We are very proud to announce that as of Summer 2015, our three young men – Dibeit, Tumsifu and Saidi found out which high schools they will be attending starting July 18th. School assignment is based on secondary school exit exams, and the fact that these three are going all over the country speaks to how well they did!
Dibeit was selected to attend Mahiwa High School in the Lindi Region of Tanzania. He will study a PCB combination – Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Tumsifu was selected to attend Kibiti Secondary School in the coastal region just outside of Dar es Salaam. He too will take on the ambitious PCB combination. Both of them have goals of becoming doctors! We’re hoping they excel in their high school program so we can continue to help them pursue university studies. Continue reading “Evidence of Impact – Sky’s the Limit!”
This is sure to be my favorite update so far. After four years of fundraising, planning, negotiating, (struggling), and succeeding – we are so excited to share the news that Amahoro Secondary School is open! There are 70 Form 1 students currently studying in our completed classrooms! Of this cohort, 15 are newly added girls for our Girls Education International Scholarship Tanzania program! We really couldn’t be more happy, excited, and hopeful!
In January 2015, I traveled with two friends to the Kigoma Region. For the first few days, we met with leaders at the district level – planning the opening party, budgeting for the festivities, negotiating PW’s contribution and the government’s contribution, and much more. We visited the site of the school and met with the enthusiastic and proud new Head Master, Mr. Kumenya, as well as the local village leaders who have been working with us since the beginning. Village ‘Diwani’ (Chief) Patrick Maganga was on hand all week – preparing the final details for the opening, including finishing the latrines, building steps into the classrooms, and staying on top of official business (organizing entertainment groups, arranging the schedule of events, staying in close contact with district leaders, etc.). He is a model of what true leadership should look like! Thank you, Diwani Maganga!!
One of the final hurdles to overcome prior to the opening of the school was completion of the latrines. I’ll admit – I was very impressed when I finally saw them! Our top supporters, Shelmina and Minaz are responsible for the completion of the latrines. (Thank you, Shelmina and Minaz!!) The latrines come complete with porceline base toilets and a state of the art system for storing waste – which will last up to 70 years before it has to be cleared out by truck! Not just your average hole in the ground! Of course, our fabulous builder Isaya Lameck brought his A-Game to finish them, and his crew of laborers put in many hours digging deeper and deeper through very rocky soil. It was one of the toughest parts of the overall job!
The party was a smash! There were entertainment groups from the village and neighboring towns. They brought in an MC, a DJ, and set up a big tent for the VIP guests. Parties like this are a very big deal for villages and they let it show!
There was a theatrical song and dance performance, dancing by youth hip hop groups, and even some dancing by our current scholarship students. Interspersed with the entertainment were speeches by the village and district leaders. The village exective officer read a speech prepared by Lucas which outlined the timeline of the project, acknowledged the many contributors – near and far, and ultimately celebrated the big opening day!
The District Commissioner, Ramadhani Maneno gave a big speech about the promise of the future with education at the helm. He told the crowd of over 1,000 that I would be back in the future with volunteer teachers of English, Science, and Math to help build capacity … no pressure! (Any volunteers?)
After all the dance, music, and speeches – they revealed the beautiful foundation plaques on the wall of the school. And then – the feast! All villagers and VIP guests were treated to a celebration lunch. Lucas showed that his skills even extend to being an event caterer and food server! He was tireless in his efforts to make sure this entire celebration was a huge success. By the end of the day, needless to say – we were all an exhausted group of planners and supporters!
But enough reading … take a little break from whatever else you have to do right now and watch this video mash-up of the celebration!
Thank you very much to everyone who has collaborated, contributed, and cheered along the way! We’ll continue to work with the leaders and the headmaster to continue this school’s development – building laboratories, finishing additional classroom spaces, and of course – getting the football pitch ready for matches! So – we’ll take you along for the journey for as long as you’ll let us!
In 2011, three amazing young men – Tumsifu, Saidi, and Dibeit – began their studies as Form 1 students in Tanzanian secondary schools, with the help of Project Wezesha. In November, they all graduated!
