Education Tanzania, United Republic of Project #30187

Support This Unique Free Library in Rural Tanzania

by Jifundishe

Project Report | Oct 16, 2018
Jifundishe's Primary Program

By Anande Mirisho | Managing Director

Maureen- Primary School Program Graduate

JIFUNDISHE'S PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRAM

Our primary program is meant to prepare pupils who have just completed their primary leve to start secondary school with at least an introduction of what they are expected to learn at the secondary level. Most of them are from government schools, had been learning all their subjects in Swahili, and are gradually introduced to English at this point. All other subjects that are being set in a program are normally taught in English as it is done in secondary schools. The program starts soon after completion of primary national examinations.

Aims of the Program

To help/support both parents and pupils in getting a baseline for pupils and by providing this program for free.
Giving motivation to the targeted group through inspiration and imparting motivation that could make them wish to join secondary schools and study hard for the betterment of their future.
Enabling the pupils to have at least the ability of communicating using simple English discourse that will help them in their upcoming level as they were using Swahili as the medium of communication in their previous level.
Impacting the pupils with secondary knowledge of the subjects being taught in a program particularly English and Mathematics.

Expectations/Outcomes of the program

After attending the program with active participation, the following is expected from the pupils;

Pupils will have at least basic knowledge/foundation about what is in the next level.
Being able to express themselves using simple English which is thought to be helpful as the medium of communication in secondary schools is English.
Pupils ought to be aware about secondary level that they expect to join in early January.

Jifundishe has been facilitating this primary program for many years, and Maureen is one of the beneficiaries of our primary school program. Five years ago, Maureen lived with her mother and three other siblings in the neighborhood village and Maureen used to walk 45 minutes to come to Jifundishe daily after school to study. As she was familiar with Jifundishe for a long time while in primary school, she decided to join our primary school program after she completed her seven years of primary school. She was then selected to join a local secondary school for another four years and did very well and continued with high school. Maureen says that she is where she is because of the Jifundishe Primary Program that prepared her for her secondary studies.

Your donation means a lot to Jifundishe and the surrounding community, serves a lot of people who lost their hope and self-esteem and builds the capacity of the local village by providing educational opportunities to those who have no means to access traditional education.

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Jul 16, 2018
Meet Mwalimu Naftal

By Kat Schwartz | Jifundishe Volunteer

Ever since Naftal was young, geography has always been his subject of preference. However, coming from a low-income family with four other siblings, it was not always easy to pursue this interest in school. During primary and secondary schooling materials, resources, and teachers were far and few. Despite these obstacles he had no control over, Naftal was able to overcome them and eventually travel to the capital of Tanzania to graduate from the University of Dodoma about two years ago. Since then, he is the only one in his family to graduate from university and has been working at Jifundishe for the past year. At university, where academic resources are abundant and paired with an extensive and equipped library, Naftal wants to bring his experience to those of Jifundishe. With his diploma in one hand and passion in the other, he is dedicated to helping students attain their academic and life pursuits while making a long and lasting impact on the community.

The upgrades we have instilled with the help of sponsors and donations have created benefits to teachers like Naftal and students alike. Our free and fast working wifi along with computers have given students more opportunities to pursue their interests inside and outside of the classroom while familiarizing themselves with the advantages of laptops. Not only that but it allows teachers to do the necessary research to make their lessons more thorough for them and their students. With an estimated 200 students that come to Jifundishe every day, as you can imagine, their skill levels and interests hold a wide range. With our new reading sources, Jifundishe can assist their needs to the best of our abilities. Most notably, with an influx of students flourishing in our Independent Studies program, our recent additions can equip them with the tools they need to succeed, while before we couldn’t. Having these materials accessible to all, not only impacts their academic life, instead, their overall life trajectory. Because of this, our Independent Studies program continues to attract new members from different areas outside of the surrounding area.

Despite these new steps, because we are a grassroots organization, we are always thriving to see where we can improve. There are still changes to be made to benefit our students and community even more. Some books have specific curriculum missing, for example, organic chemistry is a topic that is absent from some textbooks. Additionally, with about 200 students coming to Jifundishe every day, books and resources are bound to wear out quickly. These contribute to gaps in education that can hinder our student’s experience.

Jifundishe is committed to not only providing education to those who may otherwise not be able to but it’s more than that, it’s a second chance. By helping them attain the resources and confidence, they are free to pursue ambitions despite challenges that people in rural communities, much like Naftal face on a daily basis. Through Naftal, we see how the education of one person can be the catalyst to a movement.

Mwalimu Naftal

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Apr 19, 2018
Working Toward Your Goals

By Anande Mirisho | Managing Director

Hosiana

Meet Hosiana

Hosiana is a girl who is very talented in handwork; she plaits hair and earns money that way to support herself. She is 24 years old and she comes from a part of Maasai-land called Oldonyo Sambu. She went to a traditional local secondary school in her village but she failed her exams. Her tribe has a very strong culture that believes that women can not do the same things that men do. Both of her parents are still alive and they are peasants, tending animals as a way of subsistence living. She is the 5th child among 6, 5 girls and a boy. Only two girls among all of the children in her family attended secondary school and all are married except her.

Her sister is a primary school teacher and she is the one who encouraged Hosiana to continue looking for an education. Her struggles in the village after finishing secondary school made her find an alternative to continue with education. When she completed secondary school and failed, her father told her that because her younger sister was already married, he thought that its time for Hosiana to marry as well. She was only 19 years old.

She met a friend who knew of Jifundishe in 2013 and she was told that she can come to join for free to continue with studies independently. So joined Jifundishe in 2014 and is currently studying in the Independent Study program.

Her educational journey with Jifundishe since 2014 has gone well; she sat for her secondary exam twice and got enough credit to continue with advanced classes. Now she will be doing Advanced level exam in May of 2018. Her ambition is to become a teacher.

Hosiana is just one of the hundreds of young people who have come to our program when parents, step-parents and other family members have stopped supporting their ambitions because of traditional beliefs that no longer work in this modern world.

We are proud of Hosiana and she is an example for other girls in the village that they can get an education if it is what they want. We wish her much luck on her Form 6 exam next month!

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