New buildings in Dodoma Boystown

London, March 2025. World Villages for Children, a charity whose mission is ending poverty through education, is pleased to announce the inauguration of two new buildings in Dodoma Boystown, Tanzania, the newest school run by the Sisters of Mary.

On 25 March 2025, a new dormitory and gymnasium were opened in a ceremony attended by guests of honour; Archbishop Beatus Kinyaiya, Archbishop of Dodoma, Cardinal Protase Rugambwa, Hon. Prof Adolf Mkenda, Minister of Education, Sciences and Technology (MoEST) and a representative of HE Hon. Philip Mpango, Vice President of Tanzania

Dodoma Boystown provides free, quality secondary academic and vocational education to the poorest boys from all over Tanzania. The school is funded by supporters in the UK and around the world. This is the fourth Sisters of Mary humanitarian education programme in Tanzania, joining Kisarawe Girlstown and Kiluvya Nursery and the Training Centre for out of school young women near Dar es Salaam.

At the inauguration Archbishop Kinyaiya said “When I came here today, I was amazed, surprised to see that building, because the last time I was here, there was nothing, just a field. It as if the building has fallen from heaven. Sisters, you have done wonders. And to have such a beautiful school, which in normal times would have been for the children of the very rich. But instead this is a school for the poorest of the poorest.”

Dodoma Boystown opened in September 2023 with a single pilot building housing dormitories and classrooms to teach the first group of 175 boys in Form One. In January 2025, Dodoma Boystown welcomed 192 new boys. Building projects continue and when every phase is complete, the school will have the capacity to care for and educate up to 1,000 boys every year.

In school, the boys have access to quality academic and vocational education to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to find decent work when they finish secondary school. Recently a new computer laboratory and bakery were completed to teach boys vital skills in computer technology and bread and pastry making respectively. The skills the boys are learning, alongside their nationally accredited academic curriculum, will prepare them with practical skills that match the needs of local employers.

Despite expanding free, compulsory basic education up until four years of secondary school, children living in extreme poverty in Tanzania face barriers to education such as not having enough money for food, transport, uniforms, or textbooks. Tanzania lacks adequate teaching infrastructure to deliver quality education to the growing population. This is why the Sisters of Mary programmes are so vital for the country. They provide not just free quality education, but remove the other barriers by providing food, clothing, education supplies, and quality teaching to thousands of children every year. The Sisters of Mary have a close relationship with the MoEST and have their full support in providing much needed educational opportunities for boys and girls living in extreme poverty from all over Tanzania.

• The Sisters of Mary Tanzanian programmes serve a total of 1,583 children and young women in Tanzania (1,009 girls in Kisarawe Girlstown, 152 toddlers in Kiluvya Nursery, 55 young women in Kiluvya Training Centre and 367 boys in Dodoma Boystown)
• In 2018, 54% of the Tanzanian population lived in multidimensional poverty (World Bank)
• In 2018, Tanzania was short of 27,000 classrooms at primary level and 2,700 classrooms at secondary level (Government of the URT and UNICEF, 2018). (UNICEF Investing in Tomorrow’s Labour Force Report 2024)
• In Tanzania, 33% of children who complete primary school do not go on to secondary school and of those who do pass through, only two thirds complete secondary school. (UNICEF Investing in Tomorrow’s Labour Force Report 2024)

For media inquiries, please contact

Carey Evans

Fundraising and Communications Manager

www.worldvillages.org.uk

cevans@worldvillages.org.uk

0207 629 3050

Notes to Editors

• Images of World Villages’ work available on request
• World Villages for Children (WVC) supports the humanitarian programmes of the Sisters of Mary who have established schools – the majority of which are live-in schools – for the most vulnerable children worldwide. They provide them with access to food, healthcare and shelter as well as quality accredited education and vocational training tailored to the skill needs of the local economy. World Villages has 13 secondary schools, one elementary school, five day-care centres, three medical centres, and one training centre for out of school young women. These programmes operate in The Philippines, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, and Tanzania.
• WVC, along with affiliated charities in the US and EU, provide the funding needed to operate these programmes.
• The programme supports children of all faiths or none and is accredited by the education authority in each country.
• The humanitarian programmes of the Sisters of Mary work towards 9 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, promote good health and nutrition and provide access to quality education for all children.
• Interviews with World Villages for Children UK Manager and the Sisters of Mary are available on request

About World Villages for Children

World Villages for Children is an international development children’s charity dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through education. With a commitment to providing underprivileged children with access to quality education, vocational training, and essential life skills, World Villages envisions a world where every child has the opportunity to realize their full potential and contribute positively to their families and communities, breaking the cycle of poverty for good.