Dibeit: Due to his excellent performance on the secondary school entrance exams, Dibeit was selected by the government to study in Dodoma, Tanzania at a boarding school. He studied hard and stayed focused, even though he was half way across the country from his family. He remained among the top of his class throughout these four years. Continue reading “From Students to Graduates to Teachers! Bravo!!”
In November 2014, Lucas completed a computer training program in Kigoma. In this program, Lucas learned important word processing skills. He regularly uses these skills to track our students’ progress and write program manager reports for Project Wezesha and Girls Education International.
Last December, he used his skills to write proposals for leaders in Kigoma town in order to secure their essential support for the opening of Amahoro Secondary School. Of course, his overall digital literacy has been instrumental to our ability to stay in touch via email.
Join me in celebrating with Lucas on his completion of this course with distinction!
Greetings and gratitude from Lucas and me! I’m happy to share some updates with you about the progress toward opening Amahoro Secondary School in Mgaraganza Village, Tanzania.
This past August, I traveled to the Kigoma region to visit with Lucas and check the progress of our project. I was a little surprised to see that very little actual work had been done since his April update. In other words, construction was at a standstill – halted due to lack of funding. As usual, the wheels were set into motion when I arrived.
Meeting Local and Regional Leaders
The first line of business was to visit the regional leaders from various Ministries in the government. I was invited to a meeting in Kigoma town to address the leaders and share my gratitude, concerns, and hopes moving forward. We expressed our gratitude about their recent commitment to contributing to the construction of teachers’ houses and laboratories* for the school. We noted our concerns about the pressure of fundraising and challenge of meeting the opening day deadline. We stressed the need for the government to continue their support until the end. We also shared our enthusiasm for the possibility of teacher education and teacher exchange in the future (my ‘pet’ plan for ensuring quality education at this school). They applauded our efforts and echoed our hopes and excitement.
*Note: Recent legislation in Tanzania mandates that no school open without laboratories in place. While this places a huge obstacle in the road for opening schools in villages, it aims to address the current plight of village schools, which is the prevalence of unmet promises by school administrators and leaders to follow-up on the construction of laboratories. Most village schools never see spaces for students to explore physics, chemistry, and biology to the extent necessary for measurable success in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.
We also met with the Kigoma District Commissioner, Mr. Maneno who guaranteed his support for this project. Mr. Maneno is new to his position as of this year. He made a trip to the village to visit the school and meet with the local village leaders. He was very impressed by the work that had been completed thus far. He gave speeches of praise to the local leaders, community members, and workers. He also promised to do everything in his power to make sure the school opens in January 2014.
Of course, we had our own meetings with the village leaders. We discussed my concern over the delay in work in recent months. We identified a breakdown in communication between political leaders in town who disperse the money, and the village leaders who sign for and collect the money. Our faithful Chief Maganga stepped in and made some phone calls to make sure the funds would be released. This money would allow our builders to complete the entrances to each classroom.
Meeting with the Children
Our most important stakeholders are the children. There are a handful of them who are present at the school for every gathering of the leaders (mostly because they live next to the school). The kids showed us their twist on using the classroom space in the months leading up to the school opening (see photo).
In the month after my visit, Lucas rallied the students of Mgaraganza Primary School to come and do a clean up at the secondary school. They came with brooms and tools to prepare the assembly area in front of the classrooms. Of course, they didn’t harm any of the lovely trees that will shade them as they have their daily morning assembly!
Meeting our new Headmaster, Mr. Kumenya
Headmaster, Mr. Kumenya
In September, Janet Chapman – a UK-based volunteer with GlobalGiving and the communications manager with the Tanzania Development Trust – visited Lucas and took time to learn about our project. She met the village leaders and Lucas, and made a videoallowing us to introduce our new Headmaster, Mr. Kumenya. We hope that her response to the visit is positive and that she can help us garner more international support to complete the school.
At present, my plan is to be in Tanzania again this coming December/January for the opening of the first phase of the school!
But, we’re not there yet. The missing pieces at the moment include the latrines that are required before a school can be open (for obvious reasons). If you can chip in today, you can help us channel money to the project so that we can get them into place on the school site. Every little bit counts, as you know! (Why didn’t I think of the Ice Bucket Challenge!?) As always, we can do NOTHING without you! Thank you so much for your support thus far. Please spread the word wide and far. Just click DONATE to your right. Asante sana!
