Meeting Bedola
It is always a joy to meet with the Sisters and hear the progress the children are making at school.
The lead up to Christmas is one of our favourite times to hear from the Sisters and children because there is a real sense of anticipation of the Christmas celebrations. For children like Bedola, this is their first Christmas at the school and they are eagerly anticipating the food, activities, gifts, and celebration with their friends, as well as the Christmas holidays with their families.
It was lovely to meet Bedola on this call and learn about the challenges of her life before school and how she has adjusted to school since arriving in January and her excitement for the upcoming Christmas season.
Speaking to the Sisters and Bedola in Tanzania
Meeting the demand for children in need
During the call we also chatted with the Sisters about reaching new children in need of their care.
Through the autumn months the Sisters have redoubled their efforts to meet more of the country’s children living in desperate poverty. They travelled to new regions this year including Kagera, Tanga, Morogoro, Iringa, Zanzibar, Songea, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Manyara and Kilimanjaro. Seeing over 1,300 desperate girls who are deserving of a place at their school.
Sr Marchery reported that the visits to these remote locations were always a challenge and travel was exceedingly long and difficult. Travelling by night is dangerous and so the sisters leave very early in the morning to reach each venue. They are supported by representatives from each Parish and always so grateful for their help with their safety and accommodation during this time.
There are so many girls in these regions, just like Bedola, who exist by farming, but it is a desperately poor living and the families are in great difficulty, unable to feed themselves and their youngsters, often begging for scraps, reliant on the goodwill of others. Thanks to our generous supporters, 170 of these girls will be accepted from these remote locations and will start at the school this coming January. This will bring the total at the school to 950.
The first year at school
The big challenge for most students who joined the school this January 2023 has been the language and Bedola has also found this. Most of the girls don’t speak English at primary level but only kiswahili but must learn English for secondary level in Tanzania as lessons are taught in it. The new form 1 girls like Bedola receive additional support with this and they are very hardworking, interested to learn and they are trying very hard.
The girls who are further on in their studies we were thrilled to hear had just sat their Form 4 exams, girls who we met in 2019 and again in September, like Mercedes and Happiness. They were reasonably confident and we await their results with interest. All those who pass will progress to form 5 advanced level, and those who fail will be offered vocational training to support them straight into good jobs.
A unique blend of education offering a new model for government
The Sisters explained that the focus at the schools continues to be on getting the girls ready for good, fairly paid jobs at graduation. The vocational training offered by the school and the way the girls are prepared for the jobs available continues to lead the way in Tanzania. Sister Abigail (School Principal) and Sister Merry Jane talked to us about how their unique approach to education, combining both academic and practical/vocational training at secondary school level, is an example for future changes in the Tanzanian government schooling system. At a meeting of schools and the Ministry of Education, the Minister reported that he looks to the Sisters’ approach as a model for how this can be implemented successfully countrywide.
Outside of the classroom all the girls and the Sisters are working hard on keeping fit, pursuing hobbies and making the most of their time at school. They are also making their agricultural activities productive. They have developed much of the land in Kisarawe for crops like aubergine, okra and some fruit trees, they are also starting to build a greenhouse. All this helps them to ensure they can better manage the food budget to support the girls.
Looking ahead to employment
One of the key activities for the Sisters is coordinating relationships with future employers for the girls and this also applies to the young ladies graduating from the Kiluvya training centre.
During the autumn, Sr Marchery and Sr Merry Jane have been extremely busy building up contacts with companies who can offer employment to the girls when they finish school or training centre. Tailoring companies, electrical companies and other industries and businesses are in discussion with the Sisters to provide on the job training to final year girls from the school, jobs to graduating trainees and jobs for the graduating final year girls in January 2025 (first graduates from Kisarawe). With a good stable job and fair pay the poorest girls in the care of the Sisters can make new lives for themselves and help their families onto a better future.