Fantastic Classroom
Wow! This is the best classroom I have ever seen in Tanzania. The kids look great and their test scores are great. Thank you, donors!
- Marilynn Primary and Nursery School Classroom
OA needs used computers!
Tanzania struggles to keep up with the rest of the world in all areas of business. Orphans Africa seeks to give our students an advantage in their education and hence, their careers, by providing them with opportunities to learn computer skills. One of our OA schools, the Marilynn Primary and Nursery School, has a good start with two computers and a computer lab under construction. But two computers isn’t nearly enough for the 130 students, so we’d like to send a pallet or two filled with computers, printers, monitors, keyboards, and more. If you have a spare computer, or if you know where we can get one, we need your help! If you can help us, please see our computer wishlist. Even if you don’t personally have a spare computer, you can help to spread the word!
Orphans Africa Versus Witchcraft in Africa
Orphans Africa Discuss HIV and Medicine with Stanley
Many people in the rural areas of Tanzania are HIV positive and suffer from AIDS. Stanley is one of our orphan Mwaji Secondary School students in that position. Stanley has made significant improvement with medication provided by a government program but, not cured. Because he wasn’t cured by the medication, a local well-meaning person, was encouraging him to go to a witch doctor for help. Superstition is alive and well in rural Africa where education is sparse and poor. We walked about 3-4 kilometers on a trail and over a stream via log to arrive at his home. The OA Team visited Stanley to encourage him to stay on the medicine as it had brought great improvement. OA explained that wise and blessed people had worked very hard in universities to provide this medication for him and he needed to honor that instead of spending any of his meager resources to travel to and pay for a witch doctor. Although we can’t guarantee any final results, the group of western volunteers who walked to his home made a big impression on him. Stanley got the message. Two years ago, Stanley could barely walk. In 2012, he is able to walk several kilometers to school to get the free education at Orphans Africa’s Mwaji Secondary School.
Stanley with his medicine.
Build Your Own School
The orphan students at our Mwaji Secondary School in Tanzania are working hard to see that the latest buildings are constructed as soon as possible. They are literally helping to build their own school! How many of us had to build our own school? I could say something very North American like, “This stretches your donation dollar even further.” But I think I’ll just say, “I’m sure proud of them.”
Mwaji Secondary School Orphans Help with School Construction
Tribal Elder of Bujela Comes to See the School Construction
Mzee of the Nyakyusa Tribe (respected elder in Bujela) comes to see the Mwaji Secondary School. In this small mountain village the construction of the school is a big event! He is very happy that Orphans Africa has come to Bujela to help the orphans.
- Mzee of Bujela
Another Accomplishment!
In Tanzania schools need to become “registered”. This means the school meets the government standards for facilities, construction, infrastructure, teacher qualifications and other necessary components. We received word that the Mwaji Secondary School has passed Regional Registration! Now we only need the national Minister of Education to sign the documents to make it complete. Our Orphans Africa Manager in Tanzania, Mawazo Chaula, had to create volumes of documents to get this done. He also had to shuttle back and forth about two-and-a-half hours each way between our remote school in Bujela and the Regional Education Office in Mbeya. Now the process is at the national level. It is under review at this time. We are hopeful that we will get a positive outcome. Many thanks to our tireless employee, Mawazo Chaula, who never gives up. He repeatedly worked at breaking down barriers to get this done. Asante sana, Mawazo!
Mawazo Chaula - Orphans Africa Manager in Tanzania
No Power Tools!
Constructing a school in Bujela, Tanzania requires all physical effort. There is no electricity and there are no power tools. Nothing is pre-fab there. Bare feet are the norm as you can see. It’s also hot, humid, muddy and they have mosquitoes. Yeah, I can do that. Well, maybe not.
Hard Work on the Girls' Dormitory Construction
Mwaji Secondary Students Pitch In with the School Construction
You’ve got to love this! After classes, the orphan students rally to help move along the construction progress of the girls’ dormitory. I think these boys want to keep those girls around! They are donating to the project – won’t you?
Mwaji Secondary Students Pitch In with the Construction
Kitchen and Dining Hall Progress at the Marilynn School
The roof is going up on the kitchen and dining hall at the Marilynn Primary and Nursery School in Tanzania. This is a huge undertaking for OA and the school. Once this is finished we can soon put orphan primary students in the dormitory because we will have food service facilities. We still need $3200 to finish the building itself. Who can help us find someone to finish this building?
Roofing Underway on the Kitchen and Dining Hall
Education – A Tall Order for an Orphan in Tanzania
It’s a big job. But Orphans Africa is up to the challenge.
Many people may think the educational system in Tanzania is improving. However, based on our experience and what we have personally seen and heard in Tanzania we can tell you that the educational system is suffering. Even children lucky enough to attend school struggle to graduate with even the most remedial skills. Our focus at OA is quality, not quantity. We not only construct the schools, we strive to provide a quality of education that will raise a future generation of leaders.
Click here to learn about the “mirage” of education in Tanzania. Tell us what you think. Join us!
An Orphan Child Rises to the Challenge at our Isandula Center in Tanzania
