Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) Students get a shot at quality education in the country’s better equipped schools.
A quiet initiative which may change the quality of life is slowly taking place, thanks to a unique scholarship programme targeting the marginalized BVI-Students.
BVI students known for their paucity of resources to support their education, will hopefully start to enjoy the fruits of this quiet revolution when they eventually finish their education, becoming the first set of professionals who are expected to play a crucial role in improving their lives.
Initiated by TeV, the sponsorship programme is aimed at bridging the gap that has stymied BVI-child education in the district for a long time.
“Our priority is to ensure that we at least get all those who passed the primary school education attend secondary schools where they can have equal opportunities to excel. This scholarship enables them to have a head start that will increase their chances of getting to university. Once we have pushed them that far, they will fight on their own to attain their professions,” says Safia Ibrahim, an education coordinator who is coordinating the project.
Since independence, BVI students have been lagging behind in education in general and girls’ education in particular because of their disability and other various reasons.
In line with many efforts that have been made to fight illiteracy in the district, there is hope that the exclusive scholarship programme for BVI students will change the district’s status.
Girls determined to realise their dreams.
The programme is also aimed at addressing BVI Students’ gender disparities in education within the district by implementing affirmative action for the marginalized communities and especially targeting the girl-child. Being the first year, 3 girls who have excelled in the primary education have been chosen for admission to highly regarded national schools across the country.
From this selection, the three girls are given the rare opportunity to compete equally with other bright girls in highly reputed schools like Korogwe Girls Secondary School.
This programme comes at an opportune time for a district that has borne the brunt of both external and internal factors of marginalisation.
Traditionally, most communities hardly valued the education of BVI students, let alone being a girl-child. In this region, only one in five BVI children is given a chance to go to primary school. Where there are ten BVI students in classroom, only two will proceed to secondary school if they get government sponsorship, meaning that eight will drop out probably ending up being beggars or destitute at an early age.
The three girls are lucky because the scholarship, which includes full school fees support, takes care of other concerns which prevent many poor parents from enrolling their children in secondary schools.
It also takes care of the beneficiary’s transport costs from Tanga to their respective schools, provides an assortment of books and stationery, bedding and sanitary towels, among other basic necessities.
TeV hopes that, the scholarship programme should be replicated in all places where marginalisation and poverty prevents BVI students, and especially girl-child from achieving their goals.
TeV will keep looking for sponsors so that we can replicate this project in other areas. There are many bright BVI students who attained high marks but can hardly afford a pair of shoes, let alone school fees for secondary education.
TeV reckons that BVI students in the district will work harder to attain higher marks to win scholarships while those who have already acquired it work extra hard to justify their selection.
There are many needy people in different parts of the country. The challenge is how to face and address these problems in such a way that all the children can get a chance to have an education. Already, this project is offering some good solutions.
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Feeding Programme Launched.
An Overview of the Pre-School Programme
- Tanzania ecoVolunteerism ( TeV) is successfully running Kiomoni Community Resource Centre (Pre-school) for the fourth consecutive year in rural slums of Kiomoni, in Tanga, Tanzania.
- Target children are in the age group of 3-5 years and belong to poor, marginalised that we cannot even categories as low-income families and all of them are first generation learners.
- A total of 420 children have benefited from this school in the academic year 2002-06. In the year 2006-07 a total of 93 children attended the programme and have now joined government primary schools.
- Typical learning inputs include learning alphabets and numerical through wall-charts, card books as well as singing of songs, reciting poems, participating in games, solving puzzles etc.
- Pre Primary sessions are made interactive with learning aids with a focus on making learning more enjoyable, enthusing the children stimulate interest and build confidence. The attempt is on imparting meaningful schooling in a non-threatening and encouraging environment.
- Monthly Health examination / check-up by a qualified medical practitioner and provision of Nutrition supplements/refreshments are invaluable components of the programme.
- Pre-Primary education is normally affordable to city/town dwellers; communities in the rural do not have this opportunity, since they have to decide between putting food on a table or paying for a child's pre-primary school education.
- Our intervention of giving rural children the opportunity to have free pre-primary school education has cut down the age of rural children to join public primary school between 5 and 6 years from the previously 7 years.
Goals of the Programme:
- To ensure pre-school exposure to every child living in select slums rural areas
- To create a non-threatening environment for meaningful and quality learning
- To provide opportunities for acquiring knowledge, skills and attitude
- To ignite curiosity for learning (thirst for knowledge), reasoning and rationality
- To initiate a sense of overall discipline, personal hygiene and cleanliness
- To promote community partnership and co-operation in pre – school learning
Other Activities:
- Nutritional Supplements: Children attending the Pre-Primary are now offered with nutritional supplement every day. It includes fruits like banana/orange or biscuits, etc, and 250 gm of milk which is high in vitamins & iron contents.
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WideningCircles Foundation of Canada funding has initiated thus strengthen the current Health and Nutrition Programme for the children attending the PreSchool.
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Swahili Peoples Arts&Cultural Festival – August,8th to 11th, 2008
The Swahili Peoples Arts&Cultural Festival ( TheSPACuFe) is organized
to provide the communities and their organizations, including those involved in the fields of arts and culture, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations and those in professional work, the opportunity to celebrate, communicate and show their work and skills to the people, the delegates, participants and the general public at the Festival.
- To promote intercultural dialogue of Swahili culture and its heritage, interfaith dialogue as a vehicle to enhance social cohesion and stability and the use of Kiswahili language.
- To share by showing the values of local traditions and customs thus strengthening our communities’ values and instill a sense of cultural identity and pride in the communities, young and old.
- To groom the new breed of Kiswahili writers by inspiring thousands of young writers within the region.
- To facilitate exchange programmes on World Heritage education since Swahili communities live within two World Heritage Sites, i.e Lamu and the Stone Town of Zanzibar.
- To raise awareness of the ethical and humanitarian values which lie at the Swahili ethos.
For more information please visit: Swahili Peoples Arts & Cultural Festival
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