End of school year

The 2006 school year is nearly over in Tanzania as well as in Australia. The School of St Jude has had its final assembly before the summer holidays.

Final assembly for 2006

With nine teachers and office staff leaving at the end of the year, Friday's assembly was big and emotional with some tears shed by both staff and students. Many of the classes did farewell songs and dances for the teachers and those who were leaving made speeches about how the school has changed them.

At any point in time there can be around 24 volunteers working at the school. These fantastic people help to keep the school running.

As well as teaching classes and running the office, volunteers help the local teachers to expand their teaching skills beyond the basic ‘chalk and talk’ methods that are the focus of teacher education in Tanzania.

Mandy uses a board game for revision

Here is a revision game that Mandy has demonstrated to the teaching staff.
Mandy came to the school for a quick visit in 2005 and used her great teaching tools with the classes. This was so successful that Gemma encouraged her to return this year for three months to continue her lessons. She has shown the Tanzanian teachers some ways that the children can have organised fun in the classroom while learning.

The game is used at the end of a lesson for revsion. When a student’s counter falls on a number with a gold star, he or she has to answer a question correctly before advancing on the board. The kids love it; they are learning in a fun atmosphere and the teacher has a happy, focussed class - it’s winners all round!

Mr Andrew uses the Snakes and Ladders board game

Mr Andrew has the ‘Snakes and Ladders’ version – if you don’t want to slide backwards down the snake or you want to take an advantage by climbing the ladder, get the question right!

With so many volunteers at the school, there is a high level of staff turnover. This would be regarded as a problem in an Australian school, but in Tanzania the benefits far outweigh the work of managing the turnover.

Government spending on education

It is widely accepted that a well-educated population is a cornerstone of economic prosperity. Australia spends 5.8% of GDP on education, and it ranks mid-point amongst OECD countries on education spending.

UNSW graduates – Master Clinical Psychology

With GDP per capita of $31,600, this means that Australia spends $1,800 per capita on education each year.

If Tanzania spent the same proportion of GDP on education it would equate to $41 per capita. It is clear that the poorest countries do not have the resources to run even basic education services, never mind invest in improvements and try to catch up with other countries.

The Tanzanian investment in education has been restricted by huge debt repayment schedules. However, since Tanzania completed the current debt relief program they have received $3 billion in debt relief, according to the World Bank.

Tanzania has used the savings to increase education spending and eliminate school fees for elementary school education. Almost overnight, an estimated 1.6 million kids returned to school. By 2003, 3.1 million children were back in school. The net enrollment ratio has risen from 58.8 percent in 2000 to 88.5 percent in 2003. Tanzania expects to attain universal basic education by 2006.

With debt relief savings in 2002 and 2003, Tanzania built 31,825 classrooms and the number of primary schools increased from 11,608 in 2000 to 12,689 in 2003, a net increase of 1,081 schools. Also in these two years, 17,851 new Grade A teachers were recruited and 9,100 science-teaching kits were supplied. The pass rate in primary school exams rose from 19.3 percent in 1999 to 40.1 percent in 2003. This rate would have been higher if the pass rate standard had not been raised.

The international campaign to raise awareness of the pernicious effect of debt repayments on the poorest countries has been effective in causing First World countries to re-think the ways they help the poorest of the poor.

Just as the very poorest people in society have no means to repay loans, so the very poorest countries do not have the means to repay loans.

It is great to see that the Tanzanian government is able to invest more in schools. But on an ongoing basis, the country still has only $700 per capita as a tax base to fund essential services.
With economic growth running at 6%, this may grow to around $742 next year giving the government $43 per capita for education (at 5.8% – the same proportion Australia spends on education).

It will be generations before the Tanzanian economy has grown enough to fund basic education and in the meantime it is clear that at this stage on its upward climb out of poverty, your contribution is essential.

Right place for your talents

What would Winston Churchill have been without WWII? Just another ho-hum politician with a very mixed record. Who would have known that he had the ability to hold a nation together through its darkest years?

Churchill on Life cover (photo: Yousuf Karsch)

In a way, he was fortunate that his life presented the conditions that allowed his talents to flourish to their fullest extent. How many of us find that our life circumstances do not match our talents? We will never realise our full potential, and the world will not benefit from our abilities, if we don’t seek out the conditions where our talents can be used.

Gemma Sisia is one of the lucky ones. As the youngest of eight children (she has seven older brothers!) growing up on a sheep grazing property near Tamworth in NSW, it was highly likely that her talents would be used in her local community.

