TEMBO GRADS ACT AS GREAT ROLE MODELS
Girls who participate in TEMBO’s educational enrichment programs learn valuable skills and they are eager to share their knowledge and tips for success with younger girls who are attending secondary school. This year, three TEMBO graduates are working at TEMBO English Camp (TEC) , a three week programme which supports the girls’ study and language skills during the secondary school summer break.
These three young women, Sarah, Paulina and Tepeyani, are great support and role models for the younger girls. They help them improve their knowledge and stay motivated to strive for success.
Sarah: “TEC gives you time to study”
Sarah is working as a teaching assistant in TEC and dreams one day of becoming a teacher. With the support from PASS and 4 TEC sessions, Sarah completed Form 4 with high marks. She remembers that TEC gave her a good opportunity to study. If she were in her village, “there would be no time to study because I would be required to care for livestock and babies and walk in search of firewood.” She values the fact that: “What I didn't understand at school, I learned again in TEC and then I understood it.” She also loves the fact that TEC gave her an opportunity to meet new friends. For her, education is important because you can get a job. “I will use my money to help my family and pay school fees for my young brothers and sisters.”
Paulina: “TEC is fun and there is laughing”
Paulina also works as a teaching assistant in TEC after completing Form 4 with very good results. She attended PASS and 4 TEC sessions. For Paulina, “TEC helped me do very well in school. Chemistry and Math were difficult but TEC helped me understand. At TEC there was a lot of time to review my exercise books.” She likes that, at TEC, girls come together from many different schools and they can share ideas. “TEC is fun and there is laughing,” she adds.
Food is a definite highlight at TEC. She says that “most of our families only have food in the evening but at TEC we get food 4 times a day. On Sunday we get pilau (with meat) and it is good!”
When Paulina considers her alternatives, she says: “If I didn’t go to TEC I would be home to find a job to pay for food. I would be a house girl, working hard all day long with no time for education.” Paulina notes that “TEC provides a safe place for girls” who might otherwise be at risk of early marriage, therefore ending their educational aspirations. She wants to study more science and dreams of becoming a surgeon “because there are not enough doctors.”
Tepeyani: “I learned more English at TEC than at school”
Tepeyani is working at TEC as the girls’ Day Matron. She attended TEC for 3 sessions and completed Form 3 before dropping out to become a mother. Now she is married with 3 children and is working hard to support them. Tepeyani’s English is very strong. She credits TEC for this saying, “I learned more English at TEC than at school. English is important at school because we use it to learn all subjects except for Swahili.” She also credits TEC in helping her to stay focused on her studies and to learn to be a strong student.
Even though Tepeyani is not in school now, she feels that TEC helped her by learning more English which has helped her be strong and support her family. She is teaching her family some English and dreams that her own children will do well in school and be able to attend TEC.
TEMBO ENGLISH CAMP 2018
"I like TEC because I learn how to live with different people." (Lilian, Form 2)
"I love the food at TEC - 100%! (Elemina, Form 1)
"When I am at TEC, I learn new things such as how to use water filters."
(Simayo, Form 2)
LIL PORRIDGE PROGRAM NOURISHES BODY AND MIND
Teachers from the Longido District Learning Centre know that young children have difficulties learning if they are hungry. On their weekly visits to Ranch Village to support nursery school, primary school and women’s literacy programs, the teachers noticed that they were having challenges with the young children because of limited attention span and poor attendance.
In August 2017, they initiated a porridge program and since then, the numbers have grown from 16 to 26 children. “They eat the porridge before class,” says teacher Namynak, “so that when they start to study, they listen very carefully which is what I need.”
One challenge that the program faces is they do not have sufficient water to make the porridge, particularly in the dry season. The school has been supportive and makes efforts to bring water from a large tank.
For Namynak, the program is important because it helps the whole community: “If the children are attending school, their success in education will be higher. The porridge helps them to focus on learning without worrying about what they are going to eat.”
LIL HELPS RAHIBU FIND THE RIGHT PATH
The Longido Learning Centre (LIL) helps support all students in the community. Meet 14 year old Rahibu from Babati, Tanzania, who, through LIL’s help, was able to discover the path to education.
After completing Standard 7, Rahibu came to see his father in Longido. He waited for the results of his Standard 7 exam and although he passed, his father did not take him to school. Instead, his father disappeared leaving Rahibu at home alone with nothing to do and no one to support him. LIL staff noticed him and encouraged him to visit the Learning Centre. He studied there for 8 months, reading books and waiting for a chance to go to school. With the support of LIL staff and school administrators, Rahibu started at Engarinaibor Secondary School in May.
Leah, Director of LIL, accompanied him to school recalling how excited he was. “We sat together by the window. We saw a giraffe on the way and Rahibu told me he had never seen a giraffe. Now he sees them all the time at the back of his school.”
Lucia, one of Rahibu’s teachers, is impressed with his quick progress: “Rahibu arrived three weeks ago. He joined the class just one week before the start of exams and passed almost all of them. He is a very clever boy!”
When asked what he might need to help him with his studies, Rahibu was quick to reply, “Black socks and books.” Lucia added that books are really important for the students. If Rahibu could get one book, Lucia thinks it should be a Chemistry syllabus. She laughs and then admits that she is a Chemistry teacher.
Rahibu is now home on holidays and comes to LIL every day to continue to study. He is very excited about returning for term 2 in a few weeks time. He loves science and hopes one day to become an engineer.