Day -25: A bit more about the Project.....

Since we have a pre-departure meeting tonight and as such thought it would be worth giving you a bit more information about where are going and exactly what we'll be doing...now that we know we are working at Uwa school...


Project Location:The Uwa Primary School project is located in Uwa, about 60km from the nearest major town and nearby to Arusha in the rural north of Tanzania at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro - the highest peak in Africa.


Temperature and climate:We are travelling to Tanzania in November, which is one of the best times for travelling to this a specific area of the country. Average day-time temperature will range between approximately 16 and 36 degrees Celsius. Night-time temperatures will cool significantly to approximately 15 degrees Celsius.

The project site, Uwa is located in the Sub Saharan region of Tanzania and is located among coffee and banana plantations. The plan-tation creates a micro climate of damp atmosphere and low level cloud which tends to burn out in the after-noon to allow the vital sunshine to sear through. The top soil in the area is a deep red and very dusty when dry, this then turns to muddy terrain during the rainy season.


Project Work Overview:Education in Tanzania is compulsory for seven years, until children reach the age of 15 years.

The elimination of tuition fees in 2002 has led to massive increase in the number of children  who are enrolled in primary schools. However, schools are now faced with a lack of resources for additional teachers, classrooms and books.


The School:Uwa Primary school was first built in 1971 as part of a government initia-tive. Then in 1997 Alex Shiyo, Head of the HeadTeachers in the ward, in-structed for the second building to be built, also as part of a government scheme. His name is still inscribed in the wall today. Since 2007, when Childreach International first started work on the project they have built a kitchen with energy efficient stoves to eradicate the problem of hunger within the school. Childreach International has also renovated 3 classrooms, the nursery building and built a playground for the children.


The Project:Knowledge is power. Power to build brighter futures for the children we are working with, so that they can seek employment and self employment and support both them-selves and their families. This school was affected by poor performance, attendance and even enrolment rates. It was due to many factors, not least of which the staggeringly poor state of the toilet blocks, the inadequate facilities to prepare food for the children and the damp, under resourced and uninspiring condition of the classrooms. In a meeting of parents and the school committee, the majority of attendees agreed that its bad environment had led to a huge dislike of the school by teachers, and the parents sending their children to school due to the lack of nutrition for their children and risk of getting ill. This affected teachers morale, standards of teaching and the number of children that would actually show up to class. Uwa has since been supported by Childreach International and conditions have begin to improve, children are starting to come back to school and take pride in their school environment and actively seek an education. We are now going along to carry on this good work.


Our Work:The school right now is a stark contrast between reconditioned classrooms and bare frames. We desperately need to instate a universal standard to these classrooms and the school at large so that the children attending and the teachers educating in it feel of equal importance in the school and the community. Right now we are concerned that the inequality in the classrooms will effect the fragile self esteem of the developing children. Whilst none of the RM Future Building team are experienced builders, we committed and enthusiastic and  will be working as a team alongside local craftsmen and labourers. Our typical tasks are likely to be assisting, mixing concrete and plaster, carrying materials, assisting plastering walls, painting and decorating.

There will also be opportunities for us to integrate with the local community, pupils and teachers. Activities will be arranged during the day and evening and may include games of football, local language lessons and walks in the surrounding area.