By Robin Shepherd
Tanzania, Africa—famous for majestic landscapes and exotic wildlife, from Mt. Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti Plain—is not a likely place to find Saratoga volunteers, but one local has made it a reality. A Saratoga Rotary Art Show on May 6 and 7 will help locals give hope to the people of a small town in Tanzania.
Last year, after Saratogan Anne Cross shared the extraordinary story of Orkeeswa Secondary School in Tanzania, where less than 4 percent of youth have access to higher education, the Saratoga Rotary decided to take action.
“We were deeply moved by Anne’s presentation,” said Bella Mahoney, chair of Saratoga Rotary’s International Committee. “The project met requirements for Rotary support, and it was clear that we could make a positive impact.”
Earlier this year, Saratoga Rotarians joined Anne and Jon Cross and members of other local Rotary clubs on a 20-hour flight to Tanzania. Arriving jet-lagged, their spirits were lifted upon seeing how their participation in a multi-year, multi-club Rotary service project was benefiting the students of Orkeeswa.
The Maasai Welcome Education
For centuries the Maasai have lived as nomadic cattle herders. Children have worked alongside their parents. Fathers have offered their young daughters in arranged marriages, often for a dowry of cattle. Education has been viewed as a luxury, not a given, for their children.
Meanwhile, population growth, development and climate change have forced them to abandon their ancestral lands and adapt to a changing world.
In rural Orkeeswa, village elders welcomed Peter Luis, a teacher from California, to tour their lands and talk about education. Luis shared his vision for a community-based secondary school offering a high-quality, holistic education for girls and boys. The village elders approved, and then donated 20 acres of land for the school. Luis and several Tanzanian colleagues began setting up the school and Luis formed the Indigenous Education Foundation of Tanzania, a nonprofit foundation, to raise funds.
Today, Orkeeswa Secondary School serves more than 200 students who are graduating in the top 5 percent countrywide. Applications already outnumber seats, so plans are to grow.
Orkeeswa is becoming a model of 21st century education that can be replicated in Tanzania and other developing countries. The school has introduced project-based learning and integrated computing into classroom learning, along with an interdisciplinary art and music program and a new robotics program. Its Global Scholars program helps students gain entry to schools in the UK, South Africa, Uganda and the US.
In 2016, more than half of the school’s graduates went on to post-secondary education, and the rest found jobs. Many graduates come back to work at the school as teachers, coaches and counselors—something that’s strongly encouraged. Others graduate with professional skills they can put to work in their own communities.
The Rotary Experience
“When we arrived, students were so excited, they poured out of the school to greet us,” Mahoney said. “Everywhere we went, we heard ‘Jambo Bwana,’ Tanzania’s welcome song. It had us all jumping up and down, dancing with the kids.”
Jitka Cymbal, Saratoga Rotary Club president, was inspired by the curiosity, gratitude and perseverance of the Orkeeswa students, who she said are “not only the first in their families to graduate high school but the first to have the possibility of a college education.”
“We spent four days with the students,” Cymbal said. “Younger students practiced their English with us. They talked about their lives and wanted to know all about America. Older students were anxiously awaiting their national exam results. Those who pass have an opportunity to attend college.
“We got to know Orkeeswa’s staff: Tanzanians, Europeans, and Americans from different backgrounds. We also met students’ families, which was wonderful.”
Positive Outcomes
Early in the project, Saratoga Rotary and other local participating clubs asked Luis for a school wish list. When the Rotarians arrived at Orkeeswa in January, that list was fulfilled.
Orkeeswa now has textbooks, water stations with clean water for drinking and handwashing, solar panels for a free renewable energy source, and a “Tab Lab” with desks and tablet computers with wireless Internet connectivity. Local workers were hired to complete these projects, overseen by local Rotarians from nearby Arusha.
During their visit, fellow Rotarian Maria Guldner, an avid photographer, gave students photography tips, took their pictures, and printed them out on a portable wireless printer she had brought along.
“The kids were so captivated to see their images come through instantly on that little printer,” Guldner said. “We left it behind for them to enjoy.”
“We fell in love with the kids,” Cymbal said. “It was wonderful to see how the boys and girls interacted as equals. There’s a mutual respect between staff and students, a real sense of closeness at the school. If only we could bottle that attitude and bring it home!”
Rotary projects like Orkeeswa are made possible by contributions from Rotary members, community organizations and fundraisers such as the Saratoga Rotary Art Show, May 6-7, at West Valley College. To learn more, visit Saratoga Rotary at saratogarotary.org and Orkeeswa Secondary School at ieftz.org.
Robin Shepherd is a Bay Area independent journalist, developmental editor and photographer. She has been researching and writing about the beneficial work of humanitarian and environmental organizations since 2003.
All photographs courtesy Maria Guldner and Saratoga Rotary Club.
