Project Tanzania

Mundarara School, Tanzania September 2009

This school was brought to our attention by the McGowan family and fund raising started in May 2006.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS
By Piazis & Sune Merisheki – Tanzania

The project has been a very good experience for us as this is our first time to implement a venture like this.

The project site is about 110km on rough roads, and takes one hour and half to reach there from Arusha Town.  The roads are now being repaired as far as 70kms.

The following are some factors noted before and after the implementation of the project:

Before The Project:

• The students did not like to come to school,
• Shortage of teachers
• Shortage of teaching and learning materials
• Shortage of classes
• The academic level was quite low, and
• The school’s profile was very low.
• Only one house for the teachers
• No qualified teacher for the nursery children

After the Project:

• The student’s attendance is very good
• More teachers sent to the school by the government
• More classes
• More teaching and learning materials provided
• The school’s profile is high
• The school is doing so well academically
• Another teacher house being built.
• The plan to have a qualified nursery teacher is on process planning to start after the holidays.

We have seen big changes to this school as outlined above.  Our presence there has brought a lot of awareness to the whole community.  The village leaders did not know their responsibilities towards the school.  In the village there are some mining investors.  We called the village leaders to go to the investors to request them to contribute to the school, and after taking action there is now a teacher’s house being built.  The village has also contributed two sacks of maize for the two weeks when the children were having exams.

The school has taken another turn altogether after this project.  There are new teachers who are more capable and knowledgeable than the previous.  The provision of more teaching and learning material to the school has contributed a great deal.  As a result the school is now the 10th school in the whole District doing so well academically out of 56 schools.   So the profile of the school has gone up as there are now six teachers instead of the three who were there before.  Also the number of children has increased.

ISSUES OF IMPLEMENTATION

In 2006, we contracted a project consultant for the construction of the nursery school and later on for the primary classrooms.  We also supervised the project work during this period, having to travel as often as possible to the project site.

The activity on the project, took longer than we had planned.  Originally we had planned that one year should be enough to complete the project but it went a long way beyond one year.

PROBLEMS  ENCOUNTERED:

It was a big challenge to us as supervisors of the project.  The fact that we lived far from the site proved to be very difficult.

• A serious lack of water is a paramount problem in Mundarara.  Water shortages had systemic implications for personal health and hygiene, education, inter-tribal relations, the work of women and children, and diet. Water had to be fetched far away from the site and by transport.
• The constructor fees became more expensive because we had to bring him and his men from Arusha because in the area there was no local constructor.  The Constructor and his men were getting fed up with the problem of water, so they made as many trips to town to their families as possible.
• The cost of material was becoming more expensive because of fuel cost and
• transporting material from Arusha town to the site.
• Supervising the project from far away.

As of today Howe Green House has raised an amazing £17,462.00 towards this project.