Susan, the librarian, arranged for us to visit a Tanzanian primary school run by the government. The school we visited was very typical of what Peace House students might have experienced when they were younger. Susan said that what set this school apart was that the headmaster actually cares and wants to see things improve.
When we arrived, a shout of "MZUNGUS!" (White people!) greeted us. The children were on a morning break and were scattered everywhere. And I mean everywhere. In the buildings, in the "yard," across the road, everywhere. The actual pupils range from about 7 to 14 but there is also a kindergarten for kids about 5-6 years old. We were obviously more of a novelty here than at Peace House.
The headmaster was very kind and answered a lot of questions along the way. His school has 1300 students and 40 teachers. If you do the math, that sounds like 32 kids per teacher. Unfortunately that's not the case. Many classrooms have two teachers, one to teach and one to hit. Even more classrooms had no teacher present, just assignments written on the chalkboard for students to copy. In the older classes, a few students had sticks, to keep the others in line.
The government is supposed to provide books but they never get enough. They might get five copies of a text book meant to be shared amongst 100 students in a class. It's impossible! The books are for sale at local shops but they cost almost as much as a month's rent. Most parents already struggle to buy a notebook and pen for their kids.
We saw class sizes ranging from 60 to 100 in a room. The classes get a bit smaller as the kids
get older, mostly because parents pull them out due to money. Or, in the case of girls, to marry them off and get a cow as dowry. The classrooms have open windows with no screens, no electricity, and pitted dirt floors. There are maps and diagrams crudely painted on exterior walls.
Apparently one huge problem is that some teachers simply don't show up. The kindergarten, housed in a freshly painted new building, donated by a church in Greeley, CO, was missing their
teacher. So instead there were 80 5-6 year olds wandering the grounds - mostly following us around. They were beautiful and happy little children but with no supervision whatsoever. Keep in mind that the grounds of the school are mostly rock, and it sits right on a road. No fences, no safety measures. The football field (pictured) is little more than a ditched with some of the rock cleared, with a puddle in the middle.
The whole place was rather heart-breaking. Looking around, we struggled to even see what these kids need...other than everything. You could donate books, but not enough, and there is no one to read to them. You can't donate any technology as they have no electricity. Perhaps the best thing would be the basics - notebooks, pens, pencils, etc.
Rich told me (jokingly) to remember that I'm not Angelina Jolie and therefore not allowed to just "pick out" an African baby to bring home.
But one little girl who followed me around with big eyes, in her purple skirt and torn shirt, she just tugged at my heart strings. I truly hope she has a family to go home to and who will support her through the years. I hope she gets the chance to study and come to a place like Peace House. And I hope she gets the hugs and kisses that I so longed to give her.
The Tanzanian education system needs change, and it needs it now. A school like Peace House is amazing, but it can help so few relative to the many who want help. I hope today's students can go on to change the world, to provide for the future what wasn't provided for them.
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