PW Students Visit Amahoro Secondary School

Last week, Lucas passed through Kiganza village en route to Mgaraganza village to collect more pictures of the school.  On his way, he picked up some of the Project Wezesha students who were making the long journey home from school in Mwandiga.  For those that live in Kiganza village, such as Hindu, Edina, Ismael and Diana, that trek is about an hour long on foot.  For those that live in Mgaraganza, there is another 30 minutes through the forest to get home - that impacts Zainabu, Silvasia and Khadija. 

On this sunny day, Lucas invited all of them to go the extra distance through Mgaraganza village to the school building site to see the progress. They wandered through the lush forest (rainy season just passed) and up to the school where they were so excited to see the progress. Along the way, they also picked up Matamshi and Judith, two of our students who go to secondary school in Kagongo village. In this picture, they are crossing the river that divides Kiganza village and Mgaraganza village.

 

Crossing the River that borders Kiganza and Mgaraganza Villages

 

The Kiganza crew heading up from the river

 Lucas told me on the phone this morning that they were all so happy about the school, even though most of them will be finishing secondary school in Mwandiga.  It makes them happy to know this school will be here for new students.  They laughed, joked, talked about studying and even chipped in by carrying some bricks for the new classrooms that they've begun building.    



Happy to see the new school underway


Lucas and I talked about how several of them will be graduating at the end of the upcoming year from secondary school.  Their academic year starts in January, not September, so they'll start Form 4 at the start of 2011 and take exit exams in November of 2011.  Lucas gave them a mini-lecture or 'pep' talk in the shade of the trees about the importance of this year.  The students told Lucas that they needed some books if they were possibly going to pass those important exams.  Since they have the next 1.5 months off between school years, they want to have books and begin studying now.  So, Project Wezesha is buying them books to study the core subjects - Math, Swahili, English, Geography and Science.  Lucas also told them to stay focused on doing well this year and not only passing their exit exams, but doing very well on the exit exams so they can go to High School.  



The whole crew by the river in Mgaraganza - judging by the laughs,
they were being shy and Lucas was insisting on a picture!  Thanks, Lucas!


Secondary school is really only the beginning.  If students are fortunate enough to have support for secondary school, then they learn English - as the medium of all instruction is English at the secondary school level.  Primary school goes from Standard 1 thorugh 7; secondary school goes from Form 1 to Form 4; high school is Form 5 and 6.  After high school, they can apply for college or university.  Interestingly, a student who completes secondary school can be hired to teach at a primary school.  Someone interested in teaching at the secondary level must complete high school with a focus on a particular core teaching subject and pedagogy.  Teaching at high school and many other careers require specialized university or college training.  So - while secondary school education is a key stepping stone for a bright future, the road ahead will be paved with greater opportunities for each year of additional education. 

Given that Project Wezesha is only three years old and our first group of students will graduate next year, we have yet to see what will happen next in terms of their desire and ability to go on to high school.  Our hopes are high and the students are motivated toward this goal.  If their teachers and families support them in this final, critical push, then we'll be celebrating high school graduations before we know it! 

In the meantime, Lucas is their mentor and Project Wezesha is ensuring that they even have this opportunity in the first place.  We'll keep the updates coming and let you know how they're doing along the Form 4 journey.

Giving Thanks-Asante-Urakoze!!

On this lovely Thanksgiving Day, I would like to give thanks to everyone who has made Project Wezesha a great success over the past year.  Lucas and I had a simple plan when we sat at the Sun City Cafe in Kigoma in July 2009.  We just wanted to give out scholarships to a handful of children who wanted to go to secondary school, but couldn't afford it. 

Now, only a year later, we are happy to be supporting 12 children in secondary schools in Mwandiga, Bitale and Kiganza villages.  We also have three young students awaiting test results who hope to join the program in January!  In addition, we are so happy to be building Amahoro Secondary School with the village of Mgaraganza.  So much went into making this all possible - and I give thanks for all of it! 