We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the start of a new season! I know in Tanzania, everyone is very excited about the coming end to a long rainy season … ah, but of course – the water and vibrant green of the landscape during this season is so refreshing!
In Tanzania, our students actually start their school year in January (not August or September as in many parts of the world). So, they are in the early stages of a new school year. Nonetheless, the year is off to a race for some of them – namely Saidi, Dibeit and Tumsifu who are currently in Form 4. This means that these three very bright young men are rounding the bend in their secondary school experience.
They will take two mock exams this year and then in October, they will take the high stakes final exams to see if they qualify for entrance into high school (and we know they will!). At that point, we’ll have some big decisions to make and we hope you’ll join us in making them. Continue reading “Our Boys – Approaching Graduation”
Twice a year, Lucas makes his rounds to the various schools where our scholarship students attend. He checks in with the headmasters and teachers, he gets updates on our students, and he collects report cards. Like a proud but nervous baba and mama, Lucas and I wait in anticipation as the grades roll in. Well, Lucas has more of a wait as he has to sit there as the headmaster or secondmaster meticulously copies from the grade books into a report for Lucas. Subject by Subject, score by score, letter grade by letter grade, and then finally the average. (I just have to open the email and see all of Lucas’ scans.)
I’m not going to sugar coat it. Getting good grades in remote village schools is a challenge. You can view a chat on the topic with our students Hindu and Saidi here:
Here’s a quick refresher on the realities:
Secondary School teachers in Tanzania don’t generally want to be sent to the village schools. They are often trained in cities and large towns and hope to get an appointment there. For those who want to work in the village, they have a sense of committment to the children and communities. For those who would rather be back in the cities, it’s a struggle to show up every day with the energy and motivation to teach well. Why? (see #2)
Children in village schools are already at a slight disadvantage. Primary school teachers only have to complete secondary school, but are not required to pursue any further teacher education. Therefore, they are often underprepared to manage and promote learning well. Not to mention, one village classroom can have up to 100 students! (continued in #3)
Secondary school subjects in Tanzania are taught in English. Primary school is taught in Swahili. (Need I say more? I will.) Teachers sometimes don’t speak English very well, but they teach subjects in English. Students barely speak English when they reach secondarly school, and now they are learning all their subjects (e.g., math, history, physics, biology) in English. This has been well documented as ineffective in my field (Applied Linguistics) but, it’s a byproduct of colonialism, so we just have to wait it out. Soon, the GOV will hopefully embrace dual immersion in primary or bilingual approaches in secondary (still requires English proficiency in teachers).
Students don’t have books. Most village schools have one book – for the teacher. The students have no books. There is no electricity, therefore no copy machines (therefore nothing to take home and study besides what is copied into one’s notebook).
Families in villages have a lot on their plate – from supporting large families through subsistence farming and fishing to managing health issues with limited infrastructure. The women rely on the children in many ways – they help mind siblings, carry water, tend animals, prepare meals, clean, etc. So, school can, at times, take a backseat to the rest of life.
Does it seem like I’m preparing you for the worst?Well, in part – I am, but not completely.
Some of our students are not getting very good grades in their subjects. When they are selected to the scholarship program, we have them sign an agreement that states that they will maintain a certain grade average and if they fall below that average, they will receive tutoring for 4 months. If their grades don’t come up, they will unfortunately lose support.
Can Lucas and I cut anyone from our program?No. Does that make us bad ‘business people’?Maybe. But, I know that even when our students get an F or a D in their courses, it’s not because they don’t want an education. It’s not because they hate to study or go to school. Most of them wake at 6am and walk for up to (and sometimes over) an hour each way without breakfast or lunch. (I love that last part because it sounds like a ‘fly-in-the-eye’ campaign – i.e., an exaggeration to tug at heart strings. It’s just reality. I do the walk with them when I visit, and their capacity to storytell and sing the whole way there and back blows me away! I’m usually the one complaining about the heat, dust, distance.) They are failing and flailing due to no fault of their own. The system – it’s all about the system, no matter where in the world you look. So, until the system changes (and beyond) – we’ll stand by them.
But, the good news is – we have some shining SUPERSTARS in the group who show us the potential of a bright young child when given the right balance of support (i.e., financial, emotional, physical and familial) and determination.
