Mshikamano Handover Event
We are really pleased to announce that at the end of November, we conducted a Handover Event for two wonderful projects, our Classroom Renovations and Girls Toilet project, at Mshikamano School!
Why are these projects so important?
Mshikamano Primary School is located in a deprived, rural village in Arusha, Tanzania, and prior to our projects was suffering from dilapidated classrooms where students were sharing 2-4 people to one desk, and a lack of any toilet facilities that were private, safe and appropriate for girls to use. We embarked on two projects with the school; a classroom renovation, which provides a safe and comfortable learning environment with all the resources students need to learn, and the completion of a new girls toilet block suitable for effective Menstrual Hygiene Management. By providing a welcoming and safe educational setting, Made With Hope, along with our partner CHETI NGO, hope to empower the children at Mshikamano school to continue to pursue education, and thus break the cycle of poverty.
Students having to sit 4 to a desk in the old classroom
The classroom at Mshikamano before renovation
Mshikamano Primary School classrooms for Standard 6 and 7 were dilapidated, unsafe and cramped. The classrooms had no windows, meaning when it was rainy and windy the students got wet and cold which is not a suitable learning environment. The classrooms lacked learning resources meaning concentration and inspiration was low. Standard 6 and 7 education was suffering because the classrooms were in such bad condition. This is worrying because these are very important academic years in primary schools. In Tanzania, if a child does not pass their Standard 7 exams, they will never be able to attend secondary school (or retake the exam) and will have to find a poorly paid job instead.
We have carried out a renovation of the toilets at Mshikamano. Prior to the project, the primary school had 10 dilapidated pit latrine toilets for 316 students (both boys and girls sharing). No cubicles had locks, and often no doors, and therefore girls found it difficult to privately and hygienically manage their period whilst at school. The safety risks, as well as the social embarrassment, was stopping girls from attending school and, as a result, risked them falling behind in their studies. Therefore, Made With Hope installed six 5,000 litre rainwater harvesting tanks and handwashing facilities, delivered a Menstrual Hygiene Management Education programme and constructed a girls toilet block. The new girls toilet block includes:
The new girls toilet block and handwashing facility
10 cubicles with lockable doors
Storage for menstrual products the girls can access
Facilities which allow girls to wash reusable MHM products
Adding a solar light source
Cubicle space for girls to change and wash
Hooks so girls can hang up their clothes when washing
Menstrual waste bins/incinerator
With support from the Rasche Family Charitable Trust, this was made possible.
The outcomes
The completion of both of these projects is cause for celebration at Mshikamano and we hope to see a significant and long lasting impact on students' access to education.
The intended long term outcomes of the girls toilet block:
Menstrual hygiene products available in the new girls toilet block
Improved hygiene standards by providing 168 girls’ with access to a hygienic cubicle, soap and water to manage their period whilst at school
Increased confidence for 168 girls’ to manage their period whilst at school to avoid them feeling the need to stay at home during their period.
Decreased absenteeism for 168 girls can keep up to date with schoolwork and benefit from educational opportunities.
Stronger collaboration with the local community and government as we are empowering them and working alongside them to achieve collective goals for the school.
The renovated classrooms
Our hopes for the impact of renovating the classrooms:
Increased grades/attendance
Improved pass rates to secondary school
Increased student/teacher morale
Increase concentration of students
Increased community collaboration
The Handover Event, 30th November 2020
The Handover Event concluded the completion of our renovation projects at Mshikamano Primary School. The event was a chance to celebrate the wonderful efforts from a committed group of volunteers who have been instrumental in supporting all of Made With Hope’s SWASH projects in Arusha.
It was a hugely successful ceremony with several notable attendees; guest speakers included a government Ward Education Officer, a local Village Executive Officer, local leaders of the ward, and several members of the school board. The event welcomed many people from across the community who were able to engage with and understand more about the significance of these projects.
Made with Hope Volunteers at the Handover Event
The unveiling of the new toilet block
Most notably, the event was covered by ITV, a local television broadcaster which covered the handover ceremony through their media channels in Tanzania. You can watch the full clip of the Handover Event news coverage on our Youtube: Girls toilet and Classrooms Handover at Mshikamano school in Tanzania Media.
On what was a hugely successful day, pupils were able to enjoy fun games before tours of both renovation projects allowed guests to take a closer look at each area and learn more about the purpose of the facilities - particularly the girls changing rooms, which hold extra significance in supporting girls with effective Menstrual Hygiene Management.
One of our volunteers leading celebratory games with the students at the handover event
Community members and teachers watching students games
At the heart of the event was Made With Hope’s Community Development Officer, Hussein.
Special Thanks…
A huge thank you to One Kind Act, St James Place Wealth Management, the Hilden Charitable Trust for supporting this project so generously. We would also like to thank the amazing Mshikamano community for volunteering their time to help construct these projects so rapidly.
“The projects we have been doing at Mshikamano Primary School helped all students to pass secondary school in 2020. The school has become number one over all government schools across the district. I am so proud to be part of this big achievement!
”
Thankyou,
Written by Eve Stanislawski, Molly Deegan and Cameron Ladd