On 10 October, we took the opportunity to have a detailed update from Sr Theresa, Local Superior of the new Sisters of Mary boys’ school in Dodoma, Tanzania.
It was a fascinating insight into the progress (and challenges) of getting this new school off the ground and welcoming hundreds of the region’s poorest boys into the Sisters’ care.
Progress in Dodoma
Sr Theresa and the Sisters at this school are now caring for 171 of the poorest young boys in Tanzania. These youngsters have had extremely difficult early lives. The majority of them, including children like Baracka and Yohana, have been deprived of early education.
Excluded from studies because schools are not nearby, their families cannot afford uniform and school books, and also because the quality of any state education that is provided is extremely low (class sizes of 120 are a common occurrence). The result is that whilst many of the boys now in our care have had primary education, many will have completed this late. This means that some of our first year children are 18, 19 and 20 years of age but struggle to achieve more than basic national academic levels.
Flourishing at school
We met many of these youngsters when they first joined the school back in September 2023 and so it was an absolute joy for us to catch up with many of these boys again on the call this month and to learn of their progress at school.
We met Yohana, Baracka, Raymond and Lucas. All these boys, who were so under-nourished when they joined us in 2023, have grown in weight and height over the year and they are absolutely thriving at school and learning fast. Well cared for by the Sisters, they are loving their new lives. They were so proud to chat to us and share their passion for school, their favourite subjects and hobbies. The first ever visiting day in September also gave the boys a chance to demonstrate their new abilities to their parents.
The boys put on a range of cultural and dance displays to showcase their new strengths and abilities to the absolute delight of the 154 parents and family members who visited the school.
Community Outreach
The work of the Sisters within the poorest communities has continued unabated. Travelling extensively they have now visited 10 regions of the country already, especially the Central and Western parts and are meeting thousands of poor young boys desperately in need of a place at school and the chance of a better life.
Each boy is equally deserving of a school place and the Sisters face the terrible task of having to choose those boys whose needs are the most urgent. With the help of our friends and supporters, they hope to welcome 200 new boys in January (an increase from the 180 boys originally planned) but this is dependent on funding.
Building ambition for the future
For those youngsters lucky enough to be in the care of the Sisters, their life has been profoundly changed over the last year and the most noticeable impact has been on their learning and self-confidence. The boys enjoy a busy curriculum of accredited academic classes taught by full time teachers and a varied timetable of vocational classes including ICT, welding and carpentry. All skills relevant to local employment when they finish school.
From a difficult early start, the boys have studied hard, drinking in the new knowledge and keen to excel. Yohana thought he would never be able to study when he arrived at the school and now one year on he is one of the best boys there.
“I have learn to be more proud and also I have learned to be confident, courageous, gentleness and generosity. My ambition is either becoming a teacher or doctor so in order to reach to my goals I have to study hard“ – Yohana
Dodoma School Construction update
Progress on the construction of the new buildings at the school, which will allow future expansion continues. Thanks to donor support a new bakery has been installed on the site to help the Sisters and boys prepare their bread and to feed the hungry members of the local community.
New dormitories and a gymnasium at the school are also nearing completion later this year.
One of our Filipino graduates working with the Sisters in Tanzania made a short video update for us, showing the huge progress on the school site in Dodoma.
You can see from the footage just how much work has been done, how much the boys are growing and enjoying the opportunities they have been given, and how much more work we still need to do. There is amazing opportunity with the Sisters in Dodoma Boystown to transform the lives of the poorest boys and their families in these deprived communities. We just need to equip the Sisters and staff with the resources needed to support more boys into education!