinjama J. Mshana
Consultant
