New Partnership: Mzimuni Primary School

We are delighted to have started working with another new school last year! We first collaborated with Mzimuni Primary by implementing our Emergency Handwashing Project, consisting of new handwashing stations to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Since then we have completed our Menstrual Hygiene Management Project including the construction of a much needed new girls toilet block at Mzimuni. We hope to continue to work with Mzimuni to make a difference for all its 629 pupils!

Challenges Mzimuni faces

Mzimuni Community

Mzimuni Primary School is located on the south-east border of the Arusha’s rural area which is also home to several Maasai communities. Mzimuni teachers explained to Made with Hope that inhabitants of the area have historically not engaged in educational matters, primarily due to a combination of Maasai ideologies and low income.

“Mzimu” in Swahili, the lingua franca in Tanzania, translates as ghost. That is why the Village of Mzimuni and its Primary School have historically been associated with the existence of an evil spirit in the area. Such superstitions can hold much importance in local society, where spiritualism holds much sway, many do not fully consider their ill effects on the people who live or study there. That is why the idea of changing the image of the Village and Primary School by changing its name in Samaria seemed to be the most simple yet effective way to tackle these fears and beliefs.

Mzimuni Primary School

Mzimuni Primary School has only 6 Classrooms and 148 desks for over 629 pupils. Prior to the construction of the new girl’s toilet block, 629 pupils shared 10 toilets.

The lack of proper toilets and sanitation is what led us to start our collaboration with Mzimuni Primary School, launching our Hand Washing Workshops and starting the construction of new handwashing stations. This project, which included a rainwater tank and a full supply of soap alongside the hand washing stations, was vital to help prevent the spread of disease and Covid-19.

Quality education for all

A child’s right to an education should not be limited by the resources that they, or their communities, have available. We want to work to make education more accessible by creating a more effective and suitable learning environment with appropriate facilities.

The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is a single attempt examination, conducted in English, that is done by Standard 7 students (Year 8 in the UK) across Tanzania. It serves as the secondary school entrance exam. Unfortunately, children that fail the exam are pushed out of the education system and the majority remain in their villages often working in agriculture. This highlights the importance of passing these exams to enable access to higher education and provide opportunities.

What next?

Mzimuni Primary is aiming for 100% of their pupils to safely attend school and celebrate passing their final examination.

Made with Hope and the Mzimuni staff identified that the learning and teaching environment at Mzimuni primary school is not up to the standard necessary for the effective provision of quality education for its pupils. The available facilities including classrooms and desks are in critical need. We plan to implement more projects at Mzimuni to increase access to education for the community.

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Thankyou!

Written by Elena Bella