About us
The Teran Foundation (TF) was founded in The Netherlands in 2004 by best-selling author, Lisa St Aubin de Teran to help some very poor villages in North Mozambique to help themselves. All our projects are grass root-driven and start small and then grow organically. Our main focus is on Mossuril District, Nampula, and Milange District in Zambezia.
What we do:
Teran Foundation has a eight-year track record serving local communities. Lisa de Teran moved to Mozambique in 2005 to personally oversee all TF's initiatives full-time. Operational overheads are under 15% so that a minimum of 85% of all donations go directly to specific community projects. She published 'Mozambique Mysteries' (Littlebrown UK) describing Mossuril District, nearby, historic Mozambique Island and the start-up of the College of Tourism in the Cabaceiras. Since 2007 to 2011, she has published a monthly column in the NL development magazine, Onze Wereld. This is also available on-line on www.onzewereld.nl. Now she updates on her personal and literary blog.
How the Foundation came about:
In 2003, as a tourist in N. Mozambique, Lisa de Teran fell in love with Mossuril but also became aware of its severe poverty. Having travelled the whole world, she was touched by the friendliness and motivation of the local people.
A group of villagers asked her to help them to change their lives. She describes working with TF as having changed hers. In 2009, Teran Foundation was said to "help some of the poorest of the poor. There are depths and layers of poverty that are almost invisible. But it is here; and it will wipe away several pretty smiling faces month by month, year after year". TF has helped with all levels of education, malaria and HIV/AIDS-awareness, micro-credits, agriculture, environmental protection, electricity-provision.
About Lisa St Aubin de Teran:
She was born in London in 1953, and has published 19 books, including several bestsellers. She is also a travel journalist and TV presenter. For further information, see her website. She says the rapid, relative success of Teran Foundation's projects comes from "being based inside the villages it helps and listening to local people to know what they most need and getting it to them". Her new novel 'Kafka Lodge' will be published in 2013.