So here are the highlights!! (i.e., the Good News) (Note on Curving the Grade Scale: American A = TZ village B; American B = village C; students are praised for receiving Cs and Ds)
Girls
Amina, one of our first year Form 1 students really blew me away! She scored a B in Civics, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology!! There’s no stopping her if she can keep this up! Bravo, Amina!
Rahma, another new Form 1 student, earned an A in English, B in French, and a C in History, Geography, Chemistry and Physics. She has quite the range of strengths!
Khadija was one of our first ever scholarship students. She graduated from secondary school and now studies at the Vocational Training and Education Authority. She is doing exceptionally well and has secured a B average and a rank of 3rd in her class. Her favorite subjects appear to be French and Computer Applications.
Boys
Tumsifu is one of our Form 4 students. His overall, cumulative grade average is B!! That is amazing, folks. His top subjects are Civics, History, Biology and Geography.
Simoni, a new Form 1 student, was sure to be a rockstar. Our intern Katy knew that about him the first time she taught as a guest in his class. Sure enough, quiet little Simoni secured an A in Civics, Chemistry, Biology and Swahili with a B in History and English. He has an overall B average!
Samiru, one of our new Form 1 students, had a very successful first year. He earned a B in Geography and a C in Physics, Chemistry and Math!!
George had an amazing first year with an A in Biology and English and a B in History, Geography, Swahili, Math, French and Chemistry! Way to go!!
Mussa, another new Form 1 student, rounded out his first year with a B in the following: Physics, Biology, and Chemistry!! Wow! Go, Mussa!!
Mahamudu also joins his Form 1 peers with a strong start, earning a B in Physics and Chemistry. (I’ll have to praise these STEM field teachers when I see them this summer!)
Ezekial, another Form 1 student, earned a B in History, English and Biology.
Albert held strong during his Form 1 year with a B in Civics and a C in Geography, Swahili, Biology and Physics!
And last but never ever the least, my best buddy since 2008 – Saidi!! Saidi moved from the village school in Kiganza last year to live with Lucas and attend a private school in town. His father wanted our support in that decision because the village school wasn’t keeping up with Saidi.
Saidi, as a Form 3 student, has earned an A in Math, Physics, Commerce, Swahili, and Beekeeping! He has a B in Civics, English, History, Geography, Chemistry, and Biology!! He is ranked 2nd in his class – in a big private town school! Remarkable!!
Wow – what an update! I wish I had more high grades to report, but you know – we’re really just proud of all of our students for continuing to get up every day and go to class. In fact, after recieving the reports, I emailed Lucas to find out why some of them were not doing so well. He went to their schools, met their teachers and conducted interviews. The findings: they wanted to be there, their attendance was good, their family support was in place, and they were having no problems at home. I can’t point a finger at the exact problem, but many factors are at play – student motivation and desire are NOT two of them. So, keep it up, kids!
Thank you so much to all of you for helping us keep them in school, in pursuit of their dreams. We’re in this for the long haul. You’ll know how they’re doing now and and down the road.
For now, there are three things you can do to help us:
Spread the word. Please share our website and Facebook page through your social media networks. Bring us up in conversation and let people know why this cause, among the many you could support, matters to you.
Build a Fundraiser. GlobalGiving makes it very easy to build your own fundraiser. Go to our project page, scroll down to just beneath the big Donate button; click on the little green fundraiser button and voilà! You can build a page for a wedding, holiday, sporting event, etc. You can personalize it and tell your friends why you want to help.
Donate. Of course, at the end of the day – Lucas and I are Project Wezesha and we just have to keep making the ‘ask’. If you have a little to spare, feel free to share. It goes a long way – literally and figuratively – to complete the amazing start to what you see in these pictures!
For our 3rd year running, we are providing an alternative gift-giving option for the holiday season! You can give the gift of education by contributing to our Scholarship Fund and we will send your our 2013 Project Wezesha calendars to give as gifts to your loved ones. Of course, you have to buy one for yourself, too! 😎
You can view the images of our 2013 calendar in our Facebook album – Project Wezesha 2013 Calendar Pictures. We have two options: Wall Calendars @ $20 each and Desk Calendars @ $10 each.