I give thanks for Lucas, my partner and co-founder - a key player in making all of this possible.  Lucas has worked so hard with the village government to make sure everything is accepted and approved by the village and feasible for Project Wezesha.  He tirelessly interprets for me when I am in Tanzania, negotiating with the Ministry of Education, the Land Management office, our builders and the villagers.  He is also actively involved in the lives of the students we support, ensuring that they have what they need from month to month - materials, uniforms, school fees and of course - good attendance.

I give thanks to all of my friends and family, friends of friends and everyone else who has supported Project Wezesha through charitable donations, volunteer hours, participation in our race event last year, spreading the word and providing encouragement along the way! 

The whole experience has been amazing and I'm so excited to share, on this day for giving Thanks, the following series of pictures sent this week by Lucas.  They have finished all but the roofs on the four classrooms and the headmaster's office.  So fabulous!! 

Lucas, Isaya (our builder) and I have recently decided to roll our current funds into the completion of two additional classrooms and the teachers' offices.  When that is finished, we'll move on to the roofs.  It's so exciting to see this project unfold faster than anticipated.  We're well on our way to having the first ever secondary school for Mgaraganza, Kagongo, Kigalie, Mtanga and Bubango villages! 

Thank you very much! Urakoze cane! Asante sana!

September Update on Amahoro Secondary School

Welcome back for another quick update!  For those of you who are new to Project Wezesha, make sure to browse through the July blog entries as I spent three weeks in July 2010 working in Mgaraganza village and Kigoma town - making this happen - with my in-country director, Lucas Lameck.

I spoke with Lucas twice over the past couple of months.  We have a plan to chat with each other every other Sunday.  Thank goodness for Skype Mobile on my Droid!  Now staying in touch is easy!  (That sounded like a commercial, but I swear no one is paying me ... or this school would be finished by now.) 

Recent news from Lucas includes the following:

We recently hired a 'ranger' or guard to watch over the equipment and materials throughout the weeks and nights when no one is on-site working.  As the funds slow down, so does the progress.  The goal right now is to use the last of existing funds and buy the bricks needed to finish what we've started before the rainy season sets in.  Lucas also plans to see to it that the roof goes onto the classrooms before long.

We're also completing a small 'road' up to the building site to save money (and manpower) previously spent on the labor to carry heavy materials up a steep rocky path to the school site.  The cost of the road completion is minimal compared to the final projected savings once they're able to drive right up to the school with bricks, bags of cement, etc.

In other news from Lucas's end, there was skepticism from someone in a neighboring village about my commitment to the project ... but not surprisingly, this doubt has all but melted away as Project Wezesha has almost completely finished 4 classrooms and an office for Amahoro Secondary School in a record 3 month period.  Given the power and influence of this individual's voice, it's good that he can see I'm for real!  There is no room to wonder if the 'mzungu' will come through!  She did, with the help of many wonderful donors and supporters - and of course, a number one right hand man - LUCAS!

Lucas is doing great.  When I call him, it's 9 hours later than my local time, so he's usually sitting in his home with his mom, dad and sibs.  I can picture them all sitting around in the courtyard of their modest mud home - chatting in the dark, finishing up a simple dinner of beans and rice, under the stars with their ducks nestling close by.  He's been investigating what he needs to do (exams, etc.) to finish his own high school education.  Lucas finished secondary school, but has yet to finish the 2-3 years of high school that will open many doors for him in the future - including possibly affording him the opportunity to study in the US if he wishes.

Here are some pictures Lucas sent recently to show the progress on the school.  This work was completed less than two months after I left - at which point, little had been built.  So, Isaya and his crew have been working tirelessly!

Next step - more fundraising!  I'm definitely planning to host the 2nd Annual Empower 5k Trail Run in the Spring.  My friend Hadley also has a good friend who is also a world famous opera singer!  We're hoping for a winter show with the talented Alfie Boe right here in Salt Lake City!  Please contact me if you'd like to host your own fundraiser or help with those we plan for the upcoming year.  www.railiz@yahoo.com