Elimu Africa supported the Second Chance Education Center (SCEC),
Moshi Tanzania, East Africa from 2005-2008.
During that time, we provided $28,000.00 in funds for various building projects, materials, food, and salaries in addition to arranging for outside volunteers to travel and work at the school. We thank our volunteers generous donors and the SCEC staff for their generosity and dedication to help raise the hopes of these students.
What is the Second Chance Education Center?
The Second Chance Education Center (SCEC) is a bridge school located near in the village of Msranga which is a Moshi Municipality in Tanzania to help the most impoverished students in the Kilimanjaro region. The purpose of the school is to help those who failed to excel in their primary school national exams and have been unable to continue with their education. The challenge for SCEC students in succeeding is largely due to difficult family situations or extreme poverty. The students are selected for acceptance into SCEC based on their financial need and their personal commitment to getting their education. The goal is to help them to finish their secondary education by helping them eventually re-enter the Tanzanian government school system.
The families of these students are the most impoverished in the area and most eat on less than one or two dollars a day. They often cannot afford even the essentials in life and cannot afford to pay anything toward school expenses for their children.
The Tanzanian education system is vastly different than what we experience in the United States. In the US, public school is free, but in Tanzania, students have many expenses including food, the upkeep of the school facilities, uniforms and materials. Therefore, many families cannot afford to send their children to school and in some cases, families can afford to send only one of their children and are forced to choose which child will go and which will be left behind. Although the Tanzania government education system requires all children to attend primary school, movement from what we call "elementary school" to "secondary school" requires the students to pass a national exam. Those who do not pass the exam and cannot afford private school must simply end their education.
Those who end their education without completing secondary school (usually at age 14 or 15) have few job opportunities and will likely have difficult lives. Males often turn to “piece-work” (farming on land owned by others), while girls stay with their family until about age 14 and then try to get work as a house girl with a wealthy family. Many girls marry young and get pregnant which automatically excludes them from the education system. Unfortunately, lack of opportunity and the ensuing poverty leads to problems with alcoholism, poor health care, abuse of women and children and multiple sexual partners leading to issues with HIV/AIDS. Little economic opportunity or hope for the future exists for these people. It has been shown that lack of literacy and education is the leading cause of poverty in developing countries. There is a lot of discussion about helping the people of Africa become self-sustaining. What better way to help these people lift themselves out of this cycle of poverty and abuse than offering them a chance to arm themselves with the most powerful tool for success in life – Elimu – education?
SCEC Projects 2006
Elimu Africa raised over $13,000 in our fall fundraising campaign. ! Asante sana to our kind and generous donors.
- Vice Chair Joelle Rosser spent 3 weeks at the Second Chance Education Center to work with students and do a need assessment for Elimu Africa.
- Funds and resources were provided to support the Second Chance Education Center and helped accomplish the following:
• Desks, uniforms and books were purchased.
• Teachers were added and given a much needed salary increase.
• A parent board was formed.
• A debate and sports program was formed.
• The old classroom was refurbished.
• The fifty-four students were split into two classes to accommodate scholastic levels; Forms 1 and 2.
• Preparations were made to add a new class for Form 3 in 2007. Seventy students are expected in 2007.
• Really big news: After hours of paperwork and effort, SCEC was granted official status as an official Non-governmental Organization (NGO).
Congratulations to 6 students from SCEC!
After much preparation, the first group of SCEC students to ever take national exams went to the Mawazi Test Center in October. Of the 20 students who passed the exam at Mawenzi, 6 came from SCEC! Mama Lucy Renju commented "We scooped 35% of those who passed.
SCEC Projects 2007
Over $14,000.00 in funds were raised due to the generosity of our donors! Thanks to all who support lifting kids out of poverty by supporting their education.
- Funds were used to support daily operations at the school, pay teachers salaries and support the school lunch program.
- Elimu Africa purchased 3 computers for the SCEC computer lab.
- Elimu Africa co-founder, Dick McMorrow traveled to Tanzania to work at the school, set up a computer lab and do a needs assessment at the school.
- Elimu Africa Vice Chair, Joelle Rosser began a year long volunteer trip to Tanzania to work with SCEC students, act as Elimu Africa representative with school administrators and do a needs assessment at the school.
Joelle Rosser raised $950.00 in February, 2007 by conducting a penny wars campaign, having a walk-a-thon and selling kangas (beautiful African wraps). These simple fundraising ideas can amount to big funds which when sent to Africa, can be stretched further than the California coast where Joelle lives. If your school, church or other organizations want to conduct a fun fund raiser for African education, please contact Joelle. joellelovesafrica@gmail.com