Oldenderit Interview

Question

Answer

How many children in school?

 ,   boys,   girls

Religion?

Children are mixed between muslim and christian

Are they taught English?

Children are taught English as a subject starting in grade 3. Subjects are taught in mother tongue swahili

What do children learn in school?

Social studies, math, science, Swahili, English, gym (sports), history

What are the grade levels?

Pre-primary school is age 5-6, primary school starts at age 7 to 14 or 15. Primary school goes up to grade 7

How many kids per class?

Maximum 90 -100

How many teachers are there?

12 teachers, 1 head master, 1 school administrator and 1 school chairman

Who runs the school?

Tanzania government, it is a government run school

Do families pay for kids to go to school?

No because it is government run

What is the teacher’s English literacy?

Not good, some don’t know any English

What does the government provide?

Government gives school a little money every year to pay for books, learning materials, chalk, to print exams and pay teacher salary. Salaries are not sufficient for cost of living.

What do the families pay for?

Families pay for bags, notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, school uniforms, etc.

Are there formal lesson plans?

The government tells them what subjects to teach; the school arranges the time table

Do the teachers have the necessary supplies to teach effectively?

No – children share one/two lesson book between 5 of them, share pencils between three of them

What supplies do the teachers need?

Text books, photocopier, computers

When is the school open?

8 am – 2:30 pm; 2 holidays – month of December (Nov 26-Jan 10) and month of June. There is a mid-term before each holiday

Does the school have computers?

No, they don’t have electricity in school and only the head master’s office has been wired for it

Is there a teacher available to teach computers?

Regina knows computer basics and MS Word/Excel. Will need someone to teach her before she can teach children

What are the problems at school?

Lack of clean water, no electricity, not enough supplies and text books

What are your priorities to fix?

1. Provide clean drinking water for children and water to wash hands (currently there is a tape water that has very little water and has no sim tank storage)

2. Need enough textbooks for each child and teacher

3. Electricity for the head master’s office, and wiring and electricity for the school

4. Purchase some computers for teaching children

5. Build a bathroom for girls and boys. The current bathroom holes are full and overflowing, and only a hole has been dug for the new washrooms

6. Fix the teacher’s homes on the school property. They have been deemed unsafe to live in

7. Provide some sort of food/juice/porridge for the children at lunch time. Currently they don’t have anything to eat at school because school and parents can’t afford it

8. Fix deteriorating school foundation and roof – some classrooms don’t have proper flooring, others have ceilings that are falling apart and leaking water, blackboards don’t show chalk properly, desks are broken, no glass in windows, many doors are gone

Do the parents provide for the children?

Many parents are too poor to buy what is necessary for the children so some children come to school in slippers, their school uniforms are tattered and old, they share pencils with other kids, and they don’t get breakfast

What sports do the children learn in school?

Running, netball and football. They have never had a real ball before, they use one that they made

What is the dominant tribe in the village?

 Maasai,meru and chaga

It is a multi-cultural community

What is around the village?

Mererani village is 4 kms away; Arusha is 50 km and Moshi is 65 km

What do the villagers do for work?

Mostly farmers of vegetables or animals, and miners

Would you like volunteers here?

Yes, we would be so happy

What can the volunteers do at school?

Teach English, computers and sports. Upgrade the teachers skills

Where would volunteers live?

They would stay at amani’s house, sister and brother

How many volunteers can stay there?

6 beds, 4 bunk beds, 2 double beds so 8 people in total

What food would volunteers eat?

Local food – ugali, rice, pilau, cooked banana, potatoes, beans, spinach, makande

How far is amani’s home from the school?

400meters– volunteers need to walk to and from school, no transport

How can volunteers travel outside the village?

Dala dala, piki piki, bicycle. No taxi or car

Where can they go outside the village?

Nduruma  town 2kms away, safari, mountain climbing (Kili is 60 kms away), national parks, waterfalls, Lake Manyara (150 km away)

What can they do for fun?

Go to nduruma for restaurants, shops, bars, clubs

Local football club in village

Is water and electricity available at amani’s home?

Yes, running water, no solar and generator power is available 24/25hrs every day.

What are the accommodations like?

Bunkbeds, washrooms with sink, shower and European toilet

Is bottled water and snacks available?

Yes at the local store in village

Will someone be there to take care of the volunteers?

Yes there will always be someone there that speaks English and will help out the volunteers

How safe is the village for white people (mzungus)

Very safe, very peace and no problems at all.

Where is the nearest hospital?

Village has a local clinic

Where else can people volunteer?

Secondary school (they know English there), local clinic, construction/plumbing/environment works at primary school