If you would like to order a calendar, simply follow this link and these easy steps:
Donate in the amount that matches the calendars you’d like to order.
Provide us your email address so we can contact you for order and shipping details.
We will be happy to ship different calendars to different locations with a Project Wezesha card wishing a loved one Happy Holidays and big thanks for their support! See how easy it is to give the gift that makes us all feel warm and fuzzy inside!
This is her story. The story of most girls in the village.
This is his story. The story of most boys in the village.
Are you ready?
There is no response more difficult to deliver than a ‘no’ to the request of a student for school support. Unfortunately, if I said ‘yes’ to every student or parent with this request, I would certainly not be able to sustain the support, but damn I wish I could just say ‘yes, yes, yes, yes, yes’.
I wish I could tell you the following with a wink and smile as if I were joking, but this is the reality of the children in the villages in Tanzania. I’m not trying to paint the ‘fly in the eye’ image either, but I do want to share what is real. This is real. They’re just kids – like you and I used to be, but they do ‘kid’ in a different world than I did.
For three years, Diana walked 1.5 hours each way to and from school daily. In the village, the particular children we support – Saidi, Hindu, Edina, Diana, Amosi and Jumbe – don’t eat breakfast before beginning the journey to school. In fact, they kind of smiled at one another when I asked what they eat for breakfast. Lucas chimed in quickly with a sharply falling tone of voice, “Rai, they don’t eat.” Of course, I’d heard it before, but hearing it again from a chorus of six students made me wince. They all walk a great distance to school. Because secondary schools in the villages are rare, they usually build them in remote areas on the border of villages as to serve children from multiple villages. There are few children lucky enough to live within close range of a school.
In her final year of secondary school, Diana finally moved to the village where her school is located. This is not uncommon. If a secondary school offers boarding, those who can afford it will pay and sleep on site. Many schools in towns and cities offer this option. Village schools do not.
When I asked the kids about lunch at school, again they looked at each other and laughed with insider knowledge. None of these kids get lunch at school. If you have money, you can buy lunch – maybe some chipati and chai – from a woman making and selling on site. But for these kids, who would sooner walk 1.5 hours than pay $0.35 to take public transport, lunch isn’t in the cards.
So, they walk at around 6am, arrive for classes hungry and tired to study with no books in a language they barely speak or understand. They come home, help their parents in the farm or around the house with younger siblings and for the young ones and most boys, they have some time to run and play. Some go swimming, but you better believe they come home with a full bucket of water when they are finished.
On any given school day you will see school age children walking this way or that from neighboring towns and villages with firewood, sugar cane stalks, buckets of water, sacs of flour or baskets of fish on their heads. ‘Unatoka wapi?” “Where are you coming from?” Three girls we met were returning to Mgaraganza village from Mwandiga town by foot on a Wednesday. This is a trek of about 1.5-2 hours (depending on the heat of the day). There was school, but they had to go to town to buy the sugar cane on their heads and return to the village so their mothers could sell it in the market. This is not a surprising response to our question “Hakuna masomo leo?”
I could continue with more examples and stories that would just read like a prescription for depression, but I’ll stop here. I just want you to share this with your friends and especially with your young friends and children. We are so lucky in the United States and Europe and throughout the ‘developed’ world. We really can have no idea what a great fortune we posses with our lattes in hand, behind the steering wheel of even our old pick up trucks, with a degree or two tucked in our pocket and a paying job with a comfortable office. We can have no idea until we’ve walked 365 days in the feet (often without shoes) of a 12 year old girl or her 28 year old mother in the developing country of our choice.
Cheers to resilience! Now let’s envision a brighter future and make it happen from the ground up!
Saidi is one of the newest students in our scholarship program. He just started secondary school in Mwandiga town this past January (2011). I recorded him last summer in a very informal little chat at his house. When you hear the voice in the background prompting him a bit, that’s Lucas – making my cryptic question about what he enjoys doing when he’s not in school a little more comprehensible. Enjoy this bright youngster!
We are very proud to announce that as of Summer 2015, our three young men – Dibeit, Tumsifu and Saidi found out which high schools they will be attending starting July 18th. School assignment is based on secondary school exit exams, and the fact that these three are going all over the country speaks to how well they did!
