Give 420 Girls in Tanzania Their Own School

Thanks to your help Africa Schoolhouse is proud to be finishing the first teacher’s house at Milembe Secondary School. This house, hopefully the first of many, meets an immediate need. Currently all teachers commute to school, often with long walking and biking times from far away villages. One teacher even takes the bus from Mwanza each day, a journey that can take two hours with the frequent stops. The teacher’s house is made possible through generous donations like yours. We feel so thankful for your help and for the teamwork and partnerships that make every one of our school buildings possible. We want to introduce you to our team who make it all happen! 

Africa Schoolhouse was founded on friendships that go back decades and the strength of our enduring relationships shows in our finished results. Since our first project, Jefta Kishosha, Vice President of Community Relations and our Project Manager since 2012, has tirelessly advocated for the wellbeing of people in rural Tanzania. As the face of Africa Schoolhouse and a longstanding member of Ntulya village and Igoma town, Kishosha sparks the conversations that help identify local needs. One day purchasing cement and supplies in Mwanza town and the next meeting with local villagers or US Embassy officials, Kishosha’s versatility turns goals into reality. He believes in the education of every Tanzanian child through secondary school and beyond and sees how much education can change a girl’s life. “Girls face so many difficulties in trying to get an education. I believe so much in our Milembe Girls School project! If more girls have safe living places at school, they can focus on their education. When they live at home, girls do the household chores and have little time for their studies. Living in dorms at school, they will be able to focus on schoolwork and succeed in their education. This will change lives!” 

Like Kishosha, Engineer Benjamin John, the new ASH Construction Manager, believes that every child deserves an education. He works with the building team to oversee the quality of construction and engineering details. Benjamin keeps things running smoothly onsite and works directly with the Architects at Scattergood Design, most recently researching new roofing methods and a possible new window design. Benjamin also works with the three ASH foremen, Elisha Kayange, Mapambano Fukuji, Amos Sungururu, who have partnered with Africa Schoolhouse since 2008. They create a talented and accomplished construction team who continue to train scores of local men and women. We are very proud to have ASH trained women and men now well established in their communities as respected masons, bricklayers, and carpenters. Recently, Elisha and Amos expressed how proud they are to be building the Milembe School. Both believe in girls' education, and, as Elisha said, “I know for the rest of my life I will feel proud to show friends and family the beautiful and innovative buildings we built on the Milembe campus. I am so proud of the work we have done together!”

The teacher’s house and the classrooms, laboratory and composting latrines we completed this year are also the result of collaborations with village leaders, district officials, teachers and parents to ensure that the project meets the needs of the students and community. Local parents have also contributed to the construction of the Milembe teacher’s house, laboratory and classrooms, by helping to supply sand, water, and rocks. Collaborating with local teachers and the Africa Schoolhouse team, Pamela W. Hawkes and T. Scott Teas, the architects at Scattergood Design, have refined the teacher’s house they designed for Shilanona Primary School. By talking with teachers living in the Shilanona structures, the team learned what was working well and what might be improved upon. The ASH team also asked the Milembe teachers for their input on the house design. What did they like? What would they like to see changed in the house at Milembe School? A modified house design came out of this research and the collaborative discussions. The new house is a streamlined, conscious design with three bedrooms for a small family or for several single teachers, a large common room, spaces for storage and cooking, and two spacious, covered outdoor porches. We can’t wait for the first teachers to move in!

We are deeply thankful for your continued involvement and for all we have accomplished! Together we are building a school where girls focus on their studies and succeed in life. Stay tuned—we look forward to celebrating with you when we break ground for the first dormitory!

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