Tamani was founded on a deep passion for education, and giving back to the local community. The founders, Shabbir & Fatema Somji, having successfully sent all their kids to college, decided the time was ripe to fullfill their dream of one day opening their own school that would serve the locals of Tanzania. Circumstances led them to Matemwe village in Zanzibar, where there was no early childhood education institution before kids entered the primary school system.

To fill the need for a nursery school and vocational training, Tamani Foundation was founded in 2012, starting the first ever nursery school and adult education institution in Matemwe Village.