By Rob Barbour: Below you will see images of Matipwili Secondary School and its students in rural Tanzania. These children would ordinarily not have been afforded a secondary education if it weren't for the generosity of recent climbers of Mt Kilimanjaro with Epic.
These climbers made the summit for another charity, the Humpty Dumpty children's charity in Australia (see Brad's blog post below), but their philanthropy didn't stop there. They are now sponsoring underprivileged children to receive a secondary education at various schools adjacent to the Kisampa Private Conservation Area in coastal Tanzania.
Through Kisampa's Tuende Pamoja Trust Fund (Tuende Pamoja means: Let's move forward together in Kiswahili), we have facilitated the sponsorship of children who would normally not have the means to go to secondary school because they are orphaned, from non-working single-parent families, or are deemed 'poorer than poor' (as decided by their own communities).
A secondary education in Tanzania costs USD 250 per child, per year, for five years at a government school. This includes their school fees, any accommodation allowances, food, a uniform, a pair of shoes and a solar light to study by at night as there is no electricity in the village.
Through the Tuende Pamoja Trust Fund, over 100 children are currently sponsored at three different secondary schools – all due to the generosity of clients coming to Tanzania. Epic has played a leading role in helping us attract some of this sponsorship, such as the Humpty Dumpty climbers.
If you would like more information about the schools and students supported, or indeed if you would like to become a sponsor, please contact us.