But, following her strong desire to help the poorest of the poor, one thing led to another and she now finds herself running a large school in Africa. What would Gemma Sisia be without the School of St Jude? Just another energetic school teacher in country NSW? It’s hard to imagine!
While it cannot be said that Churchill fostered WWII in order to exercise his talents, I can see that Gemma has created the conditions where her considerable talents can flourish. I wonder how much further they will develop? The story is still unfolding.

The result of Winston Churchill’s talents and efforts was the endurance of Britain in its finest hour – the survival of the nation and its culture.

The result of Gemma’s talents and efforts (so far!) is the excellent education provided to hundreds of bright children from poor families. Just as England may have failed without the massive talents of Churchill at the helm, so these children would be condemned to the ongoing cycle of poverty that is perpetuated when children grow up illiterate and unskilled.

Kindergarten class performance for St Jude's Day

So, if you find yourself wondering what particular field is needed for your particular talents to flourish, consider how you might lend them to the task of helping one of the poorest countries in the world climb out of the tragedy of extreme poverty.

You can find out more about Churchill at Wikipedia and The Churchill Centre.

It is not really surprising that Churchill was voted the greatest-ever Briton in the 2002 BBC poll the 100 Greatest Britons, but did you know that he won the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature for his many books on English and world history!

"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour." -- Speech delivered to the House of Commons on June 18, 1940 following the collapse of France.

Certificate of Excellence

In her October newsletter, Gemma described the recent government inspection of the school. It took THREE DAYS! Now that is thorough!

Heads of Department at School of St Jude

As I was eating breakfast, I got a message that there were three government school inspectors waiting outside the office! I dropped the toast and dashed to the office to be greeted by three very serious faces that dominated my life for the next few days. They had us running all over the school getting this document and that file. Bundles of lesson plans, schemes of work and logbooks were scrutinised; teachers lessons were appraised; inventories of every item in the school were demanded; assessment procedures and reports were checked and every work contract was looked at. Even the after school extra-curricular club objectives were inspected (though I don’t know what they made of the ‘Girl Guides’ report on the sleep-over in the school hall!) No folder, file or fingernail clipping was left unturned in the whole school!

It was exhausting for everyone involved but thanks to the great team effort of all the teachers, drivers, cooks, cleaners, guards, groundsmen and the administration of the school, we were able to achieve a “Grade 1 Certificate of Excellence in Performance” - the highest grade achievable! The inspectors wrote a glowing report about the school and mentioned that when they have government officials from the Ministry of Education in Dar es Salaam visiting, they would like to bring them out to see the school. It was a remarkable award for everyone involved in the school and well deserved as every worker associated with the school puts in 100% effort. And, of course, we share this with all of you who have given so much of your time, energy, money and support to help us achieve this.

I get a sense that things are coming together in Tanzania in important ways that will lay strong foundations for a better future. Schools like St Jude's, started by one skilled and dedicated person, supported by hundreds who care, can do more than give jobs and training to hundreds of locals while educating hundreds of the poorest children. A well-run school can be a model to others and encourage better practice throughout the education system.

Fantastic job Gemma! I think we're ready to go the next round with you.

Peace Corps

What can you learn if you spend some time in Tanzania, working in AIDS/HIV education?

Jen settles in to watch a DVD with friends

Jen is a Community Health Volunteer working in HIV/AIDS Prevention Education with a focus on children and youth. She is based in Newala, Tanzania. She works for US Peace Corps and her placement goes from June 2005 to August 2007.

You can get a taste of her experience at her blog.

On her 26th birthday, she reflected on what she had learnt in the previous 12 months. Here are her thoughts.

That I hate ants. That monkeys bite. That it’s better to be 5 minutes late than to rush past a good friend on the street. That one person’s trash truly IS another person’s treasure. That the moon is even better than a flashlight. That eating new foods, speaking a strange language, and dressing differently hasn’t changed me... but that something has. That I CAN live without cheese. That talking is easy... and that action is difficult... and that behavior change can sometimes seem impossible. That running water is an unattainable luxury for most of the world’s population. That I somehow enjoy mountain-biking in a skirt. That there are always people you can trust, and always people you cannot... and that you will always struggle to tell the difference. That having “no money” is a very relative term. That tampons don't burn. That people are dying... more of them than I ever imagined when I lived in Connecticut. That sometimes you can trust a child more than you can trust her parents. That I am lucky. That my grandmother’s friends listen much better than most folks out there. That I am privileged. That Imani likes to eat baby chickens, even though her mom is still a vegetarian. That I am loved. That Africa can be COLD. That going easy on people doesn't help them to realize their mistakes... and that being too hard on them doesn't make them want to right their wrongs. That polygamous marriages aren’t all bad. That palm wine tasts better than millet beer. That hunger and need can drive people to do things that you never thought they would. That it isn’t too hard to make your own pizza. That a warm bucket bath is much better than a cold shower. That changing the world is a slow process. Just that an ordinary life will never be tolerated.

