New Partnership: Marurani Primary School
We are so excited to be working with a new school! Marurani Primary School is located in the Nduruma ward in Arusha region of Tanzania. Our Community Development worker Hussein has visited Marurani a number of times and has worked with Marurani staff members to identify many areas in which Made With Hope can provide necessary support.
Students at Marurani Primary School
Challenges
Marurani faces a number of challenges supporting children and making education more accessible. The school does not have enough classrooms, toilets or water. Marurani currently has 406 pupils and 8 teachers, yet there are only 7 classrooms and currently no student toilets. There were toilets but persistent rain has rendered them unusable. There is one water tap that supplies the school, it only has water available twice a week for two hours at a time. There is a tank to store the water from the tap but it is not sufficient for all the schools drinking and cleaning needs. We have identified a need for more water tanks, at least 5 more classrooms and the construction of male and female toilet blocks.
What’s to come
Our Community Development worker Hussein confirms that from speaking to staff and visiting the school environment there is high demand for the support that Made With Hope and CHETI NGO have been providing to the other schools. The teachers are able to provide us with an in-depth understanding of the schools current needs and their hopes for the future.
Students at Marurani
We are currently completing our Hand Washing project at this school due to increased urgency with needing to prevent the spread of disease and of Covid-19. The project includes a hand washing station with water taps, a rainwater tank and soap dispensers. The children are also taking part in workshops in effective hand washing practices.
Our Menstrual Hygiene Management project is also taking place at Marurani, including the construction of a girls toilet block. Femme International will be conducting workshops and providing Menstrual Hygiene Management products of the students choice. Femme International are currently at the stage of conducting a parent, teacher meeting at the school to discuss what the students will learn in their Menstrual Hygiene Management workshops.
We will hold a community meeting with teachers, parents and members of the community to identify the further needs and priorities of the school. Once this has been decided then agreements will be made and plans put in place for other projects to begin at the school. The schools initial assessment of what they have available and realistically what is needed highlights some more urgent and some more long term needs. For example, the need for toilet blocks and classrooms is very urgent, along with the desperate need for more water tanks as the school currently has one. The school has also outlined their need for more teachers' houses. In the long term the school would benefit from an office for the headteacher and administrative work.
If you would like to donate to help us support this school, please click on the button below!
Thank you!
Written by Eve Stanislawski