School

Enyorrata E Ngia Girls Secondary School

 

The students' old dining room. After two years of use it is now falling down.

 

 

Temporary house made of wood and mud with an external coating of cement plaster. This serves as a dorm and currently houses eight students.

 

 

 

This is a new classroom under construction. Construction on the mountain is difficult, due to the large distance materials must be transported.

 

 

 

 

A dorm slowly falling down.

 

 

New dorm and classrooms under construction.

 

 

Plastic covers the little soil pots used to germinate seeds that will become a hedge around the school. The students are in charge of planting these.

 

 

Chicken coop where the students are in charge of raising chickens for food.

 

 

The sister in charge of the projects at the school.

 

 

Headmistress and a group of students

 

 

The spectacular view.

 

 

The School

Africa on Canvas is proud to be working with Sister Denis and The Enyorrata E Ngia Girls Secondary School. The school is located near Monduli Juu in Northern Tanzania, about 50 km NW of Arusha city.

In the area of Tanzania where the Enyorrata School is located there are several large Maasai tribes that reside. The Maasai elders in these communities do not understand the importance of education. There is access to government subsidized primary level school, but the need for Secondary education is still great in this remote region and the girls are especially vulnerable. Without the assistance of the nuns at Enyorrata, girls would be unable to even consider achieving Secondary education.

Realizing this need, the Missionary Sisters of St. Ann opened the Enuorrata E Ngia Girls Secondary School on February 9th, 2004, taking over a series of old and abandoned buildings previously used by an American couple to operate a rural eye clinic. When the Enyorrata E Ngia Girls Secondary School first opened its doors in 2004, 42 young Maasai women were enrolled in classes and many of them were unable to pay the school entrance fees of about $400 USD per year. The small huts on the site served as the only rooms for staff and students. Soon after opening the schools doors it became apparent that the space was too small to contain all of the operations. At the end of 2005 the Archbishop was able to provide funding for a dorm to be built with two attached classrooms. These new facilities were able to accommodate a total of 68 students.

In January of 2006, all of the management and administrative roles for the school were handed over to the Missionary Sisters of St. Ann. Since that time, the Sisters have added various facilities to the site, including a multipurpose hall (dining room), kitchen with a storeroom, toilets, shower rooms and three laboratory rooms.

The School is currently registered with the Ministry of Education in Tanzania, which is a requirement for all Secondary Schools in Tanzania. The school has reached the third year of Secondary education, which is called Form III and to date there are 105 girls in attendance at the school. Another 50 students are enrolled for the upcoming year. January 2008 will be a remarkable time at the Enyorrata E Ngia Girls Secondary School, as the first class of students in its history will be graduating, having reached the end of their fourth year in Secondary education.

The Maasai People

The Maasai are a semi-nomadic people of Eastern Africa. Their colorful dress can be seen among herds of cattle on the lands between Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya. The Maasai lifestyle largely revolves around caring for and grazing cattle. Cattle are the tribe’s only source of food, which comes milk, meat and blood, as well as their only form of wealth.

The Maasai are a patriarchal society, forming structured life divisions based on age. Boys that have reached puberty and are between the ages of 12-25 are initiated into Morans or warriors after several rites of passage, including Emorata, or circumcision. These junior warriors are then responsible for the tribe’s security, while the previous group of senior Morans will move up to become junior elders and eventually senior elders. Elders in the Maasai society are responsible for making many decisions on behalf of the tribe.

Younger boys are generally responsible for grazing the cattle herds and young girls often help their mothers with chores such as milking cattle, building enkaji (Maasai huts or houses), collecting water and firewood. Girls also go through a rite of passage involving circumcision before they are able to enter into adulthood. Although this practice is now illegal in both Tanzania and Kenya, some believe tribes are still practicing it. In Maasai society the women may marry only once, while men may have numerous wives depending on their acquired wealth. Girls are frequently married at a very young age to men in neighboring tribes in exchange for cattle. Often these men are older as only they will have gained the wealth to buy numerous wives.

In recent years pressures from the outside world have begun to encroach on the traditional Maasai way of life, but local governments are working with Maasai communities to help them preserve and adapt their culture. Maasai are now earning money by selling cattle and milk, as well as intricate beaded jewelry designed by the women.

The Project

All profits generated from the sale of art work on this website are donated back to the school in order to fund staff and students, as well as provide funds for the various improvement projects that they have on their list. To give you an idea of how far the money we generate can go I’ve attached a budget in USD that was supplied by Sister Denis.

Annual Student Fees:

1st Year Students: $340/year
2nd Year Students: $410/year
3rd Year Students: $440/year
4th Year Students: $470/year

Student fees cover hostel costs (meals included), books, school supplies, uniforms and other clothing.

The total budget for one student during her 4 year stay at the school is $1,660 USD.

Staff Budget:

The school currently has 4 teachers, three Nuns with degrees and one lay person at a diploma level. They also have a midwife or nurse on staff and she is also a Nun. The combined annual budget for their current staff is $6760 USD.

In the coming year they hope to add 3 additional teachers with at a diploma level of education and one school secretary. The additional staff is expected to bring the annual staffing budget to $17,280 USD.

Project Projections (estimated dollars):

In addition to new teachers, the school also hopes to work on several improvement projects throughout the year. An estimated budget for school improvements is listed below:

Construction of one dormitory: $85,000 USD
Construction of one administration block: $75,000 USD
Construction of the Library: $45,000 USD
Construction of one teachers quarters (2 people): $25,000 USD
Construction of first aid room with bed: $15,000 USD
Construction of 12 pit latrines: $15,000 USD
Construction of 12 showers: $13,000 USD
Purchase maize milling machine: $4,500 USD
Purchase furniture for dormitory: $4,000 USD
Purchase furniture for dining: $3,500 USD
Purchase furniture for library: $2,500 USD
Purchase furniture for one classroom: $2,500 USD
Purchase photocopy machine: $3,500 USD