Post-Secondary Education for Students in Tanzania

Dear Project Wezesha Supporters, 

Our Team had an amazing summer - reconnecting and building new relationships. Check out all the photos that go along with this update.

Presenting at an International Academic Conference

In June, I (Rai) traveled to Tanzania with two academic colleagues from TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), Kisha Bryan and Elisabeth Chan. We were there to present at the annual Africa ELTA (English Language Teacher Association) conference, which was held in Dar es Salaam this year. Hundreds of presenters and attendees from all over Africa attend this conference annually to share research, innovations, and ideas for classroom practice for a wide variety of teaching and learning contexts.

I had the immense pleasure of co-presenting with my dear friends Lucas and Madaga about the incredible impact of Project Wezesha's Academic Study Camps on so many students that we've supported in the Kigoma region for years. Attendees learned about the backstory of these camps - how Madaga, Lucas and I decided something had to be done to boost secondary students' learning so they could be successful on national exams and have a brighter future through high school, college, and university! We shared the story about how Project Wezesha was founded, how we organize the study camps, and how many study camp alumni are now pursuing diploma, certificate, and undergraduate degrees. The audience was engaged and eager to learn more. We're hopeful that many of them returned to their home towns and countries to launch similar study camps!

Karibuni (Welcome) to Kigoma

After an amazing time together in Dar, we all flew to Kigoma. Kisha and Elisabeth met the amazing families of Lucas and Madaga and explored Amahoro Secondary School. We also visited Madaga and Lucas' school - Tanganyika Modern Secondary School. We were greeted by all the students, treated to an amazing lunch, and had the chance to visit them in their classes to share insights about our cultures, how to succeed academically, and more! We also took them for a day trip to Gombe National Park to see the chimpanzees. We hiked a lot, but ultimately had the chance to sit in the company of 15 chimps! It was such an unforgettable time. 

Inspiring the Next Generation

On one of our days in Kigoma, we invited Girls Ed and Project Wezesha students to Coast View hotel to have a discussion about their goals and their futures. We were honored to have Mwanaidi Mwacha join us to speak to the students as a mentor and inspiration. Mwana is an officer for the Kigoma branch of TELTA - Tanzania English Language Teacher Association. She is a secondary school teacher, a mother, and an advocate for all students. She sat with the girls and provided encouragement for them to speak their truth, focus on their dreams, work hard, and be confident. They were enthralled with her and many of them took her number and asked her to be their local mentor. 

Many of the girls have recently graduated from university and are looking for work now in their respective fields - Education and Social Work. Some are just starting high school this year, and others are in the midst of their studies, learning how to navigate all the challenges of living far from home and managing large course loads. 

Asante Sana! (Thank you very much!)

Thank you to every one of you for your continued support of the students in Kigoma. In the early days, the ripple effect was the stories a student would share after school with her friends and family. Now, the ripple effect of our work is reaching educators across all of Africa! We're so humbled to be doing this work as a small team of three with a growing family of supporters that includes you! 

As always, we have to continue raising funds to keep the work going. At this time, our most urgent needs are funds to cover the costs of tuition for three young men we still support at university: Hamisi, Malicki, and Elias. They are all graduating in 2026! We would also like to offer a Study Camp this coming December.

If you're excited to read about the work we're doing and want to help us continue, please consider making a contribution today! Every amount is appreciated. 

Thank you so much!
Asante sana!

Rai, Lucas, and Madaga
Team Project Wezehsa

*Note: All donations go directly to our programming (study camps, school fees, students' field experiences). All expenses for the Africa ELTA conference (lodging, food, and travel) was covered by our respective universities' professional development funding and personal funds, including costs for Lucas and Madaga. No PW funds were used for these purposes.