Give 420 Girls in Tanzania Their Own School

Milembe Girls Secondary School construction is underway!

As we break ground on Milembe Girls Secondary School in Iteja Village, the concept of an efficient, repeatable school drives our plans and execution. We have learned that the best projects are defined through community conversations. Each project we work on evolves from ongoing discussions within communities to identify need and each has gained the support and partnership of the district government.  

Sustainability and innovation are crucial to ventures undertaken in rural Tanzania.  We are now in phase one of this project and have completed a deep-bore well to supply drinking, washing and cooking water for the school and surrounding community and for use by our construction team. This is always our first step in the process. Our wells are built for long-term use and will last indefinitely.

Using locally sourced and sustainable construction materials for buildings and landscape is better for the environment and enables ease of maintenance.  The size of Milembe School made it important to test our construction materials and methods before building. We recently completed foundations and have begun work on three buildings that will serve as a physics lab and two bio-chem labs.

Employing a fully local staff creates the opportunity to offer job training for the women and men living in the rural areas that need these projects.  Our experienced workers mentor new workers; we are very proud to have Africa Schoolhouse trained women and men now well established in their communities as respected masons, bricklayers, and carpenters.

A model school has the opportunity to improve daily life and inspire new ways of thinking.  The team of architects at Scattergood Design have developed creative roof and window innovations that permit light and air circulation while providing optimal protection from extreme elements and they are on site in Tanzania testing them out right now. To create a replicable model, it is important to always ask: Is there a better way?  How can this classroom be lighter, have better airflow, and keep out the rain in more efficient ways?