What an astonishing life she is living. I suspect that the best thing that parents in First World countries can do for their children is to give them early life experiences in one of the countries where life is a struggle. You can visit with them, or send them to stay for a few weeks. Wealthy schools can offer group travel that has the ultimate reward of giving to others rather than merely receiving a tourist experience.

The School of St Jude accepts visitors as individuals or in groups. Visit their website for details.

What's for dinner?

Chickens and goats seem to feature quite often in news about the School of St Jude.

Rotary visitors enjoy grilled goat

I thought I would see if I could find out a bit more about the culinary heritage of Tanzania.

As you would expect the cuisine varies with the geography. In the inland savannah, the traditional cuisine of cattle-keeping people is distinctive in that meat products are generally absent. Cattle, sheep and goats were regarded as a form of currency and a store of wealth, and are not generally consumed as food. In some areas, traditional people consume the milk and blood of cattle, but rarely the meat.

Elsewhere, other people are farmers who grow a variety of grains and vegetables. Corn is the basis of ugali, a starch dish eaten with meats or stews.

Around 1000 years ago, the Arabs settled in the coastal areas of East Africa, and Arabic influences are reflected in the Swahili cuisine of the coast – steamed cooked rice with spices in Persian style, use of saffron, cloves, cinnamon and several other spices, and pomegranate juice.
Several centuries later, the British and the Indians came, and both brought with them their foods, like Indian spiced vegetable curries, lentil soups, chapattis and a variety of pickles. Just before the British and the Indians, the Portuguese had introduced techniques of roasting and marinating, and the use of spices, turning the bland diet into aromatic stewed dishes.

Portuguese also brought from their Asian colonies fruits like the orange, lemon and lime. From their colonies in the New World, Portuguese brought exotic items like chiles, peppers, maize, tomatoes, pineapple, bananas, and the domestic pig – now, all these are part of East African food.

Here is something you might like to try yourself.

Spinach with peanut sauce
1 medium onion, diced
180 ml water
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 lbs spinach, roughly chopped
1 pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or more if you prefer a more spicy dish)
2 teaspoons honey

1. brown off the onions in oil in a sauce pan on medium heat.
2. add the water and peanut butter on a low heat, stir until dissolved and simmer for a few minutes.
3. add salt, honey, chilli pepper and tomatoes, stir together.
4. add the spinach on top and put a lid on, leave for approx 5 minute.
5. stir everything together, cook a further 5 minute.
6. serve with rice.

I think I'll try it tonight!!

Seventh Wonder of the World

The Great Wildebeest Migration of Serengeti National Park was recently declared the Seventh Wonder of the world. In a joint project undertaken by USA Today and ABC-TV's Good Morning America, a multi-disciplined panel has named the "Site of the Great Migration," which includes about 90 per cent of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, as the Seventh New Wonder of the World. The panelists who completed the new list of the new wonders of the world descrived the Serengeti and its Wildebeest Migration as "a rare and wondrous natural drama."

Wildebeest (African Wildlife Foundation)

The other six Wonders of the World in this list include the Polar Ice Caps in Iceland, the Underwater Coral Reef in Hawaii Island, Tibet's Potala Palace, Old Jerusalem City, the Mayan Pyramids in Mexico and the Internet.

Serengeti is Africa's greatest national park. It is in Northern Tanzania and covers 14,763sqkm.
Wildwatch has a great map of the migration paths of more than 1.5 million wildebeests, 600 thousand zebras and 300 thousand gazelles, which move in a gigantic herd, migrate through the area in a clockwise circle.

Following the grand multitude are packs of wild dogs and hyenas, families of cheetahs, and prides of lions all pursuing the vast herds. Above the long, dusty procession are circling vultures and other scavenging and hunting birds, on the lookout for their next meal.
No one knows for sure what triggers the migration but the herds seem to follow fresh pastures. In their thousands, these animals travel in long moving columns that at certain points extend for forty kilometers, and which ultimately will describe huge oblong figures a thousand kilometers across within an ecosystem of 250, 000 sq. kilometers.

The nomination of the Wildebeest migration as the Seventh Wonder of the World will give a boost to Tanzania’s safari tourism industry. With fantastic natural riches of landscape and wildlife, and over 25% of land protected for conservation, Tanzani is well-placed for economic growth.

You can browse the blogs of St Jude volunteers in the sidebar to get a taste of their safari experiences during breaks while volunteering at the school.

For further browsing about Serengeti and wildebeest, try these sites.

African Wildlife Foundation
Tanzania Tourist Board
Natural High – safari company