Mr Josiah Mchme writes:-
Thank You all our friends for supporting our country. There is no way we could be where we are now without your help. Ahsante Sana on behalf of my fellow countrymen. .
Josiah with some of the kindergarten class and a secondary class.
Four alumni of La Chataigneraie ISG have received photos of how some of the $1,000 they sent in March has been spent so far. This initiative arose from them having spent time with the kindergarten classes when they visited WATU School in 2018.
The kindergarten is in the first classroom built on the Shiri site so a coat of paint was sorely needed and the new equipment has been enthusiastically received…and used.
A huge thank you goes out to the International School of Geneva, La Chataigneraie campus from all the kindergarten pupils and staff.
La Chataigneraie, the Vaud campus of the International School of Geneva, has always been deeply involved in People’s Participation in Education WATU. It was with money raised by students more than 10 years ago that the first piece of land was purchased on which ther school has been built.
And that support continues. An initiative led by students co-ordinated by Ms. Sarah Lalaz, the teacher now running the Tanzania Project, came up with ideas and initiatives to raise funds to cover teachers’ salaries. They not only approached the present school community of pupils, parents and teachers but they also reached out to alumni, who themselves had been part of the Tanzania Experience, and retired teachers.
The highly successful effort has resulted in a substantial donation that will certainly help WATU teachers during this difficult period.
A huge thank you from the staff at WATU Secondary goes out to all who have contributed.
Co-founder Richard Heery is selling his recently published book Towards Infinite Horizons, both a memoir of his father and an account of a bike ride he did from Galway to the Black Sea. The book is for sale at a cost price of 15chf, £10 or 12 Euros with the hope that buyers will donate extra , all of which goes to WATU’s much-needed A level Science Lab. Fund.
Contact Richard on r.heery@bluewin.ch .
This science laboratory is the final piece in the very complex jigsaw which has been the creation of WATU Secondary. Josiah Mchome will direct all his efforts towards constructing this essential facility before school year 2021. We have a cohort of excellent science students in year 9 at the moment (see newsletter) but they would have to leave Shiri for their final two years of schooling because to study Advanced Level Sciences they'll need extra facilities and we don't have those facilities yet. Nonetheless, as you'll read in the Newsletter, lower school science is a great success at WATU Secondary. Even with the one lab, our students perform excellently in public examinations, one girl even achieving the distinction of coming fourth in the whole Kilimanjaro Region, out of more than 8000 students. So, imagine what might happen at A Level with these young people when the school has even better facilities. (Incidentally, one of the objectives of the Tanzanian government is to produce many more young scientists.)
Thank You . Asante Sana.
A big thank you to Collège du Léman,Geneva for the loan of 40 iPads to the staff and students, obviously very much appreciated by all. Also many thanks to Mme. Jana Krainova, who presented the iPads when visiting the school with a group from CDL, giving the students from Geneva an opportunity to meet and work with some of WATU Secondary’s students.
And recently there was also a donation of 9 laptops via the Swiss operations company of e-bay. Many thanks go to the Ryopponen family (very interested and valued donors) for facilitating this gift.
WATU Secondary School acknowledges that the access to computers is a key factor in the excellent exam results achieved in all forms each year so far.
The history of WATU Secondary School explains why, on the campus, there is also a kindergarten class. In 2009, at the beginning of the building programme with only one classroom completed, the local parents asked if this could be used to house a much needed kindergarten for the area, which was agreed. The Montessori class has flourished, enjoying both support and interest from many of our donors and visitors. One such donor is the Wallsten family who has recently sent a very generous donation which has been used to buy Montessori teaching aids, first aid and kitchen equipment, seating furniture, and will be used to support a needy student and provide food for the next 2 months for the class of 36 children. The students and their teacher extend a very big thank you.
A very welcome improvement to the access of water by both the main campus and the adjacent girls’ boarding house has been completed due to the very generous donation by Mr. Satesh Melwani and Association Watu. Three 5,000 litre water tanks have been installed which will provide a secure and readily available supply, with the great advantage that now the girls will no longer have to carry water to the washing facilities in their block in buckets. Not surprisingly they are full of thanks to Mr. Satesh as is all the school community.
Many thanks to the children of Crans Montessori kindergarten (Montessori l’Idylle Grand Pré) in Switzerland for their donation of 1,983 Swiss francs.
Students from the International School of Geneva, La Chataigneraie had contacted Mrs. Philippa Romig asking for ideas and materials that would help them during their trip to Watu School and she wrote that:
“Your request comes at a timely moment, because we are just planning our sponsored walk, due to take place on June 3rd here in Crans. Each year, the children walk 4 kilometres around the fields to raise funds for a cause. This tradition started many years ago when one of my sons was preparing to go to Tanzania as you are and has continued ever since.”
Thank you from the kindergarten class for all your help.
Students from La Chataigneraie working with the kindergarten children
Seventeen laptop computers arrived at WATU Secondary School on June 20th. A donation from Infotheek and Mr Hannu Ryopponen, they were delivered by a group of students from The International School of Geneva who spent a week at the school working and interacting with our students.
The ISG students also made a very generous donation which they had worked hard to earn. These funds will go towards the extension of the boys’ hostel.
The students and staff of WATU Secondary School extend their grateful thanks to all concerned.
People’s Participation in Education (WATU) supports the Tanzanian government in its objective of providing full time education to all of its young citizens. Tanzanian registered number: SO.NO.14287
