Development at the Mwaji Secondary School is ongoing.
1. In 2011, OA obtained a $25,000 Tangible Love Grant (TLG) from Community of Christ to build a girls’ dormitory on behalf of our field partner, MOP. Located on the new land, construction was completed as of June, 2012. In the Fall of 2012, OA received an additional $12,500 TLG from Community of Christ to construct a toilet/shower house for the girls, as well as a temporary kitchen where they can prepare their meals until the permanent kitchen and dining hall was completed. June 2013, the dormitory was furnished with bunk beds, mattresses, and mosquito nets. It is currently at full capacity, housing 48 girls and a house mother. The girls’ dormitory allows these girls to live on campus, providing them with security and a place to call home. More dormitories are planned for the future.
2. In January, 2013, OA helped their field partner to secure a $30,000 grant from the Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania. This $30,000 began the large kitchen, dining, and assembly hall structure. This massive structure, measuring approximately 33′ X 98.5′, will not only employ some of the area widows in food preparation services, but will enable the school to provide three meals a day to resident students, and at least one high-calorie meal per day to non-resident students. The school will also be able to rent out the space to community members for celebrations and festivities, allowing them to make a profit and have another source of income besides school fees.
3. In March 2014, OA received a $12,500 grant from the Pendleton-Reid Foundation to build a science laboratory. It is the “”Donna and Herb McLeod Science Room”. Science laboratories are few and far between in Tanzania and the students are excited to have such a wonderful opportunity to learn and have a hands-on experience in subjects such as biology and chemistry.  It is an excellent addition to the educational curriculum.
4. Students perform sustainable agricultural practices, as well as  to supplement the school diet with fresh produce. May 2014, three female students and a teacher went to Arusha, Northeast Tanzania, to take part in a two week program to learn about permaculture. Upon their return to Mwaji, they began teaching the other girls that live in the dormitory about permaculture. They have constructed a animal barns. They have cleared some of the land and now grow vegetables for the students that live in the dormitory. Sustainable farming is critical in a country where 89% of the population earns a living through farming. Â
AND MORE! The Mwaji Secondary School is a complete school including a full library, girls and boys dormitories, food service, drilled well for clean water, solar power, medical insurance for the orphans, a stationery shop and a barber shop. Government schools don’t have libraries so this feature significantly advances educational quality for the students.
