TINA'S GRADUATING CLASS IS NUMBER ONE IN THE DISTRICT! |
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Dear Friends and Colleagues, As we move into this season of THANKS and of GIVING, we at REACH Shirati have much to be grateful for. Thanks to our amazing donors like you, and thanks to our dedicated team in Shirati, 2019 has been a year of accomplishments. Read the good news below! HELP US FINISH THE YEAR WITH EVEN MORE SUCCESS: DONATE HERE Learn more about how you can participate: CONTACT US |
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OUR THIRD GRADUATING CLASS RANKS NUMBER ONE!!! We are delighted and super proud to share with you the news of our third graduating class of 7th graders at Tina’s School. On Friday, October 11, 23 girls and 32 boys received their diplomas. The results of the National Examination have just been posted and we are thrilled to announce that our school has placed FIRST in the Rorya District of 117 schools, and 12th in the Mara Region out of 656 schools! This means that ALL our students can go on to Secondary School. The ceremony was beautiful, and the feast afterwards was delicious. Our guest of honor, Madame Rose Ouko, came from the Education Ministry’s District Office of Quality Assurance. She showered Tina’s School with high praise, stating that she can say with authority that “I know that Tina’s School is one of the best schools in the district, because I am the person who inspects them all! You are lucky to have a school like this at such a reasonable school fee!” |
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MEET FRED HEZEKIAH CHACHA Born and raised in Tanzania, Fred Chacha has been the Manager of Tina’s School, and the Manager of REACH Shirati in Tanzania, since 2008. He wears many hats – in addition to helping manage the school, he also administers the Hospital Food Project and budget, and is the beloved Host, Guide and Chaperone to our volunteers in Shirati. Fred must implement and facilitate all of the logistics and transportation for our volunteers, as well as make sure the necessary supplies and people are available for our projects. We are indebted to him for his many contributions to the success of Tina’s School and the many projects associated with it. |
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In the words of volunteer, Annelise Gill-Wiehl, now a Ph.D. Student in Energy Resources: "I first met Fred Chacha the summer of 2017, when I arrived in Shirati after my sophomore year at the University of Notre Dame, eager to do a project that would improve local household energy access. I knew about REACHShirati’s local programs and impressive pre and primary school. Fred was my point person for translation, logistics, and any questions I had on life in Shirati. |
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I have never met a more selfless man... Fred is incredibly committed to the work and progress of Tina’s and the Shirati community at large. He balances this commitment with lightness. He is lovingly nicknamed, “Big Dog,” which reflects his childish nature as he is always up for a joke or good fun—as long as the work is progressing. Fred’s ability to connect with people encourages their hard work. His charisma is contagious. Fred handles all his responsibilities graciously and navigates community dynamics with ease. The success of my project would not have been possible without Fred’s energy and his drive to improve the lives of every Tanzanian." Top photo: Fred Hosting Summer 2018 REACHShirati Volunteers at Breakfast Photo to right: Fred with REACHShirati Board Member Laura Mason |
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We take THE LONG VIEW on sustainability! Raised poor and an orphan, Christine Chacha made her way through the Tanzanian schools of the 1960s and 1970s, and graduated from the law school at the University of Dar Es Salaam. In 2005/2006, Christine returned to her home village, hoping to build an English- medium school to uplift the poor children there. As the local proverb says, “If you educate a man, he will help his family. If you educate a woman, she will help her whole community.” In just 14 years, Christine’s dream has been realized! We work towards sustainability in many ways. Some projects have immediate effects, like the borehole we drilled in 2017 (thanks to YOUR donations!), thereby cutting our monthly cost for clean water by $200. But long term sustainability is still a challenge. In order to provide an affordable, quality education to the poorest children, we charge a minimal school fee. Half of our 600 students receive some form of financial aid. This means that the operating costs of Tina’s School far exceed the income we generate from the local villagers. Our school is thriving, and we look forward to the time our graduatesare able to give back to their community as Christine Chacha has done. We at REACH Shirati know that community development takes a long time, and that many development projects fail along the way. This is why, as we work towards sustainability in every way possible, we know we must also take the LONG VIEW about sustainability. Little by little, with your donations, we are making progress! |
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In the Short Term! You can join our Teacher Support Circles and become a sustainer donor with on-going monthly donations. Knowing that we can count on your $15, $20, $25 or $50 per month makes all the difference for budgeting. Help us meet our most pressing financial challenge: paying our fine teachers and staff a fair market salary. For details, you can call our Chief Financial Officer Laura Mason at 510-928-2730, or email her at lbmason.reachshirati@gmail.com. |
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| | Share Us Please! We'd love more people to know about our mission of creating bright futures through education! So please share our emails and our website and let your friends and community know about our accomplishments. Spread the word about what's possible and it will be come true. | | |
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| | A Big Thank You to our friends! Our projects bring so much hope, progress and real results to the community we serve, that it's hard to put into words how far your donations go and how deeply appreciated they are. We are grateful for the support you continue to give Tina's students and their families. You transform their futures. | | |
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