2013 Focus - Help Us Raise $25K

The Tanzanian Education Project continues to focus on self-sustainable education projects in the East African Nation of Tanzania. In 2013 TEP is working to develop solutions for a problem that most children encounter even after successfully being a part of our programs – a lack of skills. The majority of the population is unable to make it through the secondary education system however for those few that have, even fewer are able to go onto to school from there. Over the past four years, TEP has witnessed many bright, dedicated students fall into crime, prostitution, free labor and idleness because their options for vocational training are few and expensive.

Micro business runs the Tanzanian economy and although TEP has seen success in these endeavors the aspect of training and skill building has been an enormous challenge. A program with trained craftsmen and teachers paired with an active business model is believed to serve the greatest amount of students in the most meaningful way.  This program will offer the development of business and marketing skills in addition to valuable vocational training.

TEP is hoping to develop two programs in the outskirts of Dar es Salaam. One is a health clinic that is located just outside the gates of Olof Bethsaida Girls Secondary School and Orphanage. This dispensary will provide much needed medical services to the village but also will give the students of Olof a place to learn and develop skills in the health field. The dispensary will provide services at a competitive price which will be used to keep the business operations running.

The second is an education program in Tegeta that combines business with arts. The students will learn business skills such as marketing, inventory management, staff management and customer service in addition to vocational training in the Arts. This will include, basket weaving, painting, wood carving, sewing, fabric making, jewelry making and other crafts to gain skills and certificates that are applicable and valuable to their society. The school will run a storefront business as well as send students into local tourist areas to sell their work in order to offset some of the operating costs which will keep school fees competitive. The storefront and traveling sales will provide on the job training and additional internships will be required to in order to obtain additional certificates and networking opportunities.

The Tanzanian Education Project knows much of the success for both programs will be up to the local staff and partner groups that will join us in this mission. Although both projects are in their infancy, TEP volunteers and partner schools are looking forward to watching these projects develop. We are confident that one day these vocational training programs will flourish as other TEP projects have in the past.