A chance at success - Pison Fundraiser

For the past 6 weeks we have been volunteering in Arusha, Tanzania, teaching children aged eight to thirteen in a primary school called Pison. Having witnessed their hardships daily, we are raising funds to ameliorate their situation and give them the best chance at success.

The reality at Pison school is a world away from the schools with which we are familiar. Each child understands their education carries an expectancy to improve their families’ living conditions. Some students are the only child their parents can afford to send to school; with parents and siblings making sacrifices to ensure they have the best education and chance to succeed. It is imperative that the children pass their exams each year in order to stay at school rather than leave to start working.

Many children rely on Pison School for education and their ‘two meals a day’ – maize porridge in the morning and rice and beans for lunch – which are grown in a small garden behind the school. The children who cannot afford the lunch fees sit and watch the others eat during lunch breaks. In the weeks we have spent there, we would never have guessed the hardships these children carry as they are always smiling and bursting with joy and gratitude to simply be at school.

Despite the students’ willingness and eagerness to learn, understanding the weight of their education on their family, their learning is severely limited by the lack of resources and their hunger. The classrooms are run down, often with more pupils than chairs. There are no books for the children to read, and the ‘textbook’ is a single handwritten copy made by the teacher which they then copy onto the chalk board. At break time, the children have no games or toys to play with such as balls or skipping ropes.

 

After working at Pison for the past 6 weeks, and falling in love with the children, we are making it our priority to provide them with the best chance of success that we can. We are calling on our family and friends to help us raise funds that will go towards ensuring each child has the basic necessities including: at least two meals a day, their own uniform, their own stationery, desks and chairs. Donations will also go towards repainting classrooms. Finally, the headmaster of the school, Gilbert, has expressed the necessity for a fence around the vegetable garden as food is often stolen. We appreciate any donations and are looking forward to making contributions which will dramatically change the education and lives of the children at this school.

Love from,

Maisie and Madeleine xoxo