Making the Grade in Rural Tanzania – Often a Tall Order

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:

  1. 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)
  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)
  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).
  4. 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).
  5. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!

Project Wezesha Selected for Amani Hope Scholarship Program!

Project Wezesha is excited to announce a new partnership with AFR Clothing, a for-profit business that combines fashion with social justice. Authentic Fashion Renaissance (AFR) is capturing attention and raising awareness through the sales of clothing and contribution of proceeds from these sales to support children’s education in Africa. AFR Clothing is launching the Amani Hope Scholarship Fund this Valentine’s Day 2012 and Project Wezesha is honored to have been selected as one of the organizations they will support through this fund.

This year, Lucas Lameck, co-founder of Project Wezesha will work with the village leaders in Mgaraganza, located in the Kigoma Region of Western Tanzania, to identify aspiring students who hope to complete secondary school but lack the means to do so. In July 2012, the 5 selected students will be honored as recipients of the Amani Hope Scholarships at a celebration in the village.

At this time, we will be initiating a new service model among the students to promote leadership and civic engagement as part of the requirements for participation in this unique scholarship program. Not only will they be held to high standards academically, but they will be expected to actively contribute to their community. We will work closely with the students this summer to identify their strengths and together target the needs of the community so that they can focus their service efforts.

We look forward to working with AFR Clothing and express our gratitude to them for carefully reviewing potential partners and ultimately selecting Project Wezesha. Asante Sana!

Please send AFR Clothing a ‘Like’ on Facebook and follow their blog so that their efforts can be supported and more children in Africa can reach their educational goals!

 

Gifts of Education for the Holidays

This holiday season, you’re likely being pulled in many directions for your holiday shopping.  I get several emails a day about how I should shop this year – all worthy causes, such as Seva.org, Kiva.org, Heiffer.org, Amnesty International, and many others.  So why would you even consider Project Wezesha as your option this year?  Well ….

For better or worse, we’re a very small organization with one important project on the table and over a dozen wonderful children in our scholarship program.  Because we are so small, all of your donations go to one of three possible places – the building of Amahoro Secondary School, the school fees of our 12 rock star students and the salary of our co-founder, Lucas Lameck – which is small by our standards but life-changing for this amazing young man.  Lucas is currently using half of his salary to attain his own high school diploma with the hopes of one day going to university, which will only enhance his capacity to work on improving access to education for children in this region.

Here’s another amazing reason.  Yesterday, while I was sitting in a NonProfit Academy workshop on High Impact Philanthropy, I received a text from Tanzania.  It’s the first text I’ve ever received from anyone there (Lucas and I usually email or skype).  Here’s what the email read (word for word/letter for letter):

My name is Dibeith. How are You and your fine that we have very happy because we can pass an exams. me and saidi. can help me to get the communicate you for now Thank You. Continue reading “Gifts of Education for the Holidays”