Education: Giving young children in rural Tanzania proper space to learn and grow

On the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, in northern Tanzania, Mad Foundation has been working with a local charity, Village Education Project and volunteers from Madventurer to improve primary school facilities for the children of a local village.

Maande is situated in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, surrounded by mountain forests and lush vegetation. Having spent time with the villagers, Mad Foundation recognised the desperate need to expand and renovate the primary school of Maande. The villagers expressed that they believed priority should be given to a covered terrace which was desperately needed to protect both the children and the building from the elements, particularly during rainy season.

This terrace would provide much needed additional space for the school’s 633 pupils who were trying to learn in cramped conditions. The construction work would also mean that the threat to the building’s foundations and the possibility of the school being ‘washed’ down the mountain would be removed.

The estimated cost of completing this project was £1700; this sum needed to be raised to pay for all the materials required. Labour was to be provided free of charge by the villagers and Madventurer volunteers; more skilled labour would be provided by local Fundi (craftsmen).

The Mad Foundation raised the monies for the project materials through various fundraising activities including donations from the Madventurer volunteers who worked on the project.

Work started on the project early in January 2005 with a team of 12 Madventurer volunteers led by Madventurer crew, Marcus Liebenberg and the local villagers. Having sourced the needed materials from local suppliers the arduous task of digging the foundations commenced, enthusiasm and commitment from all ensured rapid progress was made. The local children did their bit, helping to carry water from lower down the mountain to the site and to the volunteers!

Thanks to strong planning and the efforts of all involved the project was completed in just over four weeks and the Madventurer volunteers had a couple of days left at the end of their stay and they sourced and bought some paint and created a fantastic mural to celebrate and commemorate the joint work effort and the new friendships that had been made.

In typical Tanzanian tradition the school children, teachers and villagers warmly thanked Mad Foundation and the Madventurer volunteers for our efforts at a wonderful closing ceremony. All the volunteers were presented with carved wooden bowls to commemorate all that that had been achieved together. The mood in the village was very positive and we were assured of a warm welcome whenever we were able to return.