A new school for boys in Tanzania
Following Kisarawe Girlstown, which opened near Dar es Salaam in 2019, the Sisters of Mary opened Dodoma Boystown in September 2023. The demand for quality education for boys living in extreme poverty in Tanzania is very high.
Meeting desperate need
In their community work, the Sisters have been inundated with pleas from families to give their boys a place at school. 34% of boys in Tanzania are estimated to drop-out of lower secondary school due to the cost of uniforms, education supplies, transport and food. And so the facilities for a free, quality education for these children are vital.
To respond to this significant demand and with the gift of land in Dodoma from the local authorities, building of the first phase was completed in the summer of 2023.
Building a new school
Dodoma Boystown’s first pilot building and vocational training centre building were completed in September 2023. The first group of 175 Form 1 boys were accepted in August 2023. They completed 3 months of pre-Form 1 study in Maths and Kiswahili to help bridge the gap before starting the main Form 1 curriculum in January 2024.
During the first full year of operation, the next buildings – the dormitory building and gymnasium – were constructed. In January 2025, we welcomed the next group of 201 boys. In March 2025, the dormitory building and gymnasium were officially opened.
The new school, when complete, will represent a big step forward for the programmes in helping to care for the poorest children in this region. Aiming to accommodate up to 1,200 boys from the most extreme poverty, it will give hope for a brighter future for these children. Boys in the country are in extreme need of good vocational training into employment and this new programme will tailor the provision of vocational training to the available employment vacancies, just as is being done for the girls in Kisarawe.
Transforming poor boys' lives - academic and vocational training
The boys will study for 6 years (Form 1 – Form 6) and alongside academic subjects they will learn the following technical skills, accredited by Tanzania’s Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) to help them into employment after they complete school:
- Electrical Engineering & Solar Panel Installation
- Welding
- Computer Technology
- Carpentry
- Auto mechanics & Driving
- Tailoring
The Sisters will support these boys into work once they leave school, using their relationships with local employers to help the boys find stable employment. With a good job the boys will be able to escape a life of poverty and will in turn be able to help their families and communities.
Find out more
To find out more about this project and how you can help, call us on 0207 629 3050 or contact us